Filed under: iPhone, iPod touch, App Review
Dreamr app: a relaxing experience?
Dreamr [iTunes Link] is an app for the iPhone or iPod touch running OS 3.1 or better that turns your device into a dreamachine. And what exactly is a dreamachine (also known as a dream machine)?
A dreamachine is a strobing flicker device, invented by Brion Gysin and Ian Summerville, that pulses light in a frequency range relating to alpha waves present in the brain while relaxing. Originally created using a turntable, a bulb, and a cylinder, you close your eyes and and the pulsing of the lights as seen behind your eyelids is supposed to cause varying states of relaxation, sometimes creating colorful patterns of swirling lights.
Pulses from 1-4 beats per second are supposed to cause deep relaxation, while pulses from 8-13 beats per second are said to cause a waking sleep often with accompanied by psychedelic shapes and trippy colors.
Author William S. Burroughs, one of the first proponents of the dreamachine, wrote:
"Subjects report dazzling lights of unearthly brilliance and color. ...Elaborate geometric constructions of incredible intricacy build up from multidimensional mosaic into living fireballs like the mandalas of Eastern mysticism or resolve momentarily into apparently individual images and powerfully dramatic scenes like brightly colored dreams."
The Dreamr app tells you to turn the brightness all the way up, choose a number of beats per second and a color, and then to hold the device's screen up to your closed eyes and see what happens. The buttons to choose beats per second were quite small and hard to consistently tap.
I gave Dreamr two ten minute tests, both in a comfortable recliner with my iPhone resting on my eyes. At 13 beats per second I found nothing at all, outside of noting that the speed of the flickering seeming to slow down and speed up after about 6 minutes. At 4 beats per second I may have been a bit more relaxed after about 8 minutes but that could have been due the quality of my recliner. Overall, I wasn't affected. Your results, however, may vary.
The app comes with a warning that this should not be used by small children, photosensitive people, or those that react badly to flashing lights. The price is $US.99.
We'd be very curious to know of the experiences of anyone who has used Dreamr, or in fact, any dreamachine. And that, my friends, is what the comments section is for.
A dreamachine is a strobing flicker device, invented by Brion Gysin and Ian Summerville, that pulses light in a frequency range relating to alpha waves present in the brain while relaxing. Originally created using a turntable, a bulb, and a cylinder, you close your eyes and and the pulsing of the lights as seen behind your eyelids is supposed to cause varying states of relaxation, sometimes creating colorful patterns of swirling lights.
Pulses from 1-4 beats per second are supposed to cause deep relaxation, while pulses from 8-13 beats per second are said to cause a waking sleep often with accompanied by psychedelic shapes and trippy colors.
Author William S. Burroughs, one of the first proponents of the dreamachine, wrote:
"Subjects report dazzling lights of unearthly brilliance and color. ...Elaborate geometric constructions of incredible intricacy build up from multidimensional mosaic into living fireballs like the mandalas of Eastern mysticism or resolve momentarily into apparently individual images and powerfully dramatic scenes like brightly colored dreams."
The Dreamr app tells you to turn the brightness all the way up, choose a number of beats per second and a color, and then to hold the device's screen up to your closed eyes and see what happens. The buttons to choose beats per second were quite small and hard to consistently tap.
I gave Dreamr two ten minute tests, both in a comfortable recliner with my iPhone resting on my eyes. At 13 beats per second I found nothing at all, outside of noting that the speed of the flickering seeming to slow down and speed up after about 6 minutes. At 4 beats per second I may have been a bit more relaxed after about 8 minutes but that could have been due the quality of my recliner. Overall, I wasn't affected. Your results, however, may vary.
The app comes with a warning that this should not be used by small children, photosensitive people, or those that react badly to flashing lights. The price is $US.99.
We'd be very curious to know of the experiences of anyone who has used Dreamr, or in fact, any dreamachine. And that, my friends, is what the comments section is for.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Tom said 7:18PM on 10-26-2009
I've have a mind machine, aka, sound and light machine, which is closer to the iPhone app than the dream machine I think:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_machine
It's a nice way to relax and I seem to be able to get a good catnap in very quickly. However, mine has glasses with a small array of very bright LEDs inside -- I would be surprised if the iPhone's display could reasonably simulate that.
There are also a few 'binaural beat' apps in the iStore:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_beats
These seem like they might be a better fit for the iPhone, but my early experience with them was pretty unimpressive. They might be fine in their own right, but compared to a dedicated machine aren't the same experience.
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marcelebrate said 7:47PM on 10-26-2009
In the binaural arena, I've been a happy Pzizz user for a while and they now have an iPhone app:
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=326427471&mt=8
It has 4.5 stars from 330 reviews, so I'm not alone in praising it.
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Andrew said 4:49AM on 10-27-2009
Another vote here for Pzizz - I've been using it almost daily for more than 3 years and most recently in the form of an iPhone application. A 20 min Pzizz nap after lunch does wonders for my concentration in the afternoon.
gordonasper said 8:11PM on 10-26-2009
If they could merge that with Cadence app to play slower music while that dream machine is going .. that would be sweeeet.
if you haven't seen cadence app , check it.
http://www.cadenceapp.com
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pantsparty said 8:27PM on 10-26-2009
I already use Cadence to fall asleep to all my slow music.. maybe they should be the ones to add the calming colors.. :-)
lAAArdema said 8:49PM on 10-26-2009
Wow, that would be so cool.. music matching the speed that is selected.. kind of like the itunes visualizer.
I've been using Cadence.. its a blast.
beez1717 said 8:58PM on 10-26-2009
I use syncstep on my jailbroken ipod touch. it's way better because it matches the music to the speed my feet are moving: I go faster the music speeds up ect...
pantsparty said 9:19PM on 10-26-2009
Yeah , I've tried synch step. It wasn't that great for me as I want to know what songs are in the playlist and organize my music more. Also the accelerometer feature never worked that well for me so I always ended up locking to a specific BPM anyways. Has some sizzle basically.. but I like the functionality of Cadence way more.
Dan Seder said 8:00AM on 10-27-2009
Wow, this would be very cool.. merging the two cadence and dreamer app. It does seem like it would be very similar to Visualizer for iTunes though.
I've been using Cadence for a while now , mostly at work to keep me awake :-) with all fast music.
Luke James said 8:22PM on 10-26-2009
I'm a fan of Pzizz on my computer. I've exported my special sleep concoction and use it at night. Unfortunately, the iPhone app is only for naps, no option for sleep... there is no way to turn off the alarm at the end. I find that very strange.
So I turned to Easy Relax Ultimate (binaural beats), and I like it a lot. I use it while writing to stay sharp, to drift to sleep, for quick naps, and even just simple white noise. You can make custom ones and save them, but for some reason when I leave the app and come back, my custom ones are gone. Otherwise, awesome.
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jftreko said 8:30PM on 10-26-2009
I like it , gonna get it.
seems like it would be cool to run something like this on your desktop screen too though.
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Gary said 8:42PM on 10-26-2009
The app authors may not have mentioned this but the dream machine has been described as a "brain tuning" device. Best results are acheived through regular use at about the same time each day. Eventually you will go into a waking dream within moments of using the dream machine but getting to that state will take a different amount of time for each person. I would guess this app would be the same.
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Ryan said 8:43PM on 10-26-2009
*cough*bullshit*cough*pseudoscience*cough*
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Aedile said 10:39AM on 10-27-2009
Maybe not:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganzfeld_experiment
Nico said 9:41PM on 10-26-2009
There is the same thing in a browser here:
http://www.netliberty.net/dreamachine.html
At 17Hz I get patterned hallucinations. Pretty cool. This has been used to study the formation of hallucinations in conjunction with brain imagery.
Lost my bookmarks, so can't point you to it.
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Glennha said 11:40PM on 10-26-2009
If you want a true "dream machine", just call Mike Tyson a sissy to his face. I guarantee you'll see light and be dreaming in no time at all! No BS science there, just basic physics! ;-)
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Ella said 11:54PM on 10-26-2009
I'll stick with my bottle of wine.
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grifmusic said 12:56AM on 10-27-2009
The free flashlight app "myLite" has had strobing effects that I used for the same thing.
Please try my "Journeys" app for both relaxation and more fun sounds too.
My favorite computer app for binaural beats is BWGEN but it is a Windows-only program - haven't found anything I like as much for the Mac.
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reesmaxwell said 1:49AM on 10-27-2009
I used to use a light/sound device. I was in my early twenties, and working a grave shift. When I got home around 9am, all my housemates were just getting up, so I'd talk with them, then I'd be quite awake because it was bright morning daylight, so I'd play around, wander the city, come back and think of going to sleep but then my housemates would be returning from school and I'd stay up talking, then eat dinner with them, and then finally I'd realize it was after 9pm and I would need to get on my bike (to travel 12 miles) in about two hours. I'd rush upstairs, set my light/sound 'dream' device to ramp me down to the deepest state (theta?) and ramp me back up in an hour and a half.
I'd fall asleep after about 10 minutes or so, and come back awake when it was almost finished ramping me back awake (beta waves) and then I'd rush out on my bike.
I did this five days a week for a few weeks. Not that it is recommended (I eventually fell asleep and started dreaming while at work standing in the kitchen preparing food) ... but it definitely gave me some deep zzzs.
I can't imagine just flashing lights would do the trick though. I'd think you'd also need the sounds to really help entrain your brain.
Maybe the app could second as a Rave accessory. :D
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mike.little said 3:11AM on 10-27-2009
eye cancer?
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