Frontiers in human neuroscience
January 1, 2025
Raquel Aparicio-Terrés, Samantha López-Mochales, Margarita Díaz-Andreu et al.
6 citations
Electronic music with a slower tempo (around 1.65 Hz, or 99 beats per minute) produces stronger brainwave entrainment and greater feelings of unity than faster tempos (around 2.85 Hz, or 171 beats per minute). Nineteen participants listened to one-minute electronic music excerpts at three different tempos while their brain activity was recorded with electroencephalography and they reported subjective experiences. Although entrainment was higher at the slower tempo and unity feelings were also higher, there was no direct link between how much an individual's brainwaves synchronized and their altered-state experiences. Instead, stronger entrainment correlated with slower reaction times, suggesting entrainment plays a functional role in processes related to rhythm-induced altered states, though the study could not confirm whether participants actually entered an altered state.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
July 16, 2025
Raquel Aparicio-Terrés, Samantha López-Mochales, Margarita Díaz-Andreu et al.
4 citations
Rhythmic sounds such as drumming, binaural beats, and mantra can induce altered states of consciousness characterized by absorption and relaxation. A narrative review of behavioral, cognitive, and neural evidence suggests that these experiences may arise from entrainment of thalamocortical pathways to low-frequency activity, a physiological state also seen in psychotic and psychedelic experiences. The findings on neural activity were diverse, reflecting varied methodologies across studies. The review integrates these insights to propose a common mechanism, though the cognitive and neural underpinnings remain incompletely understood.
bioRxiv Preprint Server
January 16, 2024
Raquel Aparicio-Terrés, Samantha López-Mochales, Margarita Díaz-Andreu et al.
preprint
Listening to electronic music at a tempo of 1.65 Hz (about 99 beats per minute) produces stronger brainwave synchronization than faster tempos of 2.25 Hz or 2.85 Hz. In 20 participants, this slower tempo also increased feelings of unity, a component of altered states of consciousness, though this subjective experience was not directly linked to the brain entrainment itself. However, a correlation emerged between entrainment and faster reaction times on cognitive tasks. The findings suggest tempo modulates neural entrainment and may influence certain aspects of consciousness, but the relationship between entrainment and altered states remains unclear.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
June 1, 2026
Raquel Aparicio-Terrés, Samantha López-Mochales, Margarita Díaz-Andreu et al.
Rhythmic drumming can induce nonordinary states of consciousness, but the effect depends on a person's trait absorption. In 27 participants with no prior experience of rhythm-induced altered states, listening to 12 minutes of rhythmic drum sounds increased feelings of unity compared to nonrhythmic sounds. People with higher trait absorption reported stronger experiences of disembodiment and spirituality during drumming. For those with low trait absorption, rhythmic drumming also boosted spiritual experiences. Brainwave entrainment was measured with electroencephalography, but the results indicate that personality traits shape how rhythm affects subjective experience.