For those looking for more scientific explanations, the following article does much to explain the electro-magnetic functions of mind. And describe it like a computer which also uses electro-magnetic waves...
E.

Mind State Management: the Software of the Mind by Frank Young, Ph.D.

This article first appeared in the Voyager XL User Guide © Copyright 1993 Theta Technologies.

The entire article is Reproduced here http://www.ecst.csuchico.edu/~andrewc/mind_state_manage.html with permission and parts of it are reproduced on this page for discussion purposes only.
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People who learn to control inner experience will be able to determine the quality of their lives, which is as close as any of us can come to being happy. (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990, p.2)

In his book, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, one of the foremost authors on the phenomena of peak experiences, Csikszentmihalyi, outlines the state of unity be-tween subject and object, the observer and the observed, a total blend of process and outcome. This state of complete focus can also be
described as the result of a learned skill or habit. Mind state management (MSM), the skill of matching activation state and mental focus to the task at hand, is now available to virtually anyone who is willing to learn it. Once the cherished domain of a few yogis and supreme meditators, this ability can now be learned through the recent advances in the new field of neurotechnology.

Describing the consciousness continuum

The brain operates like a computer which is not surprising since computers were designed to emulate
brain functions in the first place. There are input devices (data from our senses), coding systems
(categorizations and cognitive appraisals of our perceptions based on previous experiences) and a central
processing unit. There is also a power source (motivation) that pre-selects certain information for
processing and ignores data considered irrelevant. There are also output devices in which data is
cat-egorized (cross-referenced in both the conscious and unconscious long-term memory systems). If the
encoding is sloppy or the data has relatively low importance to functioning, it tends to be lost (forgotten). It
is eventually overwritten or erased by subsequent information (new experiences).

While most of the information is stored, it is almost virtually unretrievable unless properly tagged to a
retrieval path. For example, with no external cueing, try to rem-ember who you had lunch with three
Tuesdays ago. For most people this is not an easy assignment, yet the memory is there.

Imagine the distress of taking an examination and temporarily blocking the correct answers due to the
stress of having to produce on demand. Imagine the difficulty in trying to fall asleep when your sleep cycle
has been disrupted by jet lag. Or trying to read a chapter of a textbook when you are tired. Each of these
activities require certain levels of brain state activation in order to be carried out effectively. The
importance of this principle is far from insignificant. Disruptions to brain functioning can affect cognition,
emotion, attitude and ultimately behavior. What is needed then is the ability to access the brain wave state
that is optimal to the task at hand.

What are brainwaves? Essentially, our brain is a neurochemical information pro-cessor that gives off
electrical signals as electrochemical circuits close and open a million each second. If this is so, why canUt
we detect these signals? Primarily because our skulls are too thick and the signals too weak for them to
resonate outside our heads. With the exception of perhaps the most clairvoyant and telepathic among us,
brain wave patterns are impossible to detect without the aid of a special amplifier called an
electroencephalograph or EEG, which detects and records the changes in the voltage emanating from the
brain. These electrical patterns tend to be similar in their general rhythm or rate of pulsation, and can be
placed along the consciousness continuum. (See chart on page 3).

The first pattern is described as beta waves, of short amplitude and very rapid pul-sations of 30-14 cycles
per second (Hertz or Hz). This pattern is optimal for intense mental activities such as calculations, linear
logical analyses, and other highly struc-tured functions.

The second pattern is described as alpha waves, characterized by a slightly larger amplitude of 13-9 Hz.
This pattern typically occurs in daydreaming, relaxed awareness, guided or focused imagery and smoothly
rhythmic athletic activity. There is often a euphoric, effortless feeling of RflowS as the doer is absorbed in
activity, and subject and object are felt to be united.

The third pattern is described as theta waves, pulsations that are more ragged and irregular, in the 8-4 Hz
range. While this range is rather small, a difference of 1 or 2 Hz in this zone is very noticeable, as it is
proportionately much larger than it would be in the beta or alpha range. This pattern is associated with
deep unconscious imagery, and thus creativity, as the person drops into a state of drowsiness and
near-sleep.

The last main pattern is that of delta waves, pulsations that range between 3-1 Hz. In this range of
profound relaxation, images and dreams have largely subsided, as the person slides into a state of slow
wave restorative sleep. Meditators who remain aware during this state of near unconsciousness report
tranquility and peace.

Obviously, being able to control a mind state (the subjective mental state that typically accompanies a
brainwave pattern) would be helpful in optimizing human functioning in contexts that required specific kinds
of concentration and relaxation. While there have always been brainwaves, only recently have we become
aware of them and been able to effect their change. This accessibility with demonstrable, rapid results has
great potential for the relief of suffering and the evolution of the social mind of our society.

Meditation and Prayer. Throughout history, in virtually every culture and religion, there has been a
tradition of some kind of meditation or chanting prayer. Prayer is typically used to focus and calm the mind,
promote healing, or invoke the blessing of a deity. Usually the prayer takes about 15-20 minutes. It may
involve the repetition of a simple phrase or series of actions and rhythmic soundsQjumping, swaying,
dancing or chanting. The participant continues repeating the action or mantra long past the point of
boredom, until a higher state or spiritual awareness occurs. If distracting thoughts occur, the participant is
told not to resist them; let them pass through the mind and exit by themselves, allowing the mind to return to
the mantra. These rituals have been successful in invoking a relaxation response, but only to dedicated
devotees who practiced religiously. The required discipline often had to be maintained externally through
social constraints against leaving the place of meditation or the practice of prayer. The reason for such
control was obvious. The tasks were inherently boring and ineffective unless practiced diligently, so the
sessions needed to be practiced often enough for the benefit to be realized.

Nevertheless, over the centuries and across cultures, a general principle of the mind-body unity seems to
operate:

Stimulate the mind-body with rapid movement and loud sounds.

Soothe and settle the mind-body with slower and quieter movement and sound.

Transport the mind-body to altered states of consciousness through very slow pulsing of

movement and sound.

The principles of mind state management are similar:

Repeated rhythmic stimulation reduces the distraction imposed by the external world.

Attention gradually and consistently turns to internal experiences.

If slower rhythms are better for inducing deeper states of consciousness, then it would seem that the
ultimate meditation would be to cultivate total stillness and quietnessQa slowing of all movement in a total
focus of concentration. In fact, many forms of yogic meditation attempt to do just this. However, they flourish
in cultures where patience, acceptance and the concept of Rno-thing-nessS are taught from an early age.
The effort required to focus the wandering and impatient mind is unbearably de-manding and tedious to the
undisciplined Western mind. Some would argue that this lack of patience and discipline is the very attitude
that the practice of meditation is designed to over-come, the antidote to Western thinking. However, such
an argument is actually a taunting tautology, describing a condition that prevents its own remedy. After we
watch the dog chasing its own tail, we know he is merely playing with his dilemma. Not so with meditation.
For whatever reason, most people in our Western culture will not meditate in a consistent way long enough
for thorough learning of the skills of MSM.