My guest this week is Karen Newell, co-author with Dr. Eben Alexander of Living in a Mindful Universe, and co-creator of Sacred Acoustics, which produces binaural beats audio recordings. Don’t worry if you’ve never heard of binaural beats—Karen and I explore just what they are and how they’re created, and many intriguing topics in this area.

These simple beats seem to have pretty far-reaching effects on things like sleep and anxiety. We also get into the nature of true unconditional love, how binaural beats can enhance meditation practice, the link between binaural beats and near-death experiences (which is relevant in light of Karen’s work with Dr. Alexander, a guest on a previous episode of the podcast), and even the spiritual energy of animals.

• What binaural beats are and how the mind perceives them
• How binaural beats direct activity away from the neocortex, quieting the thinking mind
• The origin of binaural beats
• The use of binaural beats in meditation
• Using binaural beats to improve sleep
• Who we are at our core
• The spiritual vacuum in our society
• The energy of animals
• The nature of true unconditional love
• Experiencing love during meditation practice
• The connection between binaural beats and near-death experiences
• Effects of binaural beats on anxiety (click here to download my free e-guide 10 Ways to Manage Stress and Anxiety Every Day)

Karen and I discussed some of the research on binaural beats; here are some of the studies that have been published:

• Abeln et al. (2014)
• Bang et al. (2019)
• Garcia-Argibay et al. (2019) — a meta-analysis of 22 studies

Here’s the link to Karen’s co-authored book with Eben Alexander (affiliate link):

Living in a Mindful Universe: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey Into the Heart of Consciousness

Karen referenced the didgeridoo, a traditional wind instrument from Australia. I had to look it up to remember what it was—here’s more information if you’re curious: Didgeridoo.

Karen Newell is an innovator in the emerging field of brainwave entrainment audio meditation, and  empowers others in their journeys of self-discovery. Using Sacred Acoustics recordings, she teaches how to connect to inner guidance, achieve inspiration, improve wellness and develop intuition.

In Karen’s search for answers to fundamental questions, it became clear that direct experience is crucial to full understanding. To bolster her strong sense of inner knowing and alignment with her higher nature, she enrolled in a series of hands-on experiential courses to investigate and develop such skills as lucid dreaming, astral travel, telepathy, remote viewing, self-hypnosis, and different forms of energy healing.

She developed a facile expertise in living through daily connection with universal consciousness using heart awareness as a central element. At international workshops presented with best-selling author Dr. Eben Alexander, Karen demonstrates key practices of consciousness exploration: heart awareness, intention, maintaining neutrality, emotional management and cultivating internal knowing.

Find Karen online at the Sacred Acoustics website, where you can download a free binaural beats recording (or click here for the direct link).