---
title: 'Why Your Brain Never Fully Shuts Off: Dr. Patrick K Porter & Valerie Orsoni'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=3RO3b8s8M7E'
video_id: '3RO3b8s8M7E'
date: 2026-08-17
duration_sec: 1386
channel: 'Biohackers World'
---

# Why Your Brain Never Fully Shuts Off: Dr. Patrick K Porter & Valerie Orsoni

> Source: [Why Your Brain Never Fully Shuts Off: Dr. Patrick K Porter & Valerie Orsoni](https://youtube.com/watch?v=3RO3b8s8M7E)

## Summary

In this interview at the Biohackers World Conference in Miami, Valerie Orsoni speaks with Dr. Patrick Porter, founder of BrainTap, about brainwave technology and its role in health and performance. Dr. Porter explains the science behind brainwave states like alpha, beta, theta, and gamma, and how they influence stress, healing, and cognitive function. He shares insights on meditation, breathing techniques, and the importance of self-regulation for overall well-being.

### Key Points

- **Dr. Patrick Porter's Background** [00:18] — Dr. Patrick Porter is the founder and inventor of BrainTap, a brainwave entrainment technology. He has been exploring brainwave technology for over 30 years.
- **Early Exposure to Brainwave Entrainment** [00:44] — Porter's father was a Silva method instructor. They played a cassette tape with the 'Silva sound' during conferences to synchronize everyone's brain to alpha (10 cycles).
- **From Biofeedback to Brainwave Tech** [01:12] — Porter met Light and Sound Research and worked with biofeedback (skin temperature, respiration, heart rate) before experimenting with light to alter brainwaves.
- **Why Meditation Is Hard** [02:06] — When you close your eyes, the frontal lobe loses energy, the amygdala gets hijacked, and the default mode network turns on, causing the 'monkey mind.' People give up because they don't realize it takes training.
- **The Razor's Edge of Uncomfortability** [02:42] — Porter advises embracing discomfort during meditation. Observe thoughts without judgment; the brain needs to 'defrag' and process the day, storing positive memories.
- **Memory Peg System and 4-7-8 Breathing** [03:49] — Porter mentions the memory peg system (assigning objects to alphabet letters) and recommends 4-7-8 breathing at night to down-regulate the nervous system for better sleep.
- **Brainwaves as Wi-Fi Networks** [05:06] — Brainwaves recruit different activities and functions. Beta is the reactionary mind (dopamine, cortisol, norepinephrine), alpha is the intuitive mind. Ideal balance is about 30% alpha and 45% beta.
- **Theta and GABA Production** [07:47] — Most Americans lack theta brainwaves, which is why they can't sleep. Theta (7.8 Hz) is linked to GABA production, which is a precursor for DMT.
- **Nature's Evoked Potential** [08:55] — Nature has an evoked potential of 7-12 Hz. Being in the woods (10 Hz) can synchronize your brainwaves. Every cell has a mirror neuron, and the brain generates a biofield.
- **The Symphony of Brainwaves** [09:39] — Theta should be at least 10% of brainwave activity. Delta should be below 10%. 90% of people scanned have too much delta, indicating inflammation or traumatic brain injury.
- **Gamma: The Bass Drum of the Brain** [10:47] — Gamma is the bass drum of the brain. As we age, it gets off tune, and the brain deregulates. Brainwaves recruit other frequencies, like cicadas synchronizing.
- **Energy Field Increases in Lower States** [11:24] — The energy field increases the lower the brainwave state. Staying calm generates more energy, which is your protection.
- **Alpha and Autistic Children** [12:34] — A study with autistic children showed that after 6 weeks of alpha training, 90% of non-verbal children started speaking, as language is responsible in alpha.
- **Synchronization and Vibe** [13:15] — When you're around someone relaxed and confident, you synchronize with their frequency. This is why you 'like' someone's vibe.
- **Alpha for Muscle Building** [13:40] — Alpha is associated with acetylcholine, which is crucial for the muscle junction. Bodybuilders can create more neurotransmitters through brain training than supplements.
- **Language Learning and Brain Circuits** [14:23] — The brain uses 20% of the body's energy. If you don't learn a second language before age 7-8, the language circuit shuts off, making it harder to learn later.
- **Cellular Communication** [15:16] — We communicate at a cellular level unconsciously. Our fields extend between us, creating quantum entanglement. Who we spend time with matters because energy lives on.
- **MIT Study on Thoughts** [16:07] — MIT did a study showing that your thoughts can be detected 10,000 miles away. Your thoughts precede you and follow you.
- **Heart's EMF and HeartMath** [16:34] — The heart's EMF projects up to 10 meters when sad, but only 5 when happy. HeartMath focuses on cardiac coherence, but Porter notes you need the whole 'band' (brain) playing.
- **The Gut as the Main Brain** [17:30] — The gut is where most neurotransmitters are made. The brain is like a 'Google tablet' that controls direction, but the gut is the main brain.
- **Heart Coherence and HRV** [18:38] — HeartMath has shown that heart coherence is the standard. Porter mentions using Russian technology for heart rate variability, which they invented.
- **BrainTap and the Subconscious** [19:20] — BrainTap recruits the mind. Bruce Lipton said 95% of your life is controlled by the subconscious. You need to get the conscious mind (Freddy Krueger) off the bus.
- **Challenge vs. Threat Mindset** [20:12] — If you see life as a challenge, you upregulate and have more energy. If you see it as a threat, you enter cell danger response, and supplements won't work.
- **The Power of Suggestion** [21:17] — The subconscious only sees pictures and images. The most powerful suggestion is Dr. Coué's: 'Every day in every way, I get better and better.'
- **Fear and Peak Performance** [22:12] — Fear is the biggest deterrent to nervous system function. Athletes perform best when they 'play within themselves' and don't think beyond themselves.

### Conclusion

Dr. Porter emphasizes that understanding and regulating your brainwaves can significantly improve health, performance, and well-being. By embracing discomfort, practicing breathing techniques, and focusing on positive possibilities, you can take control of your subconscious and live a more vibrant life.

## Transcript

Hello everyone. I am Valerie Orsoni. I've been a biohacker since 1998 and I'm always very curious about new technologies and modalities. I am here at the Biohackers World Conference in Miami with Dr. Patrick Porter. Hey,
here. I'm Dr. Patrick Porter. I'm the founder of BrainTap. I'm the inventor of BrainTap as well. So, I've been seeing your product every time I go to a biohacking conference. I never had the chance or the time to try
it. So, today is going to be the day. Um you've been exploring um brainwave technology for over 30 years. Yeah. What prompted you to start? Well, my dad was a Silva instructor. So, the Silva method Jose had a sound he called the Silva
sound and it When my dad we'd set up the conferences for him on the weekends, we the cassette player because it was cassettes back then and it would have to 30 minutes, but we played it during the whole conference and it would create an
to get everybody to alpha, the 10 cycles. So, we didn't know it was this played in the room, everybody's brain synchronized. So, that was my first exper- exposure to it. I went to school for electronics and then uh a
series of events happened that uh too long to go into here, but I met up with a group called Light and Sound Research cuz they had a machine called the SILS. system, but it was all done by hand. There was no
There was no computers at that time. So, everything I wasn't neurofeedback. It was biofeedback. We're looking at skin temperature, respiration, heart rate. alter brainwaves and then we started experimenting with with light. And we
can get better changes with the brain and you can actually reach the level of there and God God love them, they say they're going to theta, but I've years. I've only met four people that could do it. You included? Yeah, what's
But I've done a hundreds of hours, do it. >> Mhm. I'm talking about the first time. Nobody can do it first time. It takes >> Right, it takes training because what
meditate, most people don't realize that your brain goes into fight or flight but you're trying to stay awake. So, you're fighting the natural urge to sleep, but meditation isn't sleeping. It's an awakened mind. And when you
close your eyes, you lose energy to the frontal lobe and your amygdala gets hijacked and turns on the default mode network and then your monkey mind takes people that start meditating continue because they're not getting the
why >> remember the fighting part. >> Yes. Yeah, they don't realize it takes time and that you you have to go through You We're We have to train and what I tell
people is there's a razor's edge of uncomfortability. You need to be so that you're okay to change, that it's okay it's okay to feel uncomfortable. It's okay to be there and monitor those thoughts. You don't have to own those
>> embrace the feeling of discomfort. Yeah. Yeah, I say [snorts] just make Imagine window. You just observe them. You don't have to judge them. You're not wrong or fixed. You're just basically letting the brain do what the brain does.
And the problem is that most people suppress those memories or suppress them and then the brain's got this to-do list that as soon as you close your eyes should be doing that every night, doing this maintenance. Just like you would on
computer. We want to defrag our day and store those positive memories in color white and let the brain figure out what was good, what was bad, what was ugly and then saying, "Okay, this what I did." No judgement. How can I do it
solving those problems for you. Interesting. I have another technique at I recite the alphabet and for each letter I assign an object which I can visualize and after that when I reach letter H, pretty much I'm asleep. Oh,
>> too, if you didn't know it. Yeah, they they call it the memory peg system. So, yeah, we we teach that to people too. You can do it We also teach like this the 4-7 breathing at night because most
minutes, if you want to really get a good score on your sleep programs, you you down regulate. >> Yeah. So, that's a great breathing >> And what do you think about the cardio coherence which is a 5-5? Is that still
>> Yeah. I I just like the 4-8 because most people have never regulated their nervous system. They get locked >> Yeah, yeah. in in sympathetic. Yeah. So, you only do that by breathing it in, holding that breath and and really
studying how the body experiences it cuz every cell Think of every cell of your body like a transducer Mhm. And it's a capacitor. So, it's holding a charge and it discharges at a certain point and we programmed ourselves to discharge on our
loved ones or you know, people are going to take us back. Yeah. But we we really need to self-regulate. And we're going to have bad times. We're going to have whole thing is don't get too high when it's high, don't get too sad when it's
You're not wrong or broken. These are human conditions. Humans, yeah, yeah. Otherwise we would be uh we wouldn't be animals at all. Um for people who don't really know how the brain works, how would you define I I know it's so easy
for you, but like in one sentence or more uh no more than two like alpha, think about think of all these brainwaves like Wi-Fi networks and they actually uh recruit different activities or
functions. They also are responsible for telling your gut what neurotransmitters together so you know. So, in beta of course everybody knows beta because it's dopamine, cortisol, norepinephrine. These are things we need in the morning.
empire. The problem is that most people have too much beta. So, they have too much stress. Now, also beta only is the only brainwave that has negative because you can stay in beta and hold your breath. All the other states you
If you hold your breath in the other states you get knocked out of them. So, then you drop down into alpha. So, think of beta as your reactionary mind. Alpha is your intuitive mind. We need about 30% alpha and about 45% beta to really
regulate on a weakened brain. This is by Ann Wi She was our researcher that went physiology and said, "This is the perfect brainwave." So, that's what I'm talking about. And we've we've we've managed it over the last since 1986 when
they came out with the the way to do EEG and we've been showing that when you like the professional athletes to usually dancers, believe it or not, and that their brain functions the best because they're moving and breathing and
we call miracle grow for the brain, right? So, but alphas are also responsible for communication. It's It's the It's the recall system because right but you don't know that you know everything. So, somebody prompts you
Now you know everything about that car. So, think of this like a gooey network like a graphical user interface and that thing shows up. Some of those things are triggers. Yeah. So, that's why the subconscious is we got to get the
triggers that are hurting us and get take the power out. Don't take the button out. Take the remote control back. So, but in when you're in alpha, That's really good for healing. So, now you're turning on the sympa- the you're
turning off the sympathetic. You're driving it into the parasympathetic. in that state, time is suspended. That's why when you're doing a meditation feels like an hour and an hour [clears throat] sometimes feels like 5
>> It's the same when you do scuba diving. >> Yes. At deep I do a lot of scuba diving, very deep one. And sometimes I don't realize I thought it was 5 minutes and have computers. >> Yeah. Would you say that because we are
>> Yes, because you're you're sensory deprived at that point. You're because focused on this this what's in front of you. And when you're here, you're actually monitoring and every cell is being affected by everything in this
regulating or down regulating your nervous system all the time. So, when you drop into theta, most people in America especially, they don't have a lot of theta. That's why they can't sleep. So, think of alpha is like
a city acetylcholine, you know, uh uh The norepinephrine, uh maybe oxytocin. producing something called GABA. This is an inhibitor that that increases your
but the the main reason I bring it up is it's also a precursor for DMT. So, when you think about the brainwaves, theta is 7.8 hertz frequency is like the base of it. So, you think about the neutrals for each of these brainwaves.
And and alpha, I mean beta 15 hertz. So, if you in those brainwaves, you get the best activity in those brainwaves. But theta most people don't have it so they don't produce enough GABA which
doesn't produce enough DMT so you don't have enough experiences to have these We crave being out of our body. We crave being out of the stress. And we're given walk in nature or go to the mountains because nature has an evoked potential.
It's It's anywhere between 7 to 12 hertz frequency depending on where you're at. hertz frequency. If you're in the woods, it's 10 hertz frequency. If you're by And every cell of your body has a neuro mirror neuron. So, even though we're
brainwaves generate frequencies down through the whole body and it generates a field around you called the biofield. And I always tell people go to the NIH website, type in biofield and you'll see in 1994 they said, "Every living being
has a biofield and all injury all all illness starts in that field." So, brain is generating this low low frequency field here, but then it sends codes to the DNA which either up regulate or down regulate our DNA. So,
frequencies, we call it a symphony of brainwaves. Theta should be at least 10 10% of your brainwave activity. If you can get delta down below 10, you have But most people we scan and not at biohacking conventions, but
when we're at a regular convention or we're at our office, 90% of the people there's a saying, "The masses are asleep." I said, "They don't They're not inflammation, traumatic brain injuries, and things like that." So, what we want
to do is we want to down-regulate the Delta because Delta is responsible for your brain is telling you is, "Hey, we need to down-regulate so you can heal." drink coffee, and tea, eat chocolate, whatever they do to They They keep
stimulating so they stay awake. The reality is the brain can self-regulate. awake when you need to be awake, but we need to lower Delta. If not, it's like then at 7:00 at night, you throw the parachute off, you pass out, and you go,
"Where's my life?" You know, work isn't your life. Work should give you the life going to live unless you're doing like with me, I feel like my work is my play. You know, if you're doing something like that, then it doesn't matter. But then
recently here since 2000, we've been looking at the brain wave of gamma. And so, think of gamma is the bass drum of the brain. As we age, that bass drum gets off tune, and the brain deregulates.
So, these brain waves they recruit other brain wave frequencies. So, I say, one cicada starts?" And then the whole group of cicadas, and it goes through a cycle. Well, that's what's happening in the brain at low-level frequencies. So,
you start to recruit more alpha. That That alpha recruitment creates more lowering beta. So, you start lowering the stress response, you start increasing your capacity to handle stress because you're entering into a
timeless zone. And what they've shown is that the energy field actually increases the lower the brain wave state. So, the more you can stay in calm, the more you generate more energy. That energy is your field, that's your protection
things. Quick question, you mentioned I one helps us increase our >> That's alpha. Alpha. Um I just read a study uh conducted with
uh app. I don't know if you've heard of it. It's the first time ever that a study on a very large sample has proven that if you work on this app every day time, but after 6 months, they could increase by 15% the production of
acetylcholine. Does it mean that they increase their alpha time, or does it acetylcholine? Well, when you're doing games, things like that, what you're doing is you're training the brain to recruit neural networks. Those You know,
Hebb's law where those neurons that fire together wire together. So, you're brute force. We've done We've done more than that in 3 weeks. Mhm. Um We had a alpha with autistic children, and we found that it took about 6 weeks to
self-regulated. They started doing it for themselves. It's like an airplane. >> Yeah. But what we found was most fascinating, and Dr. Joe Dispenza was the researcher, we found that 90% of those kids started speaking because
language is responsible in alpha. So, these were non-verbal autistic children. >> With with no speech pathologist, no training. The brain already knew how to information. So, it's like being at the hotel and you have You see whatever
get access cuz you don't have the code. >> Mhm. Alpha, the frequency itself is the And like when you're around somebody who's relaxed, comfortable, confident, they actually generate more of this frequency. So, you become like a
metronome, like the the synchronizing metronome you see on YouTube, we become people and go, "Hey, I like that person. I I love their vibe." >> Yes. So, you that frequency happens. This is happening with the brain waves.
So, when the If the brain waves are in sync, and you It's not that any one we're going to do an activity like working out, we want to have a little maybe low beta and and a lot of alpha because that alpha's that acetylcholine
muscle junction. So, you build more muscle. It And this is what I we showed uh with bodybuilders. We showed them that you actually can create more neuro- You can create more of the
your brain than you can by taking a supplement because you have the world's you have to create the right environment, the right frequencies to do that. And um some people learn languages very easily, and I'm one of them. Like I
can go to a country after 2 weeks, I can have a basic conversation, and people say, "Oh my god, how do you do it?" If I listened correctly to what you said, means is you There's a circuit in the brain actually for language. So, if you
learn the language before 7, a second language, that circuit doesn't shut off. So, it's like everything else. The The The brain is an energy hog. It uses 20% of all the energy and only weighs like 2% of the body's weight. So, but what it
then we don't learn another language between before we're 7 or 8 years old, that circuit anymore." It's like having a room and you put the lights on every that room. Let's turn the lights off." Mhm. Now, those circuits are still
but it's going to take a lot of energy to to get them going because they've unwired. So, you're like my science officer, uh Dr. Sedral, we were in India I said, "When did you learn Hindi?" He said, "We've been here for 3 weeks." But
That circuit We don't learn languages. We When you're When we're talking here, you think we're talking consciously? pieces of information that are happening unconsciously. We're having this whole
conversation at a cellular level that you and I don't have privilege to level. That's why when you meet somebody, you go, "I like that person." or "I don't like that person." You're actually communicating with them
You know, our field is extended between us. We're There's no longer just two that's being created, and that energy lives on because energy never dies, it never gets destroyed. So, whatever that energy is in that that moment, that's
important cuz you're creating an energy that actually lives on, and there's an entanglement, you know, quantum entanglement. So, just by smiling at shaking their hand, doing these things, we create that quantum entanglement. So,
who we spend time with is important because that energy We think we end at our skin. No, that's not true. MIT actually 4 weeks ago did a study where 10,000 miles from us. 10,000
>> you think a thought, 10,000 miles. So, imagine the web of information. When you got in the plane from California, you're just having You had your web there, country. Went to Hawaii, all of that. Now you
south and the the Southern America. Your thought Your thoughts precede you. It's following you. >> them sometimes stay in my brain. Yeah. Mhm. [laughter] Um I met with Howard Martin, you know,
uh HeartMath, the cardiac coherence sensor. And he was explaining to me that the heart has um EMFs, projects up to 10 m when we are sad, but only five when we're happy. That's why sometimes you enter a room
to that person." Do we have the same thing with the brain? Well, the heart has neutrino cells that generate a field. Actually, you can measure it from 15 ft away. We've done it. They have uh They have monitors now that we use in um
don't have to have a heart monitor on your body. We can measure it from the Because that frequency They're just measuring the frequency. anything. It's It's actually then the field. So, that And what happens is when
that's what they're missing with HeartMath. It's not just about the leader, but you got to get the band playing. because that's where all the neurotransmitters are made really pretty
much. But the brain up here, a lot of people think of this brain This Think of it as a Google tablet. Cuz if you had a spinal cord injury, still eliminate, you'd still change cells. So, this brain obviously doesn't
This brain controls where we're going, where we're driving, what we're doing, things. It challenges us, but it can also get us in trouble because we think cell is intelligent. Every cell is generating a field. Every
cell is singing right now. They know that. You're You have a code universe as you. And think of it like an orchestra of 75 trillion cells all singing and harmonizing. They can measure this now.
that it They can measure this frequency of your body. They put it out in space. his book Crystal Planet, and he pointed it back at Earth, and the Earth made the sound of ohm, and made what It said one being. Because when you're from space,
there's no separation. Just like we can go into ourselves and see the individual this level, we look like physical energy. And we're we're The reason we stay
together is that harmonics. So, the heart is the the main brain really. Monday morning than any other day of the week. So, we we want to keep We want to stay coherent. And I think HeartMath has done more than anyone else to show that
standard of everything. Mhm. But they didn't invent it. Mhm. I'd go with the to the Russians and got their technology with my brain my my brain device cuz we're 100%. We We've measured against everything from the Shiva to every other
device in the labs because they invented heart rate variability. that you can change it, and they They have really cool devices, but you don't learn that way. Mhm. You learn by doing and by by recruiting those things
unconsciously. If you try By using BrainTap? Yeah. BrainTap recruits the mind. So many people spend all their time with their conscious mind changing Krueger driving the bus, and you're in the back handcuffed, and you're telling
him what to do. You got to get Freddy Krueger off the bus Mhm. so you can drive the bus. That's not your conscious mind. When Bruce Lipton said 95% of your life is controlled by your subconscious, we know that's true in neuroscience.
what 50 million cells to change right now every second. Mhm. And also, your cells have to breathe in and nutrients and and vital energy. The electron chain has to be fired. You have to create ATP. This is at every cell.
cell. You know, see the the Krebs cycle going on trillion times fold. You're not doing that. observer. But what we do is we can screw that up
always tell people, and I know you're a a mountain climber. So, you know, a lot "You're crazy. Why would you do that?" But there's a mindset that says, "If I can, I must." And you look at it as a challenge. That's different. Now, if I
thing, I wouldn't want to climb it because I would fall because I'm the negative possibilities instead of the positive possibilities. And my I either upregulate or downregulate based on that one fear what that one factor is
function. Do you look at life as a challenge or a threat? which means life happens through you, you have more energy, more vitality, you're in the flow state. If you look at life as a a threat, then you're looking
into cell danger response. You could be taking the world's greatest nutrients, they don't work. You can be trying to >> out supplement threat, sorry, fear. like somebody says, "I'm taking this supplement so I won't get this."
what is that? What are you going to get if you don't get that?" If you say, "I I'm taking this to assist me in being healthy and vibrant and have more peak than saying, "I'm taking this so I won't get cancer." Exactly.
care what you said before that. It only sees in pictures and images. thousands of words. So, we want to make sure we're always focusing on the higher possibilities, the infinite possibilities, leaving a
lot of open frames. That's why the most powerful suggestion ever made Dr. Coué said is every day in every way you get better better and better because we want to give the unconscious infinite freedom to create change in our life. And then
basically choosing the rides we're on. You know, we can we get to choose the some people like the thrills of those roller coasters, some people don't. So, them, you get on them. If you don't, you don't do it. But you don't but we get to
choose. And and we can choose to let people say if you don't do it. Or you can just say, "No, I'm choosing not to." And when we functions better, our body functions better. And that's really what we call
whatever you want to do when you want to do it without the fear that holds people back cuz fear is the biggest deterrent to nervous system function. You know, like peak performance moments don't happen. Like an athlete might perform
they can't perform in in the in the actual competition because they start thinking beyond themselves instead of playing "Play within yourself. Just do your best." And then the brain operates at
its highest level. Well, thank you very much. That was a very interesting. I >> [laughter] >> Change my perspective on life. Thank you very much. That was very informative. Oh my goodness. I love all of the cities,
but the cool thing is so I've been to Los Angeles Biohacker's World. I've been to Chicago Biohacker's World. And I've been to Miami Biohacker's World. I'm World in New York. I think that's the new one.