I was tasked (I say “tasked”, but I really enjoyed it!) with recording a series of relaxation scripts a few weeks ago. Guided imagery, sleep, focus – you know the genre. In the process, I became interested in the techniques that are used by therapists to get people to relax. In addition to voice over, I am a working healthcare professional and have the opportunity to speak with professional therapists on a regular basis.
I have worked in psych, prisons, community clinics and hospitals and many of these techniques have shown themselves to be useful to people in all walks of life. One of the most interesting techniques is “whisper relaxation”. It sounded really odd at first, but then I listened to a “whispered”, relaxation script, and it was really calming. If you haven’t listened to one or you’re having trouble sleeping, try it.
Done correctly, these are just the standard relaxation script using guided imagery technique and sometimes background music to change your brain to an alpha or theta state as shown on an EEG. This equates to an EEG somewhere between 4 and 12 cycles per second. You don’t really need to know this, I’m just a nerd, so I’m interested.
Some recordings incorporate what are called “binaural beats”. These were first discovered in the 1800′s, although until the EEG, there was no way to truly measure their effect on the brain. A binaural beet is a tone below 1000 htz that causes a change in brain state and are used to induce creativity, sleep, meditation, relaxation, focus and energy levels. Obviously when used with a relaxation audio, we would use binarual beats that are tuned to a frequency that induces brain states in that range.
There are many claims made about brain state and it’s effect on behaviors such as over eating, smoking, exercising, motivation and other activities. But many of these claims are unverified. What is not unverified is the effect on one simple thing, relaxation and stress. Any other claims may have more to do with a persons belief that they are effective, than with any actual scientific basis.
I tend to be very analytical. And I’m fascinated by how effective this is. What’s odd, is that it even works with my own voice, which I typically don’t like to listen to. It seems to be a thing with voice over people. Many of us don’t like our own voices, lol. Find one on Amazon or iTunes and try it if you’re uptight or stressed. It may really help.
Leave a Reply