I’ve been using Centerpointe Holosync for some years now and have reached their Purification level 2, which means I’m about half way through their program. Most people who know me say that I’ve improved for the better over the years I’ve been listening to it.
It’s a good system – I wouldn’t have been using it for so long if it wasn’t – but I’m always open to new ideas.
Recently, I came across the Meditation Program (look at that link but don’t buy it from there. I’ll explain why later). It makes some pretty bold claims. So let’s examine some of them:
They say that Centerpointe is mind-numbing, dis-engaging and outdated. Mind-numbing and dis-engaging I’d agree with. The first CD track is 30 minutes of rainfall with occasional chimes, the second CD track is 30 minutes of rainfall. But then you’re supposed to be dropping down to lower and lower levels of brain activity, so I’m not sure if that’s a bad thing. After all, the aim of Centerpointe is to drop you down to deeper brain levels. It’s not aimed at the top 30 charts. Besides, I’ve been listening to these CDs for years now and find them kind of relaxing. So I guess that’s a kind of “horses for courses” criticism.
Moving on to the outdated claim. As a layman, I’m not particularly qualified to decide on that. But Holosync is, by Centerpointe‘s own admission, a 20 year old technology. So when it was “born” the CD had only recently been invented, cell (or mobile) phones were just about “luggable”, the iPod wasn’t even a twinkle in Apple’s eye and your average PC came with a 5.25″ floppy disk and, if you were rich, a hard disk that might hold one low resolution picture taken by a modern digital camera. So the odds are that, yes, Meditation Program‘s claim that Holosync is outdated is quite likely. Of course, outdated doesn’t mean “doesn’t work”, just that there could be something newer and better available.
Certainly the Meditation Program is quicker than Centerpointe. The Purification level CD I’ve got says that it will take a year or more for me to complete just the current level I’m on. I’d agree and, from past experience, it would probably take me personally nearer to 18 months to get through the level.
Meditation Program only has 8 levels. Each one can be completed in around a week, maybe stretching to 10 days per level if you want to take it easy. I’m currently on my third week and listening to level 3, so I’d agree with that timescale.
The backing sounds are more varied. There’s music swirling around. And the music changes after levels 1 and 2 to something different on 3 and 4. So you won’t get bored.
The binaural beats are a lot more obvious on Meditation Program. A lot more obvious. With Centerpointe, they’re barely noticeable. With Meditation Program they’re very obvious. I don’t know whether this is good or bad. My guess is that it makes no difference – your brain will notice them whichever way they are presented.
Centerpointe allows subliminal messages to be encoded on the CDs once you get past the initial level. Meditation Program doesn’t offer this. Whether this matters to you depends on your view on subliminal messages. But it could be fairly irrelevant when you look at the next point.
The full Centerpointe program will take years to complete and at a shade under $200 for the first level and then a dozen more levels to go through over the years, it’s going to set you back quite a lot of cash.
The Meditation Program costs $125 on CD or $85 to download. The downloadable version is cheaper when you buy it through the discounted links later on in this review. It will take you around 8 weeks to complete if you fast track it, up to about 8 months if you want to be more relaxed in your progress. Either way, there will be plenty of cash left over to buy subliminal CDs to your heart’s content.
So, what’s my overall verdict?
Well, although I really like Centerpointe and have done for years, I’ve moved across to the Meditation Program for my daily listening routine. Partly because I’m impatient and want to reach the deepest level sooner than 2014, which is the absolute earliest I’d reach it with Centerpointe. Rather than some time late February or early March this year, which is when I’ll reach it with Meditation Program.
One other thing to mention. Centerpointe is CD only, so it arrives through the post. Meditation Program has the option of being sent on CD (you’ll get all 8 levels when you order) or you can download it. If you opt to download, make sure you’re on a fast connection. If you’re on dialup or slow broadband, it will be quicker to order by post. The files are b-i-g. About 800Mb.
But if you’re on a good internet connection, save yourself some extra cash by using one of these two discounted order links:
Meditation program, discounted download, credit card
Meditation program, discounted download, PayPal
Those links will take you straight through to a specially discounted price of $67 (a bit like some sites offer a place to put in a coupon code).
Whichever method you choose, I think you’ll notice a positive difference in yourself.
Hi Sean
Both Centrepointe and Meditation Program work well. It’s probably me being impatient but I prefer to get to the really deep meditation levels in weeks rather than years
Trev
I guess I feel like you about Centerpointe because I think 5 years is way too much. Im one of the few people that spent the big bucks for the whole Inner Circle package and when I stopped I was at only Awakening Level 2 before I saw The Meditation Program and since im very familiar with Bradley Thomson product line I know they are all high quality backup up by a great guarantee.
For Inner Circle package I had the luck to ran into the previous year recession special during its Christmas times which totalled 2500$ CDN instead of probably 3750$ CDN probably the whole package I got plus got some stuff included like books, cds and Gamma Compassion and Floating addition thing in my own voice which is really great (could loop this in my headphones while sleeping)
I guess I wanted to spend weeks of personal growth too instead of years but too bad I ordered the Meditation program before I saw your discount site so as Centerpointe costed me that much I guess I could cheat a bit and use my refund right to the other site and order from your blog so I can save money that way
In the instructions they say we shouldnt use similar products while in the period of using The Meditation Program, so I guess using Holosync while being in the Meditation Program would be a no no and I wonder if any binaural beats tracks could still be used as I have a tons of that in my collection…
Found also earlier Quantum Confidence (had a big backup guarantee that I cant simply ignore) which bring me powerful tracks with a technology I never seen MP3 that can be played with or without headphones and they gives stunning feelings insides of you everytimes you hear them. Amazing stuff but since Quantum Confidence is a closed program now for some time people can only get their hands on Quantum Power which seem good.
Since some people may need to check back the instructions for the great Meditation Program I suggest this link:
http://www.meditationprogram.com/meditation/instructions/
One last note that I just came across is nobody should use Audacity to just cut a chunk of sound in mp3 tracks as I read in the Wiki. When Audacity re-encode the tracks in mp3 it make the mp3 lose some of its quality so they suggest using mp3DirectCut http://mpesch3.de1.cc/mp3dc.html#dwn for simple tasks like cut, copy, etc on mp3 files.
What I don’t really get: Even on Holosync’s first Awakening Prologue there are already theta- and delta inducing binaural beats involved (e.g. in The Dive and Immersion).
If I understand it correctly, Holosync lowers the carrier frequencies for the binaural beats on the higher levels, because your brain gets used to them over time and needs a new stimulus. But there are always all types of brainwaves involved. I noticed this getting-used-to-it effect with the Awakening Prologue and now I’m wondering if I should buy Level 2 or safe some money and go for some cheaper product like The Meditation Program.
But I’m sceptical. If the Meditation Program just has theta and delta on the higher levels (and then leaves you alone with that), I wonder what to go for if your brain gets used to that.
What do you think?
This is literally a goldmine of information on the Centerpointe Holosync meditation program. I have not experienced anything dramatic occur from any one session but over the years I can feel the changes. The awareness to my thought process are no longer annoying as they once were and I have a much more optimistic and positive approach to life.
Hi Trev
I have been using the meditation program for a couple of months. I am going slower than the one week per level suggested program for various reasons. The main reason is that I find my mind to be in a bit of turmoil. I think it is because maybe my unconscious is reluctant to change. Have you experienced something like this or heard of anyone that has? I also, like you mention, am remembering almost all my dreams, sometimes up to four different ones per night (I also do silva ultramind, and program to remember dreams to solve problems). Also, when I listen to the program last thing at night I wake up feeling restless, not exactly anxious, but with something i guess I could call a weird gut feeling… Oh, I am currently listening to levels 3 & 4 (for one hour total time)…. Any imput from you (or anyone else reading this) would be much appreciated!
Hi Trev
great post, I was using centerpointe for a year but stopped, i never did get the true benefits, I found that the overwhelm was to agonising the daily awareness of my thoughts and feelings drove me nuts and couldn’t push through it, i felt i was the only one that couldn’t get it. it was weird i was always mad at my thoughts and very snappy, did you find this with either and did it pass?
Hi and thanks for the info on meditation program, hadn’t heard of it before. I’m using Holosync, just started on my 10th week. I’ve had so many beneficial enlightenments that i’m hooked on the program. Seriously folks it has brought up from my psyche or subconscious many happenings from my past which have carried with them an awareness/understanding of myself and the ability to move on away from the past. So for me i’m staying with Holosync, if i’m still improving in 5yrs time, i’ll have reached sainthood!! Love to all, Michael
Have listened to the meditation program on 2 consecutive days and so far I like it. Have the first level of Holosync which I was 2-3 weeks into, and having bought it would like to continue listening to it alongside the meditation program. Any idea why they recommend NOT using both at the same time?
It’s been a few months since this thread ended, so I am curious where people are. Trev, you are probably long done with your Meditation program!
I am currently at about the same point that you were, at 2 Years of Centerpointe Holosync, Level 4. The Holosync program from Level 4 to level 12 actually one year per level (as opposed to six months for per the first three). So your claim that you/we are “in the middle” or “midway” is quite incorrect. To be exact, time-wise, you did only 1/5 of the program – 2 years out of 10.
I am personally very suspicious of any magic bullet for meditation. Real gains in meditation are to be gotten gradually, even with the aid of some kind of technology. Just sticking some headphones with some noises for an hour a day does not change us. There are many others things we have to do to change. At best, any such CD is an aid.
Subjective blissful feelings and fireworks are not the judge of whether an entrainment CD “works.” I see a lot of immaturity on these forums/blogs around these issues. If you want a rush or a boom like drugs, well, you are probably going to bound to be searching for the “newest bestest greatest” CD that can give you a little high, just like any drug addict. Meditation without these CD’s can easily give you that – for free. And that is why meditation teachers have always been against this kind of thrill-seeking or attachment to experiences in meditation. To Centerpointe’s credit, in the support materials and in the free coaching (which I rarely hear about on these forums, I begin to think that most are burning the MP3s for free off the internet, already karmically a bad move to try to steal your enlightenment), they tell you to be unattached to your subjective experience.
One cannot judge whether one is going “deeper” purely through subjective experience. The only way that one could really tell how your brain is reacting is through neural-biofeedback. No reviewers that I have read have done this, that is, seen what is actually happening to their brainwaves. They just say, “I’m impatient” and go to another program, they get a different buzz experience, and say that’s “better.” Never mind that they have been using one or more other programs, and they have no idea what the effect of the previous has had on the experience on the current. It is not like they are going in “cold” to the new program, so on that count alone, they are a bad judge. But they also have no sense through objective scientific knowledge of what is happening in their brain. I read somewhere that some people use a program to make their own entrainment CD’s. They are not scientists, and they are not sound engineers. Who the hell knows what all of those stimuli are actually doing to their heads??? They could be really screwing themselves up.
What is see lacking from all of these companies is solid research that entrainment works long-term. Testimonials from users alone do not count. But I would suspect, in line with the great spiritual traditions, that if this binaural entrainment really does anything, it works with a longer-term program. There is no 8 week “zap-zap” and your life is transformed. The changes in your brain patterns take a long time to mix and work in with all the other parts of us. We need other conscious practices for the shifts to work through ourselves, to become less ego-centric, more wise and compassionate, and more “effective” in other ways.
I do not like Centerpointe Holosync’s over-marketing, and I am no big fan of Bill Harris. But, overall, it’s approach makes more sense to me than many of these others that make the same exorbinant claims in a few weeks. If you do the math, the expense is all on the front end. One you get to Level 4, with the promotional discounts, you are actually paying about $200 for a full year or meditation. Compare that to $85-$125 for 8 weeks, and then you are “done,” whatever that means. No doubt, thrill seekers will have spent hundreds more afterward trying other programs.
Thanks to Holosync, I am far more consistent with my meditation, and it has enhance the other practices I do that help me change. I put my own paraliminal track with mantras that are appropriate for me. Others report that I am certainly more even-keeled and compassionate, but I attribute that to the work I am doing overall. But it is only the beginning of a long-term process.
Hi Trev,
Along with the holosync program, there were other brain enhancing items for sale and one of them being Brainboost (If I remember correctly) medication for enhancing the brain power. Have you tried it and if so seen any improvement over time? The cost os substancial and i am not sure if we can get something similar for a bargain price elsewhere.
Best Regards,
Manish
Hi Manish,
Not heard of Brainboost (sorry). Brain Evolution System comes with tablets (called Acuity) but not tried them personally so can’t say for sure.
Trev
How come The Medication Program site says you can only purchase it from their site?
Hello,
I’m about to finish Awakening Level 4 and considering moving on to the Purification levels. Very pricey all this! Can you all tell me the difference between Awakening and Purification in terms of frequencies used?
Thank you.
John
Hi John
Not sure specifically but the carrier frequencies get lower and more powerful the deeper you go into the Centerpointe levels. Their help desk should be able to give you more details.
Trev
thank you so much for putting out this information. it’s exactly the kind of material for which i’ve been lookng. i’ve been meditating for years; used different cds dedicated to the various brain waves. really wanting to focus on theta, but i’m looking for a deeper connection than i’ve found. your info will help immensely.
phillip
I began meditating in 1993 and did not start using binaural sound technology until 2006. Binaural sound technology greatly expanded and deepened my meditation program. I began with the Insight program and quickly moved to Holosync. I also spent a week at The Monroe Institute (TMI) in their Gateway retreat program. TMI is the granddaddy of this technology and is a bona fide 501c3 research organization, without all of the glitz and slickness of Centerpointe. In fact, Bill Harris is one of the TMI graduates and formulated his Holosync program from TMI technology. They offer a huge range of binaural cds. Unfortunately they have no graduated meditation program similar to Holosync and their primary focus is OOB experience and remote viewing. It is unfortunate that TMI has chosen not to enter the meditation market.
I am now about halfway through Purification Level I of Holosync. Despite the slick marketing of Bill Harris, I must admit that Holosync is still the best product on the market. I agree with Dr. Charles that meditation is a spiritual process and the beneficial effects build up slowly over time. I am suspect of any “quick fix” formulas to anything of value such as serenity, peace of mind and joy. I believe that such states of being result from many factors including knowledge of self, humility and service to others. Meditation, over time, can assist with knowledge of self.
I have tried one other program out of Australia called Perfect Meditation. It is structured very similar to Holosync and it might be a little more powerful because it contains no music or nature sound. It is pure Tibetan chanting. My understanding is that binaural beats are somewhat weakened by music and nature sounds.
At present I am using both Holosync and Perfect Meditation, alternating each week. The brainwave levels are the same for each. Holosync Purification I corresponds to Perfect Meditation Level 6. I occasionally use something from TMI or Brainwave-Sync (great website for individual cds) for variety. At some point I may try The Meditation Program for variety, but my steady process will remain on Holosync and Perfect Meditation. If I had to choose between the two I would choose Holosync. The Tibetan chanting does not wear well for me. I appreciated everybody’s comments and would welcome any feedback on this post. Earl
Thanks for sharing your experience. Meditation can really beneficial to the overall well-being of a person
Thanks for this wonderful discussion. I’m in the market for a meditation program. I’ve ordered a trial Holosync program and am also looking at Sylva’s. I’ve been meditating for years, but I have reached a plateau and not progressing further. The comments here will help in deciding.
Dr. Charles is right on the money. I am coming up on six years of meditating and I am on Level 3 CD 1 of Flowering. I still have 7 more CD’s to go which I figure might take another year. Benefits too numerous to list… You people who are looking for something ‘quick’ are the ones who most need the Holosync. Just the idea that you are worried about what level you are at shows your misunderstandings. It has nothing to do with levels. If you are a true meditator then you meditate daily the rest of your life, and levels have nothing to do with it… there is no ‘completion’ no matter which one you use. You have already been lost for inumerable lifetimes, the idea that you are suddenly in a hurry to gain elightenment is what makes the Buddha laugh. My own personal experience has been amazing. But I will tell you right now, if you are using Centerpoint with the intent of financial or material gain then stop right now. This is about being happy with what you have and abundance is not truly abundance unless it is shared. I read every one of your posts and 90% of you are concerned with all the wrong ideas… The longest journey begins with a single step. For my own part: I have always had incredibly vivid dreams and suffered from night terrors when I was young and nightmares as an adult. I am now after almost six years of nearly daily use waking to remember every detail of my dreams including every detail of my thoughtstream while in the dream. I sometimes become confused in my dreams by the weirdness and non-linear reality and I feel I am just on the cusp of lucid dreaming. I have had maybe 3 lucid dreams in my entire life and always awoken as soon as I had realized it (I am 44). Now I am incredibly lucid in my dreams and feel that I am just on the cusp of a huge breakthrough. Centerpoint Holosync has been worth every penny and hour that I have spent over these years. It is important to also to a ‘ritual meditation’ that need be only 10, 20 or 30 minutes as well. Find some sort of simple ritual to use as a trigger and eventually you will only need this simple ritual to trigger a deep meditative state. Your mind is a monkey. Train the monkey.
Hi all
Great feedback. I have ordered my first round of Holosync. I have mild anxiety at times. I am concerned about the ‘overwhelm’ and that it may worsen my anxiety. Should I perhaps use it every other day or use it for less than an hour a day?
Hi Xenia
Start gently, so half an hour either each day or every other day would be the route I’d take.
Trev
Hi Trev,
I’ve been using hs for 4 years now, I’ve still got several months to finish with the a4, that leaves me with 8 more levels and at least 8 more years to go, yes my progression has been slower as the instructions tell, and though I’d like to advance fast track I am taking all the time I need to integrate each level.
In a way I understand what folks mean when they say that hs is outdated, which of course doesn’t mean that I would agree with them! I gave the meditation program a listen, and I can tell there are monoural beats integrated, also the binaural signal is not clearly audible, which would mean it’s embedded in the ambient sound itself. As far as I could tell from the sample they are not using isochronics in their tracks.
So a couple of comments on the different technologies: binaurals are great to listen to, be separated from ambient sound or embedded. Monourals are okay, but not as nice. And isochronics are a real pain in the ass: go and have a listen of the sample of the profound meditation program, I can’t sit with that stuff, really! It’s the isochronics that kills it all!
So this discussion about “outdated” is a bit a double edged sword, cause what’s the use of “cutting edge” if you can’t sit with it?
I never get tired from listening to hs (with exception of the times I have harsh bodily reactions of course, my resistance showing).
About the topic of meditation: Trev, you’ve mentioned that you’re for a fast solution and hence prefer meditation program over hs, and though I understand that (I wish I’d progress faster with hs) I have to say several things about this very point.
- subjective judgement in comparing the effectiveness of these technologies is useless, unless you have some accurate EEG equipment you really can’t sort this stuff out
- the two programs do different brainwave patterns at different carriers–hence they are very different–several months vs ten or more years of practice will give VERY DIFFERENT results (as much as I can like a fast solution–there really isn’t in this field!)
- I’ve spoken with people that have done all sorts of entrainment, especially with isochronics, cause they say that the entrainment provided by these tones is stronger than the one provided by binaurals (and while that is true–one of the very same people that was advocating this approach–he mostly plays around with beta, alpha and gamma sessions–has had a total breakdown and was hospitalized with pills–I’m talking about a guy that’s done far more brainwave entrainment than myself, over many years)
In my opinion, if you’re talking about meditation, and becoming more aware–which is the ultimate cause for happiness, the deep delta approach works best.
To Xenia: don’t worry about your anxiety, I’d say just go with the hs as per the instructions (keep in mind that the use causes also pleasurable neuro-chemicals to be released), if it becomes too much you can always back off. I’m saying this from the perspective of one that’s done hs 3 hours per day for weeks at a time, until I’ve had meltdown! I’ve managed to do up to 6 hours of hs in one day (I don’t recommend it–though it certainly didn’t kill me) now I do 2 hours every day, occasionally I do a third session. I’ve noticed that doing the immersion twice after the dive in a session–i.e. doing 90 minute sessions, puts more stress on me than just doing several 60 minute sessions, by the way: I’ve just done a 90 minute meditation this morning, I still feel it, kind of gives me that baked feeling in the head, ha ha.
To Claytrell: yeah, takes time to realize things sometimes, you’re changing all the time, but it only clicks now and then, but most of the time you feel like nothing’s happening, which of course is not true.
To Dr. Charles: agreed on the being suspicious of magic bullet solutions, meditation is a long term process, and trust me: it is hs that facilitates the changes in you, it’s not your effort. I know other folks that are using it, and they claim that their effort is doing the changes, when in reality it’s the increased awareness caused by the hs mediation that allows for that (i.e. I’m not saying that the effort isn’t coming from themselves–but rather that without hs they couldn’t do the leaps in the way they do).
Enough said, Cheers to you all, and keep Meditating! James
Hello All,
I am considering the use of binaural cd’s to assist my meditation…I’m also on An antidepressant Bupropn. Would the meds interfear or interface with the meditation CDs ( Holosync or Perfect Meditation).
Thanks inadvance for your opinions
Janie
Hi Janie,
I’m not a doctor but I can’t see why they should interfere. That said, it would be worth asking your doctor just in case.
Trev
I just came across this website because I was interested in what other Centerpointe users were saying about the program. I really enjoyed reading what everyone wrote. It has inspired me to keep on with the program.
I’ve been on the program for about 4 years now and the changes in my life have been amazing but also difficult at times. Sometimes it’s hard to let go of what we’re comfortable with, even when it’s destructive to our lives. I recently cut way back on the program because I am going through a very stressful time in my life. However, after reading through this forum, I am ready to get back on the train.
I love Claytrell’s comment about being happy with what you have. I could not agree more, though at times I still fail to fulfill that viewpoint. I am a very goal oriented person and often miss the moment by striving to get to my arrival point. The program has really helped me with this and I presume it will continue to do so. Do you have any pointers for truly being happy with everything life shows you?
Also, have any of you taken Bill Harris’ PIP (Principles Integration Process) course? I have been thinking about doing it for some time now. Any comments on the program?
Thanks again for the great words on this forum. Keep the love and light shining bright.
-josh
Hey Trev, nice review of tmp. I have a question tho, heard about sleep programming. is also from Hale Carlton. I wonder which is better ?
And by the way, by looking at the comments, holosync seems to be the favorite amongst all, so is there anything better than holosync?
@josh
I’ve not taken the PIP course so can’t comment on that
@me
Sleep programming isn’t the same thing as the Meditation Program. It aims to program your mind while you sleep rather than take you down into a meditative state.
My personal preference is Meditation Program – I still listen to it most days.