Coping with Benign Anxieties

Coping with Benign Anxieties:

Coping with Benign Anxieties

My problem is if I don’t have anything to worry about I’ll think things up. I’ve been this way for as long as I can remember. The scenarios rarely become reality, but that doesn’t stop my overactive mind. All this mindful chatter causes undue anxiety, whether perceived or real, and since most of my internal chatter is harmless I refer to them as my benign anxieties. They may not be malignant, but they can get overwhelming, like my own mind is trying to bully me. For me coping with benign anxieties has become a daily ritual, and it can zap my mental, emotional and physical states of feeling normal.

Physicians have tried to help quell these anxieties through medication. Maybe that works for some people but not me. Instead of helping most often they led to insomnia, disorganized thoughts or feelings of uselessness. Ridiculous!

So I looked beyond traditional western medicine and found brainwave frequency training. This is not biofeedback or eeg neurofeedback. It is the opposite: biofeed-in. No consciously trying to generate the desired brainwave frequency like the two aforementioned technologies. Instead, I choose a built-in light and sound session in the beta, alpha, theta or delta brainwave states or a combination of those states and lay back and relax. No conscious effort is needed, these light and sound sessions gently guide my mind to my pre-chosen targeted conscious state through a process referred to as entrainment.

What exactly is entrainment and how does light and sound stimulation produce this entrainment? The method by which this entrainment occurs is known as the Frequency Following Response (FFR). Through the use of audio (headphones) and visual (eye frames) stimulation, participants are gently guided into specific states of mind. Each audio beat and light pulse is a specific frequency. Our minds “think” in terms of frequency. Brainwaves change frequencies based on neural activity within the brain, be it by hearing, touch, smell, vision and/or taste. These five senses respond to activity from the environment and transmits that information to the brain via electrical signals. Hearing and vision are considered favorable senses for affecting brainwaves safely. By presenting these beats and pulses to the brain, within a few minutes, the brain begins to mimic or follow the same frequencies as the stimuli (the beats and pulses). This process is referred to as entrainment. In essence, light and sound instruments speak to the mind in it’s own language- the language of frequency.

The Frequency Following Response that the mind experiences through light and sound stimulation provides a focus for the brain. This focus safely quells any internal dialogue or “brain chatter”, and enables the participant to reach more quickly and effectively the optimum state of mind targeted for the task at hand (i.e. energizing, learning, relaxing, etc.).

So a light and sound instrument can entrain your mind to experience different levels of your consciousness and help quell my benign anxieties. As such it is a tool, but it is a very enjoyable tool. For a whole new musical experience combine your favorite playlist with a light and sound session. You can actually see, as well as hear, the music as it travels along your brainwaves. It is also for exercising your mind. After all, your brain is like a large muscle. Use light and sound to train your brain to run faster and more efficiently; to show you how to find and access your “zone” and to help clean up that mental fuzz that occasionally interrupts our mental clarity.

The light and sound instrument that I choose is the DAVID Delight Pro by Mindalive. This system has everything I have been in need of: built-in light and sound sessions targeting all four general brainwave states, plenty of information on how to maximize my session experiences and most importantly, it works for me. I’m still aware of my benign anxieties but they no longer control me. I have learned to shut off those anxious thoughts before they interfere with my normal daily life, making life so much more worth living. And I’m a whole lot more productive!

 

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Coping with Benign Anxieties

Coping with Benign Anxieties:

Coping with Benign Anxieties

My problem is if I don’t have anything to worry about I’ll think things up. I’ve been this way for as long as I can remember. The scenarios rarely become reality, but that doesn’t stop my overactive mind. All this mindful chatter causes undue anxiety, whether perceived or real, and since most of my internal chatter is harmless I refer to them as my benign anxieties. They may not be malignant, but they can get overwhelming, like my own mind is trying to bully me. For me coping with benign anxieties has become a daily ritual, and it can zap my mental, emotional and physical states of feeling normal.

Physicians have tried to help quell these anxieties through medication. Maybe that works for some people but not me. Instead of helping most often they led to insomnia, disorganized thoughts or feelings of uselessness. Ridiculous!
So I looked beyond traditional western medicine and found brainwave frequency training. This is not biofeedback or eeg neurofeedback. It is the opposite: biofeed-in. No consciously trying to generate the desired brainwave frequency like the two aforementioned technologies. Instead, I choose a built-in light and sound session in the beta, alpha, theta or delta brainwave states or a combination of those states and lay back and relax. No conscious effort is needed, these light and sound sessions gently guide my mind to my pre-chosen targeted conscious state through a process referred to as entrainment.

What exactly is entrainment and how does light and sound stimulation produce this entrainment? The method by which this entrainment occurs is known as the Frequency Following Response (FFR). Through the use of audio (headphones) and visual (eye frames) stimulation, participants are gently guided into specific states of mind. Each audio beat and light pulse is a specific frequency. Our minds “think” in terms of frequency. Brainwaves change frequencies based on neural activity within the brain, be it by hearing, touch, smell, vision and/or taste. These five senses respond to activity from the environment and transmits that information to the brain via electrical signals. Hearing and vision are considered favorable senses for affecting brainwaves safely. By presenting these beats and pulses to the brain, within a few minutes, the brain begins to mimic or follow the same frequencies as the stimuli (the beats and pulses). This process is referred to as entrainment. In essence, light and sound instruments speak to the mind in it’s own language- the language of frequency.
The Frequency Following Response that the mind experiences through light and sound stimulation provides a focus for the brain. This focus safely quells any internal dialogue or “brain chatter”, and enables the participant to reach more quickly and effectively the optimum state of mind targeted for the task at hand (i.e. energizing, learning, relaxing, etc.).

So a light and sound instrument can entrain your mind to experience different levels of your consciousness and help quell my benign anxieties. As such it is a tool, but it is a very enjoyable tool. For a whole new musical experience combine your favorite playlist with a light and sound session. You can actually see, as well as hear, the music as it travels along your brainwaves. It is also for exercising your mind. After all, your brain is like a large muscle. Use light and sound to train your brain to run faster and more efficiently; to show you how to find and access your “zone” and to help clean up that mental fuzz that occasionally interrupts our mental clarity.
The light and sound instrument that I choose is the DAVID Delight Pro by Mindalive. This system has everything I have been in need of: built-in light and sound sessions targeting all four general brainwave states, plenty of information on how to maximize my session experiences and most importantly, it works for me. I’m still aware of my benign anxieties but they no longer control me. I have learned to shut off those anxious thoughts before they interfere with my normal daily life, making life so much more worth living. And I’m a whole lot more productive!

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Brainwave Manipulation

Brainwave Manipulation:

Brainwave Manipulation

All of us want to feel our best. Some people meditate, some do yoga, we all exercise and try to eat right and get enough sleep. But there are still days where our mental, emotional and physical states feel somehow out of whack or off-balance. Unable to focus or capable of prolonged concentration, we battle through as best we can. Then along comes someone who has their act together 24/7. What’s their trick? Brainwave manipulation.

EEG Neurofeedback can show via monitor exactly what frequencies are the dominate (at that specific time) brainwaves being generated, and depending upon which area of the brain is being measured, can improve the participant’s performance through positive audio tones when the targeted brainwave frequency goal is met. Much like good old biofeedback, but having the benefit of seeing real time actual measurements of the beta, alpha, theta and delta frequencies being produced.  Still, in order for the participant to attain their frequency goal, they must produce that frequency with no outside help except for those positive beeps and tones. Meditation is another example of calming and focusing oneself with no outside assistance. We are taught to believe that either we manipulate our brainwaves via constant practice or for whatever reason choose to meet those goals pharmaceutically.

To get it right EEG neurofeedback can take months and meditation can take years. As for prescribed medications… if they are not absolutely necessary stay away from them. Too many side effects. Because of all the advancements in technology, what we were taught does not always hold true today. Take something like having an out-of-sorts day and changing those feelings without any conscious effort on your part. 

For brainwave manipulation use entrainment. Through the use of audio (headphones) and visual (eye frames with LEDs or RGB-based LEDchips) stimulation, participants are gently guided into specific states of mind, be it beta, alpha, theta or delta. Each audio beat and light pulse is a specific frequency. Our minds “think” in terms of frequency. Brainwaves change frequencies based on neural activity within the brain, be it by hearing, touch, smell, vision and/or taste. These senses respond to activity from the environment and transmits that information to the brain via electrical pulses. Hearing and vision are considered favorable senses for affecting brainwaves safely. By presenting these beats and pulses to the brain, within a few minutes, the brain begins to mimic or follow the same frequencies as the stimuli (the beats and pulses). This process is referred to as entrainment. In essence, light and sound instruments speak to the mind in it’s own language- the language of frequency. 

As mentioned, using a light and sound instrument requires no conscious effort. The participant sits back, gets comfortable, closes their eyes and presses start. An out-of-sorts day remedy is often a twenty minute alpha session for relaxed, focused concentration. Light and sound stimulation is exercise for your brain and a mood change for your mind.

So the trick those people who always have it together 24/7 is the choice they make to use light and sound stimulation for overcoming those out-of-sorts days.

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A School’s Neurofeedback Program for Students

A School’s Neurofeedback Program for Students:

A School’s Neurofeedback Program for Students

The experience with having a Neurofeedback program this past year has been both interesting and challenging. It became immediately apparent that the impact of the program on a district-wide basis would be very limited. The limitations were due to our limited budget and time allotments. One Neurofeedback (NFB) system and three days of alloted time for both administration and treatment made the number of students reachable with classic Neurofeedbackrather limited. Our first decision was to limit the program to one specific school instead of being district wide with further expansion being on a school-by-school basis. 

We increased the impact of our program by interfacing NFB with light and sound instruments. The research conducted by Russell and Carter, the Michelette dissertation and clinical research by Ruth Olmstead Ph.D. suggested that light and sound procedures with certain children might be able to attain results similar to those obtained by using Neurofeedback.

With light and sound instruments available some students were given a combination of Neurofeedback with light and sound. We utilized open-eyed lightframes so that students could receive auditory and visual feedback from the Neurofeedback system and brainwave frequency entrainment from the light and sound equipment simultaneously. With simultaneous administration we would use light and sound frequencies that were compatible with the chosen Neurofeedback frequencies being trained.

As an example, when we were training within the beta brainwave range with a theta brainwave inhibitor, we would utilize a 17Hz. light and sound program. This permits one to train as well as entrain at compatible frequencies. Other children were given light and sound exclusively while others were given Neurofeedback one day and light and sound the next.

It was primary for the success of our NFB program to maintain student interest and motivation to cooperate and participate in either modality. Students would routinely become bored with Neurofeedback about ten to twelve sessions into the treatment regime. First they wanted to try all of the games and after that they wanted new or different or more challenging tasks. With persistence, persuasion and coaxing, one could often get their cooperation for additional times. With light and sound, students were clearly fascinated with the light and pattern displays generated and with the audio binaural beats. We would use music that they enjoyed as their selections to be utilized during the light and sound sessions. 

One case in particular is very interesting and noteworthy. Irene (not real name) was a junior high student with severe behavioral problems, high levels of resistance to the treatment program and yet a normal TOVA. We did SMR training for the first fifteen sessions and she remained resistant and oppositional throughout. At that point we changed to Alpha-Theta Neurofeedback and she began to quiet and respond. During the third Neurofeedback session light and sound eyes-closed lightframes with the Schulman Resonance Frequency was added. Within five to six minutes she manifested the classic Alpha-Theta crossover that Penniston suggests is a goal of Neurofeedback treatment. This combination was maintained for the remainder of the school year and each and every session she showed the classic Alpha-Theta crossover. In addition she made very significant clinical gains thereafter. She became very cooperative with therapy, she became pleasant and delightful and her mother stated that she is a changed girl. At the end of the year it was a delight to work with her whereas at the beginning it was painful just to attempt therapeutic intervention. 

Many of the students wanted to listen to the Disney classics while participating in a light and sound session. Some students even preferred more classically oriented music. Of primary significance was the immersion effect that occurred when the music was simultaneously fed into the same headphones that delivered the binaural beats. There was very little resistance to the
light and sound procedure. As a matter of fact, students would often come by and beg to have
a light and sound session above and beyond their scheduled appointment. It is easy to describe the shift that occurred with their interest and motivation with light and sound combined with NFB training: they got to listen to the music they enjoy while improving their targeted neurofeedback goals.

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Overcoming Soma Addiction

Overcoming Soma Addiction:

Overcoming Soma Addiction

I was addicted to Soma for five years. Initially it was for physical pain and before I realized it Soma was part of my daily diet. It was my secret that burdened me with guilt and shame. Yet I was more concerned about having enough Soma to get me through the week than mustering the strength to stop.

The generic name for Soma is Carisoprodol, a prescription drug marketed since 1959. It’s a centrally acting skeletal muscle relaxant of the carbamate class, similar to the other drugs in its class, with one key difference: it is the only muscle relaxer to be classified as a controlled substance. Soma in particular is a bad choice because of its abuse and addiction potential, capable of producing all the effects associated with barbiturates.

Quitting was going to be hard. I’m not a meetings or counseling type of person and this was something I really didn’t feel like sharing. So I went online and came across brainwave frequency entrainment. That led me to light and sound stimulation devices and the need to create a recording, in my own voice, for listening while running a light and sound session. 

The light and sound device I chose was actually an Apple App called the mindLightz by Mind Gear. This was the ideal way for me to record the script, save it to my Playlist and listen to the recording in synch with the light and sound brainwave frequency stimulation. I needed to have the information imbedded in my subconscious mind and the mindLightz theta light and sound session was the perfect brainwave state to access. 

Knowing withdrawal was going to be the toughest part, my script dealt mainly with those symptoms:

“Now as I get deeper and deeper relaxed, deeper and deeper on down, in my mind’s eye, I want to imagine the symptoms of withdrawal. I want to feel the nausea. Feel my stomach turning. Feel my muscles tighten. Like I’m tied up in knots and feel terrible all over and I want to take those feelings, take those feelings and I’m going to associate them with the drug Soma. Associate those feelings that represent the withdrawal symptoms with Soma itself. From now on instead of the withdrawing causing the symptoms, the drug itself will bring the symptoms about. For I’m conditioned just as much as if I’d said a nice thick juicy steak smothered in mushrooms or if I concentrated on a lemon, feeling the saliva, the organs would respond, and now I say that the organs respond to Soma. The organs respond by producing very uncomfortable symptoms so from now on whenever I take Soma these very uncomfortable symptoms begin to show themselves. As they show themselves, I feel them, I feel them deeply, very deeply. They are very uncomfortable.

As I withdraw from Soma, the symptoms, instead of getting worse, get better. I feel better. More alert. More awake, more vital, more full of life. More full of pep and energy than I have had for a very long time. I feel as though I am full of vitamins. It’s going to be very easy for me to withdraw because the withdrawing makes me feel good, and the taking of Soma makes me feel bad. I’m going to be surprised about the reverse effect, but it’s becoming a permanent part of my subconscious mind, never to be removed.

My need for Soma is gone. But I have a tremendous need to withdraw for if I don’t, then I feel the symptoms. Now starting right at this moment, I’m going to begin a new phase of withdrawal. A withdrawal without pain, without nausea, without vomiting, and without troubles. Now I want to feel good all the time, and Soma is the thing that makes me feel bad. The thing that gives me nausea and the problems is the thing that ties up my guts, that’s Soma. Now as I go deeper and deeper relaxed, and as all of the sounds fade away in the distance, all of these suggestions take complete and thorough effect upon my mind, body, and spirit. And I sink deeper and deeper and deeper. Nothing disturbs me. For I have begun my withdrawal right now. Now, sleep deeply and let these suggestions seal themselves in the deepest part of my subconscious mind. Way down.”

For six weeks every morning and evening I did a mindLightz session combined with my recording. Session length varied depending upon my schedule, and sometimes I did an afternoon session as well. This combination gave me the strength and motivation to stop. I post this in the hope that if you are having problems quitting Soma to explore light and sound brainwave stimulation as a tool for overcoming addiction and dealing with the symptoms of withdrawal.

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How You can keep Your Mind Entrained while Studying

How You can keep Your Mind Entrained while Studying:

How You can keep Your Mind Entrained while Studying

During the 1990’s I was involved in EEG Neurofeedback (NFB) training. As part of their EEG/NFB sessions, clients received audio and tactile frequency stimulation for assisting in achieving the targeted brainwave state. It was during this time that eyes-open lightframes became available. Now with the ability to add a third modality, pulsed light stimulation through eyes-open lightframes, clients were able to more quickly achieve their NFB training goals.

After experiencing positive client reaction in the neurofeedback community, it was apparent other light and sound machine owners could also benefit. As one client described her experience: “I use my light and sound machine with eyes open to help me concentrate on writing promotional copy, and editing copy. The results were magnificent! I would dial in a theta brainwave frequency on my DAVID Smart to help me get the job done; and I completed the task faster and with more clarity than I imagined. Actually I was stunned at the results. Not just that, this practice is a type of brain training, which taught me how to use my brain potential in super concentrated ways. I was also doing medical text editing, and would find mistakes, misspellings, and logic errors that no body else picked up”.

The consequence of this one manufacturer creating an eyes-open lightframe has become wide spread as many different manufacturers offer this option and the ‘viewhole’ concept has been well received and promoted by the neurofeedback community. To use eyes-open lightframes is a very simple task. 

Just follow the basic mind map outlined by neurologists and therapists regarding the four general brainwave frequency states. Brainwave frequencies are described in terms of hertz (Hz), or cycles per second, which are measured by an electroencephalogram (EEG). The four general categories of brainwave frequencies and their main characteristics are: Beta (13+ Hz) is an alert state, Alpha (7 to 12 Hz) is a relaxed state, Theta (4 to 7 Hz) is a visual state and Delta (0.5 to 4 Hertz) is a sleep state. All of these brain waves are produced at all times. However, a predominance of a specific desired brainwave state can be created through brainwave entrainment, which allows a person to maximize his or her capabilities towards achieving academic excellence.

 

The first time you add open-eyed or viewhole lightframes to your light and sound session, dial in the frequency session you wish with your light and sound machine in manual mode to match the nature of your targeted project. For learning and retaining new information it is recommended that you try a theta learning session with session breaks every 45 minutes. Remember to adjust the light intensity so it is not too bright (brighter does not make it more entraining) which could otherwise irritate your eyes; and away you go…

Some quick examples are to use eyes-open lightframes while in the delta brainwave state for doing candle meditation; in theta for learning with high memory retention; in alpha for reading and in beta to write, recharge and focus. There is no precise frequency structure, as the four defined brainwave zones represent a simplistic model of how the brain tends to function in most people, and does not consider individual variation in brain function; so experiment, experiment, experiment…

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Using Speakers with Your Light and Sound Machine for Deep Sleep

Using Speakers with Your Light and Sound Machine for Deep Sleep:

Using Speakers with Your Light and Sound Machine for Deep Sleep

In the Spring of 2018 I tried using my light and sound machine for help in going to sleep. My mind was filled with an abundance of brain chatter, which became quite annoying. So I tried a delta brainwave frequency sessionfor help in getting to sleep.

I had no trouble going to sleep, but later I awoke to wires that gave new meaning to the term bed wrinkles. Forget the realization that I was still wearing the lightframes and headphones, the wires were the culprits that woke me. I am a light sleeper and I do appreciate comfort as often as possible, but wearing lightframes and headphones while trying to go to sleep and remain asleep just was not conducive to my comfort zone. And that got me thinking…

Why not put aside the headphones and lightframes and just connect a pair of inexpensive computer speakers to the audio port of my light and sound machine? So I did. And it worked! It was a completely non-intrusive experience. Went to sleep, stayed asleep and when I woke up, my ‘go to sleep’ light and sound machine had automatically turned off. I must interject something here, and that is wearing headphones rather than using speakers placed in the corner of my bedroom would have been more effective, and wearing both headphones and lightframes would attain maximum results, but all I wanted was a good night’s sleep, with a little assistance from pulsed audio brainwave frequency binaural beats. And with my light and sound machine and small computer speakers set across the bedroom on a shelf, it was the ideal solution for me. 

So I began asking others if they had tried this approach. Most said no because they believed the binaural beats would be ineffective through stereo speakers. I then reminded them of the learning relaxation programs where speakers were also used, only to attain the alpha brainwave state for focus and relaxation rather than a delta session as I was doing for sleep. And how the mind, even with speakers as the source for delivering the brainwave stimulation, proved effective in the hospitals, schools and police departments who were the recipients of some of those learning relaxation programs. With speakers, the mind is still capable of interpreting the two distinct channels of frequency. So for example, if Speaker 1 was generating an 8Hz frequency and Speaker 2 was generating a 9Hz frequency, then our minds can interpret the difference between the two frequencies: 1 Hz delta frequency for inducing sleep.

Around the same time, a few of my friends were just starting families. Many tried using pulsed audio tones in their baby’s room to aid in creating a sleep routine. Within a month the feedback from these couples indicated that the binaural beat delta sessions via speakers actually worked. The volume of the audio beats were kept very low, hardly audible. And my friends felt their newborns adapted rather quickly to their targeted sleep schedule.

Can pulsed audio sessions be used for entraining a roomful of people simultaneously? Yes. Sound-only applications were tested by psychologists in major law enforcement agencies, teachers and students, hospitals and rehabs, business professionals, retail outlets, even in gyms for weightlifting. For people that are visually impaired or are photosensitive, sound-only stimulation generated by a light and sound machine has also proven to be beneficial.

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