The idea that we come into the world with a fixed genetic “code”, which inevitably determines our course, is one of the most persistent narratives of modern medicine, according to Gregg Braden, an American author and researcher, who challenges it, citing both epigenetics and data from the study of brain states.
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“We're malleable beings. We've been taught that we come into the world with a hard-coded code: you get what you're given and that's it.” explains Braden, starting from a mundane but relevant experience: the medical record filled out annually at the routine check-up. The standard question “Did either of your parents have the following conditions?” is, in his opinion, built on the assumption of a rigid genetic determinism.
He gives a personal example: “I have to check 'yes' to all of them because my dad had them all. Even a few that don't even appear on the list”. The difference, Braden says, is lifestyle. “It has nothing to do with my life now, unless I choose to live the exact life my father lived. If I did that, the likelihood of having the same experiences would be very high.”
This perspective conflicts directly with the classical paradigm of genetic inheritance, he argues. “Traditional thinking says that DNA is passed down from generation to generation and remains fixed, immutable. Epigenetics completely changes that perspective”says Braden.
In its interpretation, the environment plays an essential role. The external, emotional, psychological, and nutritional environment are dynamic, changing factors that influence how genes are activated or inhibited. “We are not stuck. We are not defined by our past unless we choose to be defined by it. We are not defined by the genetics our parents passed on to us unless we choose to be defined by those genetics”he says. “It's not about good or bad, right or wrong. It's simply what we're discovering now about ourselves.”
From epigenetics, Braden moves the discussion to brain function. He recalls that during his studies he was taught the existence of four fundamental brain states. “The scientists and doctors I talked to said that's all, because the neurons and circuits in the human brain can't support frequencies higher than what's already known.”
The first of them is the delta state, associated with deep sleep. “It's a very deep sleep, a healing sleep. I call it 'black hole sleep,'” says Braden, referring to those periods of rest without conscious dreams, in which awakening occurs without the perception of time passing.
Next comes the theta state, characteristic of deep meditation and the body's regenerative processes. “It's still a long, slow wave, but a little faster than the delta,” he explained. In terms of frequencies, delta waves are between 0.1 and 3 hertz, and theta waves between 4 and 7 hertz.
Tibetan Monks and Transcending Boundaries
The alpha state is associated with relaxation and creativity. “As a musician, when I'm composing a piece, when I'm learning a song, or when I'm writing a book and developing ideas, I'm in this state,” Braden says. Alpha covers the 8–15 hertz range.
Beta consciousness, between 16 and 30 cycles per second, is the state of alertness and concentration. For a long time, this was considered the upper limit of the capabilities of the human brain. “For years, scientists have said: That's it. There's nothing beyond beta.”
However, this limit was called into question with the research carried out on Tibetan monks. According to Braden, they have demonstrated that, with certain practices, they can exceed the 30 hertz threshold. Initially, the experiments took place in monasteries, with young people trained from an early age to meditate, then in laboratories in the United States and Western Europe, where they were subjected to EEG and MRI investigations.
“What was found was that they could exceed 30 hertz. A new state emerged, between 30 and 80 cycles per second, called gamma,” Braden explained. Later, research indicated the possibility of exceeding the threshold of 80 hertz, up to 100, an area called hyper-gamma.
Although this was initially thought to be the physiological maximum, Braden says the data has continued to contradict the hypothesis. “They demonstrated that they could exceed 100 hertz. They actually doubled that threshold,” he says. This is how the lambda state, between 100 and 200 hertz, was described.
In this state, Braden claims, internal activity is extremely intense, although the exterior betrays nothing spectacular.. “From the outside, you might think the person is sleeping, but the inside is completely active.” In his view, this suggests that the current limits of neuroscience are conceptual rather than biological.
His caveat comes when he brings up technology addiction. “If we start letting devices do for us what we're already designed to do, we risk losing those capabilities,” Braden says. “Unused body parts end up atrophying. Our humanity is extremely precious. Let's at least know what it is before we compromise it.”
Research does not stop here. According to Braden, Tibetan meditators indicated the existence of a state at the opposite end of the spectrum: below one cycle per second. This is the epsilon state, between 0 and 0.1 hertz. In this state, he says, no breathing, pulse, or heartbeat are detectable, although the person is alive and conscious.
The discovery that caught the researchers' attention is that the peak of the lambda state and the lower limit of the epsilon state lead to the same state of consciousness. “Two extremes, same destination”, Braden explained.
This observation suggests, in his interpretation, that the human brain can be “tuned” to different fields of information, depending on the state in which it is. “Just as other life forms do,” he says, describing the process as one of empathy and timing.
For Braden, the final image is that of a human being simultaneously accessing multiple brain states. “When people channeling at a fully conscious level were measured, it was observed that all these states were active at the same time. They were simultaneously awake and asleep.” This, in his view, is the expression of a still insufficiently explored human potential.
