At first the MindSpa Personal Development System sounded like another gimmicky, New Agey thing, like chakra crystals that would reorient my chi or some other such hooey. The premise is that this little machine taps into brainwaves using alpha, beta and theta frequencies, relaxing, sharpening or focusing them, depending on the program. You put on a pair of what look like sunglasses that emit pulses of light, while earbuds send out groovy, gentle pulses not unlike the noises Star Trek fans may remember from early episodes. The unit looks like a small, hand-held video game, and it’s easy to use: Simply put on the glasses and earbuds, get comfy and hit the buttons to start one of 12 programs, ranging in time from 10 to 40 minutes. I can vouch for the relaxation versions – I fell asleep quickly and easily during several of them, and found that over the two-week minimum recommended commitment for maximum results, the time needed to fall asleep or be in a relaxed state became shorter. Where this is supposed to cross paths with the travel realm is in recovering from jetlag, and that proved to be harder to determine, as was the cognitive payback, although I did find that I began to look forward to my time with the machine. Whether that was just to get 10 to 40 minutes alone and uninterrupted is another story, but if that’s what it takes to reduce stress … | $250, avstim.com
