[SOLVED] What program is this? It uses soundwaves to manipulate brain activity?

[ahorriblemess]

I can't remember what this is called... I saw it before I reinstalled Ubuntu. I was browsing through Add/Remove and I saw this program that uses beeps and sounds that are supposed to manipulate brain activity... some tones put you in a meditative state, some can make you feel anxious etc.

I wasn't sure which forum to ask this in...

[MCrittenden]

Sounds a lot like neurofeedback to me. It's a new technique used by many therapists and alternative psychiatrists now for people with PTSD and depression especially, in addition to pretty much any other mental disorder you can think of.

http://www.eeginfo.com/info_what.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurofeedback

As for the software, I don't know which app is in the repos, but here are a few:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_neurofeedback_software

You will need to buy the sensors and some other equipment if you're thinking about getting into this, but it's definitely an interesting approach to therapy.

[bobbocanfly]

Sounds a bit like Binaural beats: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_beats


Binaural beats or binaural tones are auditory processing artifacts, that is, apparent sounds, the perception of which arises in the brain independent of physical stimuli.

[ahorriblemess]

Thanks...

It's Gnaural. It's programmable. I thought I could choose a setting and see what happens... I'll do some reading before I convince myself I'm the President of Saturn.

[Ittindi]

Linux Format had an article about Cryosleep http://cryosleep.yellowcouch.org in their Dec 2007 edition. It is a "Brainwave Generator." I haven't tried it out yet but it looks interesting.

[Sporkman]

...I'm the President of Saturn.

You don't want that job - the auto industry is very competitive, tough environment to be in. However, we're very happy with our Saturn Vue.

[Bungo Pony]

About two years ago, I recieved a free CD in the mail that had these noises mixed low under music, kinda like a subliminal message tape. However, every minute or two, this nasty voice would come on and say "THIS IS A DEMONSTRATION" which really ruined any effect it could have.

[jespdj]

Interesting. But the whole theory looks like pseudoscience (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudoscience) to me.