Gee. I was starting to feel like I posted something stupid---nobody's responded---oh well... I jump in things and then look around to see what I've gotten into.

I have some of the "home courses. I would LOVE the opportunity to attend deeper sessions at their location!

The home excersises are on cassette tape which are listened to in a dark peaceful space with headphones. This can be kinda uncomfortable and distracting---but it's possible to be worked thru. As you saw on their website, the theory is harmonics. Different tones are played in different ears and a third harmonc is created in the center that leads you to the "space".

I feel taken to that space where meditation leads. (So as not to feel like a sponge with warm icky water in it--lol)

One of the premises of the program is the quote, "We are more than our physical bodies."

I like the way they have labled the different states of mind in a progressive manner. For example---"focus 10" is body asleep, mind awake. "focus 12" is expanded consciousness.

There are more levels--but alas, thru many "lessons" that is as far as I've gone kinda with these---actually for a long time this was as far as the home based program would "take you". Since then they have released lessons that go fruther---"focus15" etc. I think they presumed it could be dangerous for people unguided at home to go further.

There are focus levels that take one to realms of other spirits and stuff---astral projection also---which I guess can be dangerous or at least scary... I guess they didn't want people going to the astral and getting stuck in a world of illusion or something---I don't know for sure.

After doing these for a while, one can center and think to yourself, "focus 10", and the auto suggestion transfers you to that state.

When I was pregnant with my last child I did the pregnancy series of at home tapes and connected very deeply with the life that was inside me. These were mainly visualisation things in focus 10 & 12. One was a lovely little cottage in the woods with a fireplace and comfy chairs to connect in. The most cool one was swimming as dolphins in the amniotic sea with my baby and conversing about stuff---what the baby felt, wanted, and needed. That one was too cool---

So Alx, that's pretty much my experience. I haven't done the tapes in a long long time since I stay fairly maxed out with three kiddlings now...but the lessons remain a part of me and my practice. All my life I wanted to learn yoga----when I finally did, I found that while doing the asanas--I mentally practice going into focus 10 & 12 and the experience deepens dramatically.

Some people may feel violated by catagorising the different states a mind can go to...I personally really dig the organisation and validating part of it. That's also one of the things I like about Tibetan Buddhism too. Things are broken down and organised into little chunks that are easier to swallow----like the 4 basic truths and the 8 fold path. The Tibetans seem to do everyhting like that---it seems like a Virgo thing.

I experimented with using binaural beats and other brain entrainment technology some time ago. I've used audio from a software program called Brainwave Generator (www.bwgen.com/) as well as another more sophisticated one, called Neuroprogrammer (www.transparentcorp.com/products/np/). I recorded the Neuroprogrammer audio tracks to disk using a pro audio editing program, so it did not cost me anything to expiriment with this approach.

There is no need to cough up hundreds or thousands of dollars for the various levels offered by Monroe or Centrepoint. The above two programs give you the same benefits.

My personal experience from using brain entrainment technologies:

First, I find the usual background sounds mixed in with the actual entrainment frequencies (usually New-Age crap like sounds of rain, crystal bowls etc) to be annoying and distracting. I like my meditations to be nothingness, pure Being, so this approach doesn't work the best for me.

Second: I did find that I was entering deeper states of consciousness, which could be likened to turiya (4th state), but it was lacking the clarity that my usual Ananda Gandha meditation gives me. It was bordering more on the sleep state than the transcendental.

Third: using an external aid like headphones and audio doesn't allow me to completely relax into my Self. There's always a subconscious component of awareness focusing on the audio, whereas my goal in meditation is leaving absolutely all sensory stimulus behind - just sitting, being.

That said, this is certainly a useful, high-tech, scientific approach for people who are making the initial foray into meditation, and trying to connect with the inner silence. Incidentally, listening to theta waves is for 30 minutes is supposed to give your brain rest equivalent to 4 hours of sleep. Now that is something I could use (but have been too lazy to try)!