Brainwaves 🌊: The Hidden Currents of Our Mind.

Sometimes emotions arrive as a tickle, a single raindrop in still water. Sometimes they surge like a torrent, too strong to outrun. And whether we are surfing, swimming or drowning, these waves are shaping the deep ocean of our minds.

🧠 How our inner rhythms shape how we feel:

Our brain is never silent.

It moves in waves: slow, fast, deep, sharp... and each rhythm reflects a different state of being.

◇ Slow waves (Delta & Theta) appear during deep rest, dreaming, and sleep, when the brain consolidates memories and processes emotions.

◇ Mid waves (Alpha) emerge in calm, relaxed focus: a bridge between rest and active thinking.

◇ Faster waves (Beta & Gamma) light up during alert thinking and problem-solving. When sustained for too long, they can also signal stress or overwhelm.

Our mood isn’t just in our head it lives in our whole system.

These brainwave patterns don’t exist in isolation. They are woven into our body’s chemistry:

• In calm states (alpha/theta), the parasympathetic nervous system engages: lowering cortisol, supporting serotonin and acetylcholine release, and helping us feel safe and creative.

• In alert or stressed states (high beta), cortisol and adrenaline rise: sharpening focus, but potentially feeding anxiety if sustained.

• Deep rest (delta) supports melatonin production and growth hormone release: the body’s repair mode.

Sound, rhythm, breath, and light can gently influence these patterns. Not by forcing change, but by offering an invitation.

Research suggests external rhythms may support natural state transitions, though the effects are subtle and temporary.

This month, I’m exploring how sound and voice might help us listen more closely to what our nervous system is asking for, understanding how brainwaves work and how they affect our whole perception through this lens.

Learning to surf the waves we need in the moment, without letting ourselves be pulled underwater 🌊

I’ll see you very soon with the next Woodchant. 🌿