Can Mind Machines Build Up Our Brains?

by Caroline Hall Otis

Nautilus, Universal, Nordic Track -- machines that strengthen and delineate our pecs and glutes have passed beyond mere fad to become a way of life. But how irksome it is to have a Ferrari of a body topped by a Pinto of a brain. Time for the next twist in workout equipment: exercise machines designed to pump power into our cerebral muscles.

Welcome to the brave new era -- and burgeoning new market -- of mind machines. A generation ahead of the biofeedback devices of the 1960s, these machines use a combination of light, sound, and other stimuli to reduce stress, induce meditative states, launch spiritual explorations, improve intellectual capacity, enhance creativity -- and yield such physical benefits as lower blood pressure, fewer headaches, and improved circulation. They are even credited with helping to grow hair, not to mention fresh new brain cells.

The machines can be experienced on an hourly basis at "mind gyms" across the country -- places with names like Altered States, Tranquility Center, and SpaceTime Tanks, most of which got their start in the floatation tank biz. Or you can check into an upscale spa like the Canyon Ranch in Tucson, which added a week-long MindFitness program to its menu of dawn treks and herbal wraps last year. Psychiatrists, psychologists, physicians, educators, and chiropractors are jumping on the brain-machine bandwagon, too.

With good reason, it seems. Research reported by NEW AGE JOURNAL (July/August 1987) reveals new findings about the brain that contradict long-held beliefs. To wit: Aging does not necessarily go hand in hand with loss of brain cells; in fact, parts of the brain can continue to grow -- and intelligence increase -- well into the geriatric years. Also, we aren't issued our full quota of brain cells at infancy. Under the right conditions, neurons can regenerate. Indeed, scientists quoted by NEW AGE assert that every mental state is the product of a specific pattern of electrical and chemical activity in the brain that can be replicated through controlled stimulation.

To boost our brainpower, the mind machines use combinations of the following elements, reports Jay Cornell in REALITY HACKERS (Issue #5). Flashing lights, the most common feature of mechanical brain-builders, produce patterns, images, and a variety of mental states. Electrical pulses, often timed to harmonize with the resonant frequency of Earth's magnetic field, are purported to have strong healing effects. Sounds -- simulated ocean waves, heartbeats, white noise, or tinkly New Age music -- help make the brain resonate. Spoken words, delivered in ultra-soothing tones, can help bring on beneficial alpha and theta waves. Motion -- swinging, dancing, rotating, bobbing -- stimulates the semicircular canal and cilia of the inner ear to transmit signals to the cerebellum while it gives body fluids a beneficial sloshing. Ultrasound waves sent directly into the brain are emerging as another potentially powerful stimulation technique.

The best and most expensive brain machines include the Synchro-Energizer (about $7,000) and the Graham Potentializer (kits start at $3,500; assembled machines at $7,000). The Synchro-Energizer uses goggles with flashing lights and headphones playing synthesized sounds for state-of-the-art stimulation. The Graham Potentializer uses motion and magnetic fields to cool your stress jets and build brain function. For the budget conscious, there's the MC^2, a hand-held keypad hooked up to a pair of shades and a set of headphones -- all designed to help you pump alpha for just $350. And the list goes on.

The new mind machines have their detractors, of course. For instance, the MindFitness program at Canyon Ranch claims to help participants generate the alpha brain waves that enhance creativity, imagination, and so on. But TUCSON WEEKLY (June 1, 1988) reports that researchers say alpha waves are "dirt common" -- and very easy to produce by simply shutting your eyes.