Here's a great flowchart that I saved years ago as I was first exploring the genre. https://i.redd.it/rxrtulf0m5631.jpg

The three classic albums of the genre

Loveless - My Bloody Valentine

Souvlaki - Slowdive

Nowhere - Ride

If listening to "Loveless" from My Bloody Valentine, make sure your volume is low, especially if wearing headphones, you've been warned. My ears will never be the same again, thanks. Wow.

The loudest show I've ever been to (and I've been to metal, noise, and other kinds of loud-oriented shows) was MBV, where you could actually feel the sound almost like a wave against your whole body. So I think Kevin Shields would disagree with this advice. :D

This is why I never went to see them in concert. I love this band but I don't want to damage my hearing.

Love "Machine Gun" from Souvlaki: https://youtu.be/SQ6pHlVKW9w

This is a rather different style than the original, but Múm does an amazing cover of Machine Gun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ii2wxG647ds

If you like those, and you haven't yet heard Flyying Colours - Wavygravy, it's linked here for you:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9wnpiiMUJs

Two pre-shoegaze recommendations:

Cocteau Twins

Talk Talk (Laughing Stock and Spirit of Eden, post-synthwave)

This all falls under dream pop and while I don't think it has much in common with noise's effect on the brain, it can be a little disorienting due to the depth and variance in sound.

Bands like My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive is probably a good place to start.

If you're asking for my recommendations though, when I'm anxious this song is probably my favourite, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ4Mn2X-Wm4

Put some good earphones on, turn it up, and just let your mind shut off as the fuzz and noise slowly builds. The part around ~3.45 is almost orgasmic to my ear, but I'm on the spectrum and I'm quite sensitive to audible sounds so perhaps others don't hear it quite like I do.

Lately when I'm anxious I find this one to be amazingly calming: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnDcJMKCTLM

The combination of the music and the jellyfish floating by in that video.

I would add Mazzy Star, and a lot of Jangle pop to the list too. Thurston Moore's album The Best Day is another great recent addition to the jangle pop genre.

Not sure if I'm on the spectrum or not, but that was good, thank you for sharing it.

Seems like that particular YouTube link is unavailable (maybe just in the UK?), but I believe this is another copy of the same track, The Radio Dept. - The City Limit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNOjIJN5u7E

A general starting place will be My Bloody Valentine's album Loveless which is usually agreed to be the album that kickstarted the genre.

There are a lot of different directions you could go from there, but personally, one of my favorite releases is Guilty of Everything by Nothing as a more modern take on shoegaze. (mid 2010's vs 90's)

Additionally, there are some critically acclaimed releases in extensions of the genre like post-metal with Deafheaven's album Sunbather being a great entry into that particular sub-genre.

Hope that gives you a bit of a starting off point!

There are some great recommendations here for classic 90s shoegaze. I recently found a more current band that is playing some great shoegaze: Deserta. Love these guys!

Spacemen 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWhH8NPtQlI

The Canadian sweethearts Alvvays are excellent. There’s more to PEI than potatoes!

https://youtu.be/eH5mqLjwg6U

Paul’s Boutique represent.

Not op but my favorites are Slowdive, My Bloody Valantine and Ride.

The lovely "Simon Says No!" from Norway is a hidden shoegaze gem!

kinoko teikoku long goodbye

Is a top choice and rare enough - you can find it on spotify now though !