The Zygon SuperMind brainwave synchronizer and its Behavioral MindScripts cassette tapes promised to fulfill virtually every human desire. You could learn a foreign language, become a better public speaker, combat illness, lose weight, quit smoking, experience the afterlife and even transform into a whale. But…how?
The setup consisted of the Brainwave Synchronizer computer and the Light Pulse glasses, which you used with your own headphones and cassette tape player. Everything was plugged into the Brain Synchronizer, which allowed you to choose from a list of programs designed to create specific brainwave states through a process called Brainwave Entrainment.
The entrainment process consisted of using a rhythm of external stimuli like flickering lights, music or tactile stimuli that synchronized brainwaves to induce a highly-specific mental state. The SuperMind claimed to be capable of achieving four different levels:
- Beta is measured in 14-16 cycles per second and is a waking conscious state.
- Alpha is 8-13 cps and is a relaxed but alert state.
- Theta is 4-8 cps and is related to creativity and dreaming.
- And Delta, 0-4 cps, is the deepest stage of sleep.
So the Supermind was built to place your mind in the ideal state for your intended goal. The programs ranged in duration from seven minutes for a Quick Charge of your mental acuity to 60 minutes for Super Delta Meditation.
Sure, it sounds cool, but the dozens of lawsuits filed against SuperMind might give you a clue to its veracity. And while Zygon called it “entrainment,” critics called it pseudoscience. Popular Science host Kevin Leiber gave the SuperMind a whirl and, well, he ended up feeling tortured.
Warning: This video contains flashing lights which may not be suitable for photosensitive epilepsy. Flashing Lights Begin (6:46) Skip Flashing Lights (6:59).
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