Regardless of Monroe's background and the now new-age slant of the place after his death--and even before--this stuff does open up creative states of mind that are very hard to achieve without some long study in meditative techniques. And some things that I won't mention because you wouldn't accept them. BTW, I was a senior scientist for a rather conservative research company when I went there, and they covered the cost.
As I mentioned in my last post, I could certainly see binaural beats aiding in meditation, but not because of any "entrainment" benefit; rather, because of a rhythm and repetition that one concentrates on continuously. Whether improved meditation will itself lead to increased cognitive ability is another question, and should be asked in contrast to what one can achieve by other means, more effectively, more efficiently, and more rapidly. And that still doesn't touch on direct cognitive improvement (or elimination of "brain fog") via binaural beats, which is what Joel was alluding to above.
If there are things which you "won't mention" because I "wouldn't accept them", it seems like it would be better not to bring them up indirectly in the first place. In any case, what I'm interested in is cold, hard proof, which is easily obtainable with a double-blind, placebo-controlled, peer-reviewed study, something carried out every day in the practice of real science - something you're surely well-acquainted with as a prior "senior scientist".
Ultimately, I think it's great to reach out into as many possible avenues for mental (especially cognitive) improvement as we can, but before promoting them widely, we should establish that they're indeed effective, and that they're effective in the specific ways we state they are. If binaural beats can induce a relaxed state or reduce stress, they should not be claimed to improve intelligence or boost memory. The fact that so many claims are being made by the proponents of "brainwave entrainment" before and even contrary to proper studies implies that money and fame are the principle driving forces at work, not science.
Let's push the focus back onto real science, with real evidence of real improvement.