Author Archives: Tamera

Resilience in the Time of COVID-19

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Yesterday, I tried something different.  A friend who knows a lot about trauma recovery and I had a conversation about reducing stress and hopefully improving resilience as we cope with all the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic and staying at home.  Although a lay person, Shay Seaborne educates medical professionals and serves as an advocate for the trauma-recovery community.  Our conversation is meant to be beneficial, calming, and hopeful, but it is not meant to be a slick guide to anything, nor is it preventative, diagnostic or curative.  Grab a mug of your favorite warm beverage and snuggle in for about 40 minutes of shared time together.  We hope you’ll enjoy it!

 

Oh, and please do email me if you have feedback. If there is enough interest, Shay is willing to come back and do a more structured presentation on interpersonal neurobiology.

HERE ARE THE LINKS THAT SHAY MENTIONS IN OUR CONVERSATION.  WE HOPE THESE ARE BENEFICIAL.

Gateway of the Inner Body meditation audio by Eckhart Tolle
This recording is one of many tools you can use to help you become more familiar with your felt sense, the sense of the inner body, a vital connection.

Hand Washing Without Stress video with Imogen Ragone
“Take the tedium and the anxiety out of washing your hands for at least 20 seconds with this practice. Each time you wash you hands you can not only be getting rid of those pesky germs, but also letting go of excess tension and stress so you feel more at ease in yourself!”

Healthy Mind Platter from Dr. Dan Siegel
Dr. Siegel’s website details the seven daily essential mental activities to optimize brain matter and create well-being: Focus Time, Play Time, Connecting Time, Physical Time, Time In, Down Time, Sleep Time.

Flower/Candle breath exercise: Break the Cycle of Distress with Self-Regulation by Shay Seaborne
Self-regulation is a key ability for all people, one often disrupted by trauma, especially in those with earliest onset. These simple practices can help an anxious person down-regulate to a more positive and prosocial activation level. They are most beneficial when practiced in advance of anxiety so they are familiar as a go-to for relief.

Shay Seaborne’s website
Recently revamped for trauma awareness activism, Shay has begun to offer tips and insights on how to minimize the impact of pandemic stress so we can come out in the best possible condition.

 

Intensity of Exercise and Cognitive Health

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Research from the University of Basel that was published in the journal Nature Human Behavior and summarized in Science Daily addresses the importance of exercise on cognitive fitness.  It suggests that rather that recommending one particular type of sport or exercise, intensity of exercise is a more important factor in improving brain health.  In these times of increased stress loads on our bodies due to the COVID-19 outbreak, it’s more important than ever to take care of ourselves.  Please do click through to the Science Daily article for an overview. The journal article is available here, but information beyond the abstract is behind a paywall.

New Finding–Autism and Attention

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A study done on individuals with autism that is published in the Journal of Neuroscience and summarized in yesterday’s Neuroscience News is fascinating. It shows that the pupils of individuals with autism dilate irregularly compared with those who do not have autism. This finding, in turn, points to a bigger piece of the autism puzzle.

The pupil dilation response is controlled by a part of the brain called the locus coeruleus, which is in turn a part of the reticular activating system in the pons of the brainstem.

Put more simply, the reticular activating system is in charge of what we pay attention to in our daily lives.  This example may help:  if you were to consider purchasing a blue Honda Accord, you would start noticing blue Hondas everywhere. That wouldn’t be because there were suddenly more blue Accords on the roads, but it would be because your reticular activating system was calling your brain’s attention to the ones that it sees.

This means that knowing how one part of the reticular activating system is dysregulated, we may have a glimpse into why those who have autism pay attention to their world differently than others, and why they may have  exaggerated responses to the world around them.  Let’s hope those researchers, who are from Carnegie Mellon, New York University, and the University of Pittsburgh, keep going and take this new insight to the next level.

You can access the Neuroscience News article here and the study itself here.

New Growth

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A few years ago, a client gave me a small shamrock plant for St. Patrick’s Day. It had 6 or 8 stems and was just small and sweet enough to be really pleasing.

My office at the time had a tiny window, so although I kept the shamrock alive, it wasn’t thriving. That changed last year, when I moved to a new office suite that is full of wonderful, natural light. My little plant came alive, growing 12 stems at one point. It continued to give me joy.

Then, by this February, the little shamrock was down to two stems, and one of them wasn’t looking so good. I had the great fortune of spending time with a dear friend and former mentor who, I noticed, had two huge and happy shamrocks growing in her sunroom. I asked her secret to them thriving, and her response was, “Love.”

I chuckled, but she meant it. She also told me that shamrocks are tougher than I think and to try repotting it to see if it would help.

I came home and dutifully placed my sad shamrock into a new pot.

Within days, new stems were popping up right and left. Now, a month later, my shamrock not only has close to two dozen stems, it is flowering.

It is happy, and so am I. Love does, indeed, make a difference.

Other friends who are humoring my excessive interest in my little gift tell me that shamrocks tend to die back, then regrow. There is a cycle to their lives, but they are resilient and will come back again.

I think we as a society are getting repotted right now. Things will change in our lives, as they must and really should.  And, we will regrow again. We will bloom.

Tools for Neurofeedback Training at Home

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As I mentioned in a previous post, home-training neurofeedback is an option. It’s not for everyone, though. In fact, most people are likely better served by working with a professional trainer.  However, these are challenging times, and if you are dedicated to doing neurofeedback right now, home training is the way to go.  (If you don’t want to do home training, give me a call or send me an email.  I’m now creating a list for when my office reopens to new clients.)

There are three things you need to get started:  the right equipment, the right know-how to do training, and the right mind-set.

Equipment.

Let’s get started with equipment. First, you need a Windows-based computer.  It’s preferable to have one that’s solely for brain-training use, because Windows updates and some online activity may interfere with software functioning.  People think this isn’t a hard and fast rule, but it really is better just to download what you need for brain training, then disconnect from online activity.  You also should have a secondary monitor.  This isn’t absolutely necessary, but it makes life much simpler. Monitors, and even small televisions, are relatively inexpensive these days.

Next, you need an amplifier.  By the time it makes its way through the skull, the electrical signal that comes from brainwave activity is quite faint, and an EEG amplifier captures the signal and magnifies it so that the computer software can use it. Along with the amplifier, you need electrodes–either individual ones or a cap.  You will need some sort of connector to help capture the signal—there is prep gel, conductive paste, conductive gel, or saline, depending upon what electrodes you choose.  Then, you need software to capture and process the electrical signal so that it can reward your brain for making changes…and neurofeedback is reward-based.

It sounds complicated, but getting the right gear is fairly straightforward, especially if you reach out for help in your decision-making.

Know-How.

If you purchase a package of training from a website called brain-trainer.com, they include a significant amount of video-based training.  This means that you can watch and re-watch videos to learn how to use the equipment.  If you don’t purchase their training, I can help you navigate their free training, and, even before the coronavirus outbreak, I was offering online training sessions to get people started with home training. (I also offered in-person training and group workshops. Those will resume when it’s safer to do so again.) uiop[]789+lkjhvc

After 00learning how to operate the equipment, one must learn what and where to train.  For most people, this is done by conducting a brain-map, which is a snapshot in time of the electrical signals of 20 spots on the scalp.  Again, this can be done virtually, so one is not left at home, alone with complicated gear and instructions.

The data collected from the brain map can then be sent to me for processing using software called a Trainers’QEEG. This data compares the brain against itself—and NOT a normative database—and I use this data to help you come up with a plan for what and where to train.  We go through this plan together during an online session to be sure you know how to use the software.  Then, you’re off and running!

However, even after this, you’re not on your own. I’m available for questions, and if you purchase your gear from Brain Trainer International, they have free forums on which you can ask questions and learn from others’ questions.

Mind-Set.

One of the biggest problems with home training is NOT the learning curve involved. It’s the fact that many people start off with fits of enthusiasm, learning what they need to do. Then, as enthusiasm fades, those folks get busy with regular life and gradually forget that they intended to do training.

Brain trainers who succeed at brain training are able to bypass this sand through several means that we can talk about during training sessions. One of the biggest tips is to put neurofeedback at home in the calendar and behave as if it’s an appointment with an outside practitioner. When you make an appointment with yourself or your loved one, it’s much easier to keep it.

Another thing that helps people keep going is that they push through until they start to feel results (which happens generally within in the first ten sessions). Then, feeling and acting better propel successful home trainers in to doing more of what made things better. Success creates its own momentum.

How to Get Started

If you want to explore home training, reach out to me, and I’ll offer you a 30-minute session to talk about your needs and whether home training makes sense for you. If you decide that it does, I can walk you through the website where you can purchase equipment, or talk to you about rental options.  I’m happy to do this even if you opt not to work with me to learn to train. If you decide that you want to do neurofeedback but home training is too much for you, we can also discuss in-office training for when it’s healthier to do that.

 

Choosing What’s Next—Neurofeedback and COVID-19

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If you’re reading this blog, I have to imagine that you’re researching neurofeedback while at home, doing your part to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus while simultaneously seeking ideas to help you or a loved one live better.  As I see it, you have three options:

The first is to wait until the crisis lifts, when we can start interacting a bit more normally.  You are always free to reach out to me to schedule a phone or video consultation so you can plan ahead, but in-person meetings will need to wait awhile.  Once we’re given the all clear to meet again, I imagine that there is going to be a combined pent-up need for neurofeedback training along with financial concerns about how to pay for training.  Please be aware that, especially in these new times, I will not turn people who want to do neurofeedback training but due to the virus and quarantine are unable to pay my full fee.  And, for those who are able to afford training, I am offering $150 off a brain map for any new clients for the first 30 days after I re-open to new trainees.

The second option is to purchase your own equipment and learn to train at home.  There is a rather significant learning curve involved in this, but if you’re already at home and have time to get started, this is a good choice, because you don’t have to wait!  I can help you choose the right system for your needs, and there are excellent training videos that come with certain packages.  I can also provide online instruction to get you started, so you  won’t truly be alone.

The third option is to rent a system from me. You still have the learning curve, but you aren’t stuck with gadgets in your house that you don’t want to own forever.  I have a limited number of rental systems available, but this is less expensive than purchasing your own gear.

Feel free to email or call with any questions. In the meantime, stay well!

COVID-19 and BrainShape

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As of March 17th, BrainShape remains open to see existing clients. My colleagues and I are doing our best to keep the office suite clean and sanitized.  We ask that everyone who enters the office immediately wash his or her hands in one of the two office sinks. Out of an abundance of caution, we also ask that anyone who is experiencing any sense of unwellness to call and reschedule or cancel their appointment, even if one believes the problem is nothing more than a cold. We have clients who fall into the at-risk groups and do not wish for them to fall ill.

My colleagues and I are also doing what we can do reduce the number of people in our office.  They are offering telehealth services to most of their clients.  I am looking at ways of spreading out client appointments so that people are not encountering each other at all in the office suite.

For people who are interested in starting neurofeedback training for the first time, I am offering video consultations rather than in-person ones. It’s important to get to know the person who might be training you, to see the equipment, and get information about the process, and although video is imperfect, it is preferable to in-person sessions at this time.  There is no charge for this service.  New clients who are not family members or who have not already had a consultation may begin brain training once we have a better sense of how the pandemic is unfolding, but in any event no sooner than April 1st.

Thank you for your interest and cooperation during this uncertain time.

 

Teen Brains and Junk Food

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A review written by University of Ontario researchers and published in The Lancet’s Child and Adolescent Health argues that teen consumption of junk food undermines self-regulatory processes in adolescent brains that are working to grow brain development of regulatory control, creating a vicious circle.  Avoiding junk food, they argue, helps brain development and high-calorie, nutrient poor food impedes development.  The review itself is behind a paywall at https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanchi/article/PIIS2352-4642(19)30404-3/fulltext, but you can find an excellent summary of the review at Neuroscience News:  https://neurosciencenews.com/fast-food-neurodevelopment-15889/

Brain Inflammation, Microglia, and Neurofeedback

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Every now and then a book comes along that I feel is worth sharing, and The Angel and the Assassin: The tiny Brain Cell that Changed the Course of Medicine, by Donna Jackson Nakazawa is one of those books. Jackson Nakazawa takes a complicated topic—the function of a specialized brain cell called microglia—and breaks down her message into a fascinating story that reads a little bit like a detective novel.

As she explains it, microglia are a type of glial cell in the brain that function like microphages—themselves a type of white blood cell that consume unhealthy substances in the blood.  They compose about 10% of all brain cells, and yet their function was overlooked until the past few years.  Scientists have now realized that the brain has an immune system response, and microglia are the brain’s version of white blood cells, swooping up what doesn’t belong.

When microglia are functioning well, they secrete what is needed to stimulate the growth of new neurons and make new synapses, as well as the growth of myelin—the protective sheath around brain cells that works like the protective cord covering the wiring on all electrical devices.  These important functions are what help keep our brains healthy.

Interestingly, The Angel and the Assassin looks at what happens when microglia get overactive. Microglia can start consuming parts of the brain that should not be consumed, much like white blood cells can get overactive, leading to auto-immune disorders.  The scientists Nakazawa Jackson interviews point to overactive microglia as inflammation in the brain and show how this, and not the long-debunked chemical imbalance theory, is behind mental health disorders. She points to several promising approaches to resolving this, such as fasting-mimicking diets, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and neurofeedback.

I will be keeping a copy of this fascinating book in my office for clients who wish to borrow it, and I encourage anyone who knows someone who suffers from mental health problems to pick up a copy of this book. It’s likely to change how you look at mental illness and physical wellness.

Neurofeedback and Depression

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A study published in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience in 2014 looked at the results of an extremely short regimen of neurofeedback (only eight sessions) for 40 individuals with a diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder.  They found that, despite the small number of sessions, measurements of working memory and processing speed increased, suggesting that neurofeedback may be helpful with depression.  You may read the full study at:  https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00296/full

Neurofeedback for Fetal Alcohol Problems

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A single-person case study published in the Journal of Neurotherapy in 2012 reported a significant improvement in the quality of life for a thirteen-year-old boy with a diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.  His mother reported that the boy’s quality of life had improved after 20 sessions of training, though she was careful to clarify that her son still had significant challenges and was not cured.  A link to a PDF of the report is available at: http://www.isnr-jnt.org/article/view/16534

Observing Neurons at Work

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Biomedical engineers from George Washington University, Northwestern University, and the University of Arizona have developed a method of observing individual neurons working by inserting a dye and then shining light on the dye, according to a study published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and a summary published in Science Daily.  The tiny device uses the light to observe biochemical processes of neurons at work.  It runs on the brain’s electromagnetism and hopefully will help researchers who are searching for ways to help stop neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.

Read more about this remarkable breakthrough at Science Daily.

 

Choosing a Neurofeedback Practitioner

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I frequently receive requests for help finding someone who offers neurofeedback training outside the Northern Virginia area where I work. Thanks to a fairly robust network, I’m often able to help.  However, for those times when I don’t know someone in their area, I offer a few tips, and I thought these tips might be worth sharing:

  • Choose someone who specializes in neurofeedback. Over the past five years, neurofeedback has become enormously popular among mental health providers.  Psychologists, social workers, and counselors are all jumping on the brain-training bandwagon, which is terrific, up to a point. Many of these individuals attend a one-week workshop and dive right in, offering neurofeedback services with nothing but a tiny amount of training and a lot of enthusiasm. Their mistake is thinking their license to offer psychotherapy confers expertise in neurofeedback; it does not.  When you are looking for a provider, make sure this person is actually doing neurofeedback a significant percentage of their workweek.  It would never be my preference to go to someone who is dabbling a few hours a week in the latest fad.
  • Choose someplace that offers consistent trainers. Although I advocate working with a neurofeedback specialist, it’s possible to take that specialization a bit too far.  Across the country, mental health providers are establishing clinics with large numbers of providers under their supervision.  In theory, there is nothing wrong with this, and of course there are many advantages to having colleagues and experts together.  However, to increase profits, some clinics hire less-skilled technicians to run training sessions, and these clinicians often rotate in and out. If you choose to go to a clinic for your training, make sure that you select one which promises that, to the extent possible, the same person will always be supervising your training. You want someone who knows you or your child, and you want someone who has seen something more than a few notes in a file regarding response to training protocols.  Consistency matters.
  • Choose a practice in which someone stays in the room with you. Some places hook up their trainees and leave the room. This means that no one is observing what is happening during a session. Most of the time, sessions are uneventful (and honestly can occasionally be boring for the person monitoring training), but sometimes, electrodes come loose or settings need to be adapted midstream or one of several other things may go awry. When things go wrong and no one is there to respond, that entire session has been wasted and may even result in a negative response to the training.

You might be surprised to find that I don’t especially worry about whether someone is new to the field.  If the above conditions are met, then you likely have a provider who is diligent and working with a more experienced practitioner—someone who is supervising and providing the extensive guidance needed to develop true expertise.

As always, feel free to reach out if you need help locating a practitioner outside Northern Virginia. If I can’t find someone directly, I probably have a colleague who can.

Sleep Better with Vitamin D

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Dr. Mercola has written an interesting article detailing the connections among vitamin D deficiency, B vitamin deficiency, gut health, and sleep cycles.  He summarizes research that dates back to the 1980s but has not been broadly publicized.  I think it’s a level of complexity and detail that’s easy to read, but a bit too much to try to summarize on one paragraph, so if you or someone you know struggles with sleep, I suggest reading what he has to say here.

Putting Symptoms and Wellness in Context

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Usually, I share scientific articles in this blog, but today, I want to share a blog post from someone whose work I greatly admire. David Bedrick is an agent of change with great compassion. His work in process-oriented psychology, as I have heard from one of his clients, goes deep and finds the multiple sources of an individual’s suffering. I particularly admire his work with shame and trauma.

In this Psychology Today article from a few years ago, he writes about the ways in which no individual’s symptoms are exclusively the result of individual choices.  Take a look here and you’ll see what I mean.

Most of my clients who need psychotherapy have usually already found a therapist before they find me.  For those who have not and are looking for depth work, David or his partner Lisa may be a good fit.  Find out more at davidbedrick.com.

(In this era of paid promotions, I feel compelled to note that this is not a paid endorsement and that David had no idea that I was inspired by seeing his article to share.)