The scientific basis for the effects of Brain Performance Enhancement
New neuronal growth is possible in the adult human brain. A very succinct description of this research is written up by Jim Robbins in his book, A Symphony in the Brain (May,2000).
Stimulation of the brain keeps dendrites reaching out and new neurons sprouting (at least in the hippocampus). Moreover, greater stimulation appears to serve us well in terms of enhancing learning and maintaining general health.
How can we use these findings to change behaviors, thoughts, and feelings, and more specifically to modify negative scripts in the right hemisphere? The right hemisphere is more likely to accept and implement the positive affirmation than is the left. Why? Because many of the defenses our brain erects to protect us are contained in this so-called conscious hemisphere. Each time we suffer a psychological or physiological trauma the brain erects a defense such that we are not so likely to suffer that trauma again.

An example might be the bite of a dog when we are very young. The brain erects the defense of generating a fear response whenever we are in the presence of a dog. This defense tends to generalize such that even the picture of a dog may cause feelings of anxiety. Thus, the defense has now become maladaptive because for the rest of life we avoid dogs, even nice, friendly ones.
Defenses have this way of evolving into over-reactive tendencies. Another interesting fact is that any new information that tends to disagree with the low self-esteem self our experiences have created is rejected, even though the new information may be true and positive. If, for example, we have been taught (by less than ideal parenting, or teachers, or other authoritative individuals) that we are no good, we will reject any suggestions that we are good. To summarize then, our self-esteem has been warped to the extent we (our brain and nervous system in general) have adopted the negative comments directed at us by authoritative figures in our early lives. Now we exist as adults with many onion layers of critical defenses and a bruised and distorted self-esteem. The final result is that we go through life feeling afraid, unsure and unhappy most of the time.
The brain lateralization research showed that many of these negative avoidances and emotional tendencies were mediated by the right, non-dominant, unconscious hemisphere.
All of the priming and hypnosis/priming tapes created by Dr. Budzynski incorporated separate left/right messaging in which the right ear (left brain) messages were of a higher level of abstraction and syntax while the left ear (right hemisphere) messaging was more intonated with simpler syntax and highly used, concrete wording.
There are two basic requirement for developing these lateralized tapes: 1) The technique must avoid critical screening as much as possible, 2) The change message must be such as to be comprehended by the non-verbal right brain unconsciously absorbing the message beneath the critical screening.
Over the years Tom Budzynski created and tested a number of techniques that met these requirements. They include: priming process (a form of subliminal messaging), dichotic listening, multiple voice tracks, whisper tracks, and hypnotic/priming combinations. Each of these approaches tends to avoid critical screening and each contains messaging that can be understood by the respective hemisphere to which it is delivered.
BRAIN BRIGHTENING
Peak alpha frequency (PAF) is something like a physiological signature. We stabilize our PAF at approximately age 14 and it remains at that frequency (about 10.4 Hz) for most of our lives, only slowing for illness, injury, sleep or old age. However, brighter people tend to have faster PAFs (up to 12 Hz or so) while those not so cognitively gifted might show 8 – 8.5 Hz PAFs.
Budzynski has used several methods to improve peak alpha frequency in elderly individuals and has presented these results at several professional meetings over the last few years. One protocol has come to be known as “Brain Brightening,” and includes audiovisual stimulation (AVS) and the use of audiotapes as well as neurofeedback in certain cases. Enhancement of academic performance: A recently published study by Budzynski et al (1999) in a refereed journal detailed the results of audiovisual stimulation with university students who had sought help from the university counseling service because of academic difficulties. The students were divided into two groups, one of whom received 30 15 minute AVS sessions while most of the other group continued with counseling. The groups were compared on many physiological responses and with the change in GPA (grade point average) from the GPA of the quarter prior to training with the GPA of the quarter following the end of training. There were significant differences in changes in GPA between the two groups, with the AVS group showing the greatest improvement.
VEHICLES TO DELIVER CHANGE MESSAGES TO INNER SPACE
The various protocols noted above have used a variety of processes to help decrease critical screening and thus ease the presentation of the change message (CM) to inner space, the deeper part of the brain/mind. These protocols could be thought of as the vehicles that carry the CM to that inner space. Obviously hypnosis is one such vehicle, as is priming (the presentation of change material just below conscious hearing threshold). In addition, multiple voice protocols have been used by a variety of clinicians . Whisper tracks are barely heard, on the threshold of hearing, and yet command attention because whispers impact on emotional processes. Dichotic listening has a long history of research in the area of psychology. Essentially, two different messages are presented in left and right headphones. The listener is directed to attend to only one, however. Later he/she is tested on memory for the messaging that went in the unattended ear. The research indicates that the unattended messaging does get into the brain at some point but is not usually retrievable by conscious means. Yet the messaging can affect the individual.
Moreover, neuroscience studies have shown that a given hemisphere can be taken out of a task by virtue of being engaged in another task that is incompatible with the first. For example, balancing a dowel on your right finger (left brain) is made more difficult, if not impossible, by doing math subtraction at the same time. In the mid 80’s, Dr. Budzynski devised a dichotic listening task which would satisfy the two requirements listed above. The client listens with a stereo headset and recites aloud the fast paced random numbers which are heard in the right headset (which goes primarily to the left brain) even as gradually increasing volume change messaging is heard in the left headset. The recitation of the numbers occupies the left, dominant hemisphere and all of its critical screening while the change message is presented, relatively untouched to the right non-dominant brain.
PRIMING
Priming is the influencing of meaning, attitude, polarity, emotion or expectation of conscious thought, feeling or attitude by subliminally presented word or phrase just before or simultaneous with the conscious process. Remember priming words and phrases will affect the ongoing conscious thought process, if it is relevant. The priming must be related to the ongoing process to influence it. If you are thinking of something different from the priming tape you many not receive any benefit. So it is very important to stay on the topic.
Can priming change behavior? Yes, it can. (Carter et al, 1998). showed how drinking behavior in college students was influenced by pro-con drinking priming. Studies in Israel and the US indicated priming allowed a increase in performance of students on exams.
Do all priming (subliminal) tapes work? Under what conditions do they appear to effective? The answer to the first question is yes, generally, but not all the time. The reasons are still being examined, however, some findings appear to be worthy of consideration. As noted above, the right side of the brain seems to be more involved with priming process even when it involves words as contrasted to visual images. Well, if the right brain is the chief processor of priming material, what sort of language does this half of the brain understand?
Aphasia is the disorder that exists after certain left brain strokes or other left brain injuries after which the patient has difficulty speaking or cannot speak at all. Many studies with this condition have shown that the remaining healthy part of the brain – the right side – is capable of understanding spoken words if they are spoken slowly. Clearly, and particularly with voice inflection. This is because voice intonation contours are processed primarily in the right brain. The words have to be simple and concrete and in common, everyday usage. Abstract concepts, little used words, long sentences, and sentences with negatives will probably not be understood by the right brain. Consequently, the wording and voice inflection used in our tapes is in keeping with these findings. But there is more…
DO DIFFERENT LEFT/RIGHT DUAL TRACKS WORK BETTER?
Right track messaging, which will go to the left brain, can be of higher abstraction level and does not need to be voice-intonated as much.
How far down below threshold does the message have to be? Studies over the years indicate that a level of 18-25 db below threshold seems to work best. Higher than that, or lower than the -25 db may not register. However, different users will have different hearing thresholds and so the tapes use a “scalloping” or “porpoising” technique wherein the priming phrases are moved slowly up and down with regard to foreground level, whether ocean, mountain stream or music. So once in a while  you hear a faint voice as it comes closer to the surface.
BINAURAL BEATS

Of all the types of audio stimulation, e.g., clicks, music, nature sounds, voice, etc., the one having the greatest effect on the brain waves is binaural sound.
What is binaural sound? Quite simply, if you hear one tone, say 200 Hz in one ear, and another tone, 210 Hz in the other ear, you will perceive a 10 hz or a difference tone. In his dissertation on this subject, D.S. Foster (1970) noted that this is due to “… an auditory brainstem response which originates in the superior olivary nucleus of each hemisphere, the best results from the interaction of two afferent auditory impulses, originating in opposite ears, below 1000 Hz and which differ in frequency between one and 30 Hz.” The difference tone is experienced as the two wave forms flow in and out of phase within the superior olivary nuclei. The difference “beat” is routed to the RAS (reticular activating system) and simultaneously to the cortex where it can ve seen in the EEG as a frequency-following response (Hink, et al., 1980). The RAS monitors both internal and external environment and the state of consciousness itself for moment to moment neural activity for suitability for dealing with the existing condition. The state of consciousness is altered as a natural function of maintaining regulation of the brain wave activity.
Why use binaural sound? Because binaural tones can gently alter the activity levels of the brain, they can be used to produce deep relaxation, calmness, quietness and alert, attentive states. Thus, the binaural effect sets the stage for the application protocol, whether it can be priming, hypnotic/priming, imagery, dichotic listening or multiple voices. The binaural tone can be frequency-ramped up and down to suit the protocol. Finally, multiple tones can be used to produce special effects.
IMAGERY
Imagery is a quasi-sensory and/or quasi-perceptual self-generated experience by which we can become aware of and rescript/reframe inner feelings and tendencies associated with memories of unpleasant experiences. Imagery is generated by visual/spatial processing primarily in the right hemisphere where the locus of emotions, fantasy, intuitive thought and inductive reasoning is centered. The somatovisceral associations with imagery offer a way of detecting and managing emotions. Through changing imagery, both physiologic and emotional conditions can be changed. Guided imagery is used to enable the brain to reframe relevant emotions into a more adaptive state.
RESCRIPTING
Rescripting is a way of instilling a positive outcome “memory” in the “location” of an unpleasant, possibly traumatic memory. Traumatic, embarrassing, self-esteem-battering memories can affect our lives for years afterward. Rescription involves identifying these unpleasant memories and then modifying the episode (creating a more positive outcome), such that a new adaptive scenario is imaged. During the rescription, you will change the original memory with regard to what was said, what was done and what was thought. This rescripted scenario is then imaged a number of times, impacting as forceful a scenario as can be imagined so as to see, hear, feel and even possibly, taste the rescripted scene.
DICHOTIC LISTENING
The phenomenon of hearing two different messages in the left and right ears has been studied extensively. Certain conclusions have emerged: If the messages are of approximately equal volume, they will be largely processed in contralateral fashion, ie, the right ear information will be received in the left hemisphere and the left ear information in the right hemisphere. The other fact is that if the individual focuses on the right ear/left brain message, he will be relatively unaware of the left ear/right brain message. However, there is evidence that the right brain message does influence the on-going mental process, thus acting like a priming affirmation.

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