Mind Your Mind When You're Being Mindless

To entrain may be defined as to pull or be swept along or to gradually fall into rhythm with. So one might loosely define entrainment as the process by which one body is unknowingly influenced by another. For instance, two people in rocking chairs will tend to synchronize their rocking, or two musicians will fall into the same rhythm, even two pendulum clocks will “entrain” to the same rhythm. Entrainment is a phenomenon seen throughout nature as a means of engendering harmony.

In our daily lives we also experience entrainment. One often feels one’s energy or mood change in the presence of others. For example, one committed to optimism tends to lift the spirits of others he encounters. Also, being repeatedly exposed to a particular advertisement will increase one’s likelihood of purchasing the item or service being advertised. Entrainment, in short, may be used for either positive or negative ends, each of course being in the eye of the beholder.

An awareness of the power of entrainment provides one not merely a means of defense against unwanted influence but a powerful tool to engrain progress or change. In Power vs. Force, David Hawkins argues that through mindfully utilizing high energy art, music, emotions, thoughts, etc., one can effect positive change in oneself.

Background noise matters more than we know. With its ubiquitous televisions, “news,” and “social” media, the modern world will, if we allow it, pump subliminal negativity into our minds all day long. A simple week-long news diet will often reveal the degree to which our thoughts and emotions can be swayed. With an increased awareness and a few simple modifications, one may program one’s environment to serve rather than control.