Have you hacked your Theta lately?
There are five types of brain waves – Delta, Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Theta. They work like musical notes, some in lower frequencies, others in higher, but none are better or more special than the others. They are individual chords working together to create the harmony of our brain’s thoughts, emotions, and sensations.
Measured in cycles per second (or Hz), Theta brain waves are the frequencies of the barely conscious mind – the state of consciousness just before falling asleep and right after waking up. It’s the border crossing between two worlds, our conscious and subconscious.
In general, the slower the frequency of your brain waves, the more relaxed you feel.
Theta waves occur most often in sleep but are also dominant in deep meditation.
In our Theta state, occurring during 4Hz-7Hz, our minds are capable of deeper thoughts, more profound learning, self-healing, and remarkable growth. Theta is our gateway to knowledge, recollection, and insight. Theta never rests. (In fact, children under the age of six are in a Theta state most of the time. They are learning machines, deeply absorbing everything they experience, each event heading straight to their subconscious file.)
Theta brain waves – sometimes called the “Tibetan state of consciousness” – are often associated with deep states of meditation, peak spiritual experiences, and higher states of consciousness.
But our Theta state can be biohacked, too.
With Theta hacking, our powerful subconscious – usually forbidden to our waking minds – can be opened and manipulated, tweaked to make us better.
In Theta, our senses focus on signals originating from deep within our being.
Around 5Hz, our brains enter a state of unconscious problem-solving. At 5.5Hz, we experience a feeling of intuition and inner guidance. At 6Hz, memory and motivation surge, any penchant for procrastination lessens, and inspired visualization begins to do its thing. At 6.5Hz, creativity blossoms. From 6.2-6.7Hz, problem-solving flourishes. Interesting isn’t it?
By hacking our Theta state, we can improve our everyday lives. In Theta, our subconscious is able to rewire our internal thinking and change external behavior. It’s a good place to form new habits.
I practice daily visualization and emotional management when I’m in Theta.
Breathing exercises are ancient forms of biohacking, ways to achieve a Theta state of higher learning, and the first steps toward better self-performance.
Here’s how I help myself reach Theta and how you can, too:
- Slow your breathing, which also slows your heart rate and brain oscillations.
- Use the 4-7-8 technique to slow your breathing. Breathe in through your nose for four seconds, hold the breath for seven seconds, then forcefully exhale through your mouth for eight seconds, puckering your lips and making a whoosh sound.
Repeat a few times until you feel your heart rate slow, your mind quiet, and your body relaxes.
Our bodies and brains can be trained to access our mental states, but it takes dedication and repeated practice. Theta biohacking is a step toward unlocking your mind and unleashing your full potential, a hack that’s among the most powerful of all.
Lian Pham is a passionate, disruptive entrepreneur helping people establish peak performance in their personal and professional lives through biohacking. Lian lives as The Peak Performer and co-founder of Peak Space both in Houston, Texas.
