I am sitting in front of my computer wearing a pair of dark glasses, behind which are gently strobing blue lights. I'm also wearing earphones which are delivering a low-level sound reminiscent of a helicopter. Slightly unnervingly (this happened while I was writing the last sentence), the pitch has a habit of changing without warning, just as you had got used to the previous sound level and intensity of the pulse.
I've been using this MindSpa machine fairly regularly for four weeks. According to the blurb, this little sound and light device is the answer to everything from stress, jet lag and seasonal affective disorder to poor memory, insomnia and concentration problems. It's all in the brainwaves, apparently: the pulsing lights and sounds combine to synchronise your mental activity which - depending on what you're after, and which program you've set the machine to - can either pep you up or calm you down, producing a similar effect to meditation.
I've mostly tried to use my machine as a relaxation-inducer, lying on my bed late at night when the kids have finally turned in. But I have found its instructions slightly baffling. It comes with oodles of leaflets and explanatory documents, and you're regularly emailed extra tips. Even so, there's definitely a knack to attuning yourself to the device, and I can't say I feel a huge amount more relaxed generally (although it has made me very aware of how difficult it is to find 30, 20 or even 10 clear minutes when I can guarantee that I won't be disturbed).
In its other mode, as an aid to concentration, you remove the patches from the front of the glasses so that you can peer through at your computer screen (which is what I'm doing now), and - apparently - you focus as you've never focused before. The reality, however, is that with the flashing lights and ear-throbbing, concentrating is damned difficult. For my money, an urgent deadline is a far more effective way of making me get stuff done - and cheaper, too.
· MindSpa machine, £175; available from www.meditations-uk.com
