This is a review of three of the most prominent brainwave entrainment cd programs.

While it may be tempting to "become smarter" and improve your memory, mental clarity and focus just by listening to an audio, it is important to remember that all of the programs mentioned here require a certain time commitment. Though you’re free to do less (and progress more slowly), half an hour to an hour per day is recommended. Depending on the program you choose, some of the CD’s can be used while actually performing a task, eg. studying or creative writing, others require just listening and/or meditation.

Do keep in mind that you should NOT listen to these CD’s if you have a history of seizures or epilepsy, and NEVER while driving or operating machinery.

1. Focus and Insight CD set by Immrama Institute

The program consists of 2 products, the Insight CD and the Focus 2-disc set, and can also be bought as a combination at a discount.
This is by far the most affordable program with faster results than some of the others, and is endorsed by, among others, Dr Mercola. I would say it is a safe start to see how this technology benefits you.

The Insight CD is an extraordinary tool dedicated to helping you reduce stress, improve sleep, achieve deeper levels of self awareness and personal insight, and much more. The CD is designed to promote long-term personal growth and improvement. The Insight CD works to guide your mind gently from the Beta state down through the Alpha state into a deeply meditative Theta state, then gradually guides it further into the deep Delta range. This state of mind provides scientifically proven physical and mental benefits — including reduced stress and improved health — and is also wonderfully conducive to the exploration of higher levels of consciousness and deeper layers of self awareness.

The Focus 2-Disc set is designed to help you achieve powerful states of heightened focus and alertness, mental clarity, concentration, and creativity.
The audio technology uses proprietary harmonically layered binaural frequencies to guide your mind into a highly focused and attentive mental state that is extremely conducive to higher-level thinking. Using the CDs in the Focus 2-Disc Set, you can easily and effortlessly attain a state of intense clarity, enhanced concentration, and superior focus.

These CD’s can be bought seperately or in combination.

Each track is composed of various rain sounds carefully blended together in a precise mix to complement the binaural experience. The binaural tones are set directly below the sounds of the rain. Using rain and other soothing sounds to mask the binaural tones has been proven to enhance the effectiveness of binaural audio. In his groundbreaking Scientific American article titled "Auditory Beats in the Brain", Gerald Oster wrote: "Noise ordinarily masks sounds one wants to hear. For example, ’static’ sometimes overwhelms a weak radio signal. The perception of binaural beats, however, is enhanced by noise. When the appropriate tones are presented to the ears so that binaural beats are produced, and are accompanied in each ear by noise just loud enough to obscure the tones, the binaural beats become more distinct." [Oster, Gerald (1973) Auditory Beats in the Brain. Scientific American, 229, pp. 94-102]

2. Optimindzation by Peak State Products

This program consists of a set of 12 CD’s of 60 minutes each focusing on different brain wave states. This program uses isochronic tones, not bineural beats, a newer form of the technology which is said to be more effective and not reliant on stereo headphones. These CD’s (at least at the time I purchased them!) do not have the audio technology embedded beneath the sound of rain. It is more pricey than the previous program, but it is very comprehensive and focused on particular goals you may want to achieve.

Each OptiMINDzation audio contains 60 minutes of scientifically proven programs that are field tested and measured with advanced brain observation equipment to ensure that the OptiMINDzation performance enhancing capabilities have been carefully documented. It is recommended that each month you focus on a new audio within the full set, but of course you are completely free to listen to any of them at any time. So here’s what you have to look forward to with your OptiMINDzation 12 Volume Set.

1. Optimize Your Mind - Introduction to Optimindzation by gaining amazing benefits with memory, absorbency, stamina, power, sharpness and wholeness.

2. Creative Focus & Innovative Mind - This dynamic session is engineered to optimize your creative thinking for blockbuster brain storming. Your brain waves will be elevated to produce similar brainwave patterns like those in the brains of the worlds most creative thinkers.

3. Kick-Butt Study Genius - This kick butt brain bootcamp will optimize your brain to make studying a breeze, have you learning faster, making you more productive and boost your performance in areas that can benefit from accelerated cognition.

4. Relaxation Mastery - This is a specific session designed to melt anxiety and release you to relax and feel your best.

5. Millionaire Brainstorm - This session is based on over 40 years of solid research and is engineer to catapult your brain into high levels of achievement by optimizing your brain to match brainwave patterns of the most intelligent 1% of the population.

6. Extraordinary Energy & Mental Caffeine - Experience an amazing and lasting flood of energy without the let down as this session stimulates areas of your brain that create energy and get you massively motivated every day.

7. Physical Power & Athletic "Zone" - No more dragging with this amazing session. You will be tuned and locked into the peak performance stated called the "Zone" and ready to rock on demand.

8. Amazing Sleep & Insomnia Help - These audios put what is perhaps the most effective sleep induction session ever developed at your fingertips. Now you will now what a deep, healthy sleep feels like.

9. Absolute Stress Relief & Anxiety Reduction - Blow away stress and eliminate anxiety with this proven protocol that can even reduce stress-involved hormones, like cortisol.

10. Depression Elimination - Imagine pushing play and listening to an audio with a tested and proven protocol engineered to stimulate the brainwave patterns that have been proven to assist in reducing depression and boosting emotional stability.

11. ADD Freedom - A massive body of research shows that brainwave stimulation can be amazingly effective against ADD, by stimulating the brain to boost attention and focus.

12. Immune System Maximizer - Based on studies that show brainwave patterns are able to directly stimulate the immune system this well designed audio is your jumpstart to stimulating your immune system fast.

The Optimindzation site requires you to enter you name and e-mail address to proceed, and immediately e-mails you information on brainwave entrainment and a PDF report.

3. Awakening Prologue by Centerpointe

Awakening Prologue includes three powerful soundtracks based on Holosync technology based on bineural beats, comprehensive personal support, and a huge package of introductory materials explaining how to get the most from the program.

Important to note that the Awakening Prologue is just the first part of an extensive program. After about four months, when your brain has made the necessary adaptations, you can continue to up to 12 further levels, where each time the "carrier frequency" gets lower to increase the stimulus to the brain. Another innovation that makes this program unique, is customization of your soundtracks after the Awakening Prologue, adding silent affirmations chosen by you and recorded in your own voice, if you are into that sort of thing.

There is extensive follow-up, support, and education materials help you get the most from the program. Program support includes follow-up letters, hotline access to professional coaching staff whenever you have questions or need special attention, and access to the exclusive program participant web site. All provided at no additional charge!

In addition to the primary Holosync soundtracks, Awakening Prologue also comes with the following FREE Bonus soundtracks:

» Quietude: A beautiful and very relaxing soundtrack that features the Holosync technology at the alpha level, the brain wave pattern of super learning.
» Oasis: This soundtrack will take you deeper, into the theta brain wave state, a state of increased creativity.
» Super Longevity: A very special 2-soundtrack set specially engineered to create powerful changes in important brain chemicals related to aging and longevity, including DHEA, cortisol, and melatonin.

The Centerpointe program supplies a FREE demo CD and information to give you an idea what to expect.