NeuroFeedback, NeurOptimal and Electroencephalography

[theos]

I had my first NeurOptimal session yesterday while listening to music. I heard lots of clicks, felt very relaxed and fell asleep. While I was awake I purposely tried to 'worry' but found I couldn't stay in that mode for long. Lately, I've been waking up too early, around 4-5am but last night I slept well with vivid dreams and woke around 730am. Hopefully this will continue with more sessions.

 

[Nancy2feathers]

I had my first NeuroOptimal session yesterday while listening to music for about 30 minutes. I felt very relaxed and felt I drifted off a few times but not really asleep. I didn't really feel any difference during the afternoon/evening but I did sleep sound the entire night not waking up as I usually do a few times.

 

[Foxx]

I also had my first session yesterday and listened to the music. I also found it to be very relaxing and almost drifted off towards the end. There were a lot of pauses in the beginning and that seemed to reduce as the session progressed. After that I felt pretty tired and that seemed to progress through the day. I had one or two fairly vivid dreams, but can't recall the details now. I woke up too early, which has been happening with some frequency, but found it easier to get back to sleep and I think it took less time than normal.

Today I feel more even keel and less stressed, which I think for me usually manifests as feeling like I'm always rushing--that seems like the main thing that's reduced for me. I also feel like I can think a little clearer and am a little less absorbed in my thoughts.

This is definitely an interesting experiment and I'm looking forward to doing more sessions and seeing where it goes.

 

[herondancer]

Had my first session yesterday too. I experimented with bringing up anxious thoughts at the beginning (might as well get right to it) and the ticking and blinking was pretty lively. The interesting thing was that I couldn't sustain the thoughts. They faded in intensity as the session went on. I did watch the monitor for most of the time to see what frequencies pinged the most, so I probably missed on the some of the relaxation possibilities in this first go round. Next time I'm going to shut my eyes and just experience it. Maybe there will be more to report, or it may take a few sessions to see a change. I would also like to try some different music. The default world music track was nice, but by the third repeat it got a little irritating.

I slept well, but woke up much, much earlier than I usually do. As with others, I did dream but can't remember what they were about.

 

[Approaching Infinity]

One of the suggestions the NF peeps I've talked to have given me is to do some baseline analysis before going through the NO sessions. This can provide a way of seeing what if anything has changed over a number of sessions. So it may be helpful both to write out a current self-appraisal of your issues in a number of departments, and also to pay attention to those same issues as sessions proceed. E.g. (off the top of my head, keeping in mind some of the studies on NO effects): How is your sleep? How would you rate your anxiety? What makes you anxious, and when? How is your overall sense of well-being? Do you experience mood changes? What are your energy levels like? What cognitive issues have you noticed?

And, as sessions progress, what do you notice about your dreams? Have you noticed anything new about yourself? Is there anything that bothered you before that doesn't anymore? Any physical health improvements?

Maybe after 8 sessions or so, compare your answers to the first set of questions with your original answers and see if there's a difference.

 

[Alana]

A small something I noticed that might be a result of neurofeedback: After my 2nd session last Wednesday, I would wake up every morning, and while still in bed I would feel compelled to stretch myself, which I did for a few seconds, those long well-feeling stretches that put a smile on the face, and ready me to start the day in a good mood. I didn't realize it until I started doing it again, that I haven't stretched like that in bed upon awakening, for a very long time.

This morning (4 days after the NF), I woke up in a less well-feeling mood without the compulsion to stretch. I did it anyway, but it did not feel as spontaneous as the previous days, and it took me a few hours to get out of the grumpy/sleepy mood and feel fully awake. It's as if the good results of NF are waning over time, as others mentioned, and that's probably why the practitioners often recommend it done twice a week. I can only do once now though, so we will see after the next session.

 

[Renaissance]

As I mentioned before, I have also experienced some headaches in relation to the neurofeedback. I find that to be very interesting; sort of a piece of evidence that something significant is happening. I don't usually have headaches at all. I think it may be related to the shifting of contraction in the skull/spinal column area because it does seem to come from the top back of the neck. And yes, it is mild. Interesting.

That is interesting. My headache was in the back of by head with some tension in area of the neck that you describe.

 

[PERLOU]

Merci pour vos partages tous aussi intéressants les uns que les autres...

Thank you for all your interesting sharing...

 

[shellycheval]

Had my 2nd session Sat. afternoon at 3 PM, seven days after the first. It was a 42 min session, and longer than the usual time. I felt very relaxed during the session, lost track of time, heard a lot of clicks, and fell into a light sleep at the end. Afterwards I felt very groggy, relaxed and slow. I had mild headaches too that passed, but also was very thirsty. The practitioner told me that dehydration can be a side effect and would account for some of the mild headaches. It is also evidence that something physiological is happening. I will have a third session, half hour, five days after the second one and will continue with the rental unit for at least ten sessions and more if I can afford it. I have not noticed any major changes in my anxiety or stress levels this second time but I am also dealing with a death in the family and a dying friend at the same time so I actually feel I am maintaining well.

 

[herondancer]

I'm sorry to hear that you are dealing with two tragedies at the same time SC. The treatments seem to have come along just in time. Hang in there.

 

[A Jay]

Had my first session two days ago. During the first part of the session I also tried to bring up anxiety producing thoughts, but found that as the session went on they were harder to maintain and so by the end of the 33 minute session I was just relaxing and letting my brain do its thing. After the session I felt very calm and relaxed. I was able to handle the stress of work easily without feeling overwhelmed or anxious as can be the case. A few hours after the session I got really tired and struggled to maintain alertness. Then I started to feel a pain at the back of my head and in my neck that came and went as the day went on. I remained somewhat tired the rest of the day, and slept deeply. There was a dream that involved me having a pattern of 'closing gates' to keep out unwanted things and people, though some still found there way in through back ways no matter how many gates I closed at the front.

Yesterday I was still feeling calm when I awoke and went in to work. A few hours later though I found myself being easily irritated, but was able to notice my thoughts, experience the feelings, and then change my thoughts and was back to feeling calm. Same as yesterday, some pains in my neck/head came and went. Last night I slept deeply again and had another closed gate dream. Except this time instead of the gate being the size of a castle drawbridge with multiple reinforcements it was only a waist high pet gate. Last night before bed I read the chapter with the transcript of a NARM therapy session in 'Healing Developmental Trauma' which may have had something to do with this.

This morning I woke up feeling well rested and shortly after eating had some feelings of anxiety, the first ones since my session which is rather remarkable. For me to go to work for two days and not have any feelings of anxiety is rather unheard of. The anxiety could have been a reaction to the eggs, I'm okay with them most of the time but do have to take breaks if I have them too often, so I'll take a break and see if that helps.

I'm sorry to hear that you are dealing with two tragedies at the same time SC. The treatments seem to have come along just in time. Hang in there.

Sorry to hear this as well, SC. Take care!

 

[Mike]

I had my first session yesterday. After the session I was very relaxed in general, yet had some normal, for me, anxiety and increased physiological response to this last night. This morning I had to get up before 6 am for an appointment. Although I set my alarm to go off twice I almost slept through both alarms, which almost never happens. Today I feel a lot more grounded and things that would normally cause me to have anxiety and start the feedback loop of thoughts feeding the anxiety have not created the same reaction today. I almost feel like ‘the devil may care’ or relaxed type attitude, but not in a careless or reckless way. Yet I feel significantly more serious, but not in a bad way, and focused today as compared to the recent past. Maybe a way to explain it is that I have a tendency to act and I like to act humorous or get people to laugh in order to overcome my own anxieties and worries. So far today that tendency hasn’t been happening.

I wrote out notes to the questions Approaching Infinity posted, so I will be able to compare them to how I feel in a couple weeks. Figure I’ll also note any significant changes or examples of differences in this thread as I progress with the sessions.

 

[Laura]

I think I mentioned this before, but today it was so pronounced that I thought I would mention it again: I notice a distinct change in not just my appetite, but the way I eat. My appetite is less and I seem to choose to be more mindful of eating more or less automatically, and eat more slowly. I also feel full sooner and that lasts longer. Yes, I am taking liraglutide shots once a day, but I take a very minimal dose and only two hours after my last meal of the day.

I also have the distinct impression that this change in eating is related to some sort of balancing of my sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. I've only done two sessions and missed last week's, but will be going for a third in a couple of days.

So, anyway, thought I'd mention that as another possible actual physiological effect that can "grow" as time passes.

 

[Zar]

Just had my first session today with Gerry Bock, who interestingly enough has spoken to Laurence Heller(not in person) and highly regards her work. He gave me a general description of how NeurOptimal works and added that aside from the usual readings he adds a "Divergence quotient"(if I remembered the name correctly) that basically represents the degree by with the left and right brain are communicating with each other. When I asked him the highest he's seen, he said he worked with someone at 300 but it's possible to go up to 1000 for extremely fragmented brains. The general rule was to get this quotient down to under 10. I started at 149, so not much communication going on initially. He also figured my brain out with one look and told me that my intellect represses my emotions to protect itself from the underlying trauma.

In the session he played soothing music and also showed me a screen with alternating patters (like the old screensaver patterns) that alternated depending on my brain patterns. I didn't feel much until halfway when I felt a reiki like heat start from my head and work it's way to my toes until I felt it throughout my body. Then I felt pressure on different parts of my brain and slowly relaxed my body and my brain quieted down. And I didn't feel much else aside from more pressure on my brain.

When I finished he told me I had responded very well to the therapy and showed me my new Divergence quotient, which was down to 13! My brain now feels like it's done a marathon so I'm off to bed but I will post changes as they come.

 

[Meg]

I'm sorry to hear that you are dealing with two tragedies at the same time SC. The treatments seem to have come along just in time. Hang in there.

I'm sorry to hear that, too. Take care and hang in there.