One of the most basic questions I receive is how someone will know if they’re really hypnotized. This short, 11-minute video explains this fundamental issue. It features Cal Banyan–hypnosis instructor and creator of the 5-PATH program that I learned and use–and colleague Penny Chiasson. If you, too, wonder about the process, take some time and listen to Cal and Penny.
Author Archives: Tamera
Burnout: Much More than Stress
I learn new things from my clients all the time. Recently, one shared with me the work of psychologist Dr. Christina Maslach of UC-Berkeley, who researches extensively on the subject of burnout.
Most of us know that burnout is more than stress and more than exhaustion. Dr. Maslach’s work shows that there are multiple factors that go into the subject, and that burnout is an organizational problem, not just an individual weakness.
One things she says that strikes me is that trying to make people fit into their jobs is the wrong approach and that a better perspective is changing the workplaces to fit the people. She uses the analogy of the canary in a coalmine–it makes no sense to avoid the canary’s warning and instead try to create a more resilient canary.
Dr. Maslach’s work is not directly relevant to neurofeedback or hypnosis, but it certainly underlies some of the reasons people come to me for training and assistance.
She gave an excellent Ted Talk, which examines just what makes up the phenomenon of burnout. You may find that here. She also talks about solutions to burnout in a short audio interview here.
A Psychiatrist’s Opinion on Neurofeedback
If you’ve been reading my posts for awhile, you know that I like to share others’ good work, whether it’s a podcast, book, or even a blog. The internet is so full of noise and misinformation that I think it’s important to spotlight what’s important and worthy.
This time, I’d like to share the writing of Dr. Suruchi Chandra, who practices in California. She has a basic blog post on how neurofeedback works that is informative, accurate, and easy-to-read. Her infographics make sense (and even resemble ones I used when I still provided paper brochures).
As usual, I no financial motive in sharing and no ties to Dr. Chandra. She’s simply provided a quick and easy read.
Please find her post here.
Brain Health and Nutrition
There is much argument among scientists over what constitutes a healthy diet and what is good for brain health, but most would agree that journalist Michael Pollan’s simple advice to eat real food, mostly plants, and not too much is accurate. People have known since ancient times that the right food and drink can promote good health. The opposite of that is, of course, that the wrong food and drink can diminish our health.
The topic fascinates me, because I find that the people who come for neurofeedback and get the best results are the people who are working to take care of themselves in other ways, too. This of course includes food.
This is why I want to share a link to a podcast on GMOs. It features author Jeffrey Smith speaking about how GMO products can affect our health, including brain health. His words are shocking, and I think worth hearing. Go here to listen to nurse practitioner Cynthia Thurlow interview Mr. Smith.
Alcohol and Brain Volume Loss
I think most people are aware that heavy drinking causes cognitive impairment and shrinkage in the brain. A new study, however, indicates that light-to-moderate drinking also causes brain volume loss, and loss begins after consumption of just one serving.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania studied MRIs in 36,000 individuals, one of the largest sets of data. They found that going from zero to one serving of alcohol had little effect, but beginning from the switch from one to two servings, there was a noticeable effect. They say that alcohol consumption affects both gray and white matter and is similar to accelerated aging in the brain.
For more information, see a summary of the study at Neuroscience News, or the study itself, which appears in the journal Nature Communication.
The Floggings will Continue Until Morale Improves
In the early 1990s, a New-Yorker-style cartoon floated around the federal office where I worked, and although I no longer remember the image, the words stuck with me: “The floggings will continue until morale improves.” We all agreed at the time that it was hilarious.
There’s a thing about humor, though—it’s funny because there’s always a deeper truth in it. It holds a mirror up to society or to ourselves, and it shows us a dark side, a side that really needs work.
I was thinking about this particular cartoon today, because I’ve been reading online about all the virtuous people who are creating intentions for their lives this year instead of setting New Year’s resolutions. Resolutions are out. Intentions are in. Or, so they say.
I have a sneaking suspicion that no matter how you cover it up with semantic lipstick, those newly named intentions are still just another way for us to flog ourselves into some kind of perfection—or at least substantial improvement—that we secretly think is unachievable.
How about if, this year, we trying something truly different? How about if we stop and consider the radical notion of loving ourselves? If we are suffering and want to feel better, let’s love and nurture ourselves into health. If we are lonely and sad, let’s love ourselves so that we can be in community with others. Let’s stop the self abuse.
What do I mean by this? Well, how about if we start with a few questions. Let’s start with a basic one, “Is THIS [substitute the word this with whatever shiny object attracts you at the moment] good for me?” The answer might surprise you.
That new 5/2 fasting plan? Maybe that’s not good for you if you have a history of abusing your body into submission through diet programs that are about punishment and rigid discipline rather than improving your health. Then again, maybe giving your body that rest a couple of times a week is just right. I bet you can tell whether it’s self love or self abuse.
Or, how about getting better sleep? What if you pledge to yourself “I’m going to bed by 10:30 every night?” That’s probably really good for you until your friends invite you to a movie that starts at 9:15 pm. Then what? Do you flog yourself for violating your rules in pursuit of a different and perhaps equally worthy goal?
Or, how about that crossfit class you’ve been eyeing for several months? Is that good for you? You know, it just might be the single best thing you can do for yourself. Then again, it might be the shortest path to the closest urgent care you’ve taken in a long time. Your measurement of what’s good for you doesn’t have to match anyone else’s measuring tape. Is it good for YOU?
So, how about it? Shall we stop all the floggings and see what happens? Shall we take care of ourselves in kind and loving ways? Shall we experiment and stop living the truth of that old cartoon?
Sure, the tools I use to help people can be part of you being kinder to yourself this year, and of course reach out if you think neurofeedback or hypnosis might be of benefit to you. That said, there are many ways in which you can enrich your life and call good things in for yourself in 2022. Just start by asking yourself if what you have in mind is good for you. Then follow up with asking whether it’s a loving thing to do for yourself. You know your own truth, if you just slow down enough to listen.
Growth vs Expansion
As a small business owner, I am constantly bombarded by marketers who want to help me take my practice to the next level, so that I can expand and grow and maybe even earn seven figures while I sleep at night. When I first started out, these come-ons actually made me feel a little anxious, because I if I wasn’t doing what they said I should be doing, then I obviously wasn’t claiming my part of the American Dream.
Over the years, I got wiser. I figured out that yes, of course I want to grow. Life is about growth. It is important for me to continue to learn and deepen my knowledge of what I do and how I work with the people who trust me to help them make changes in their lives. But, that’s not the same as expanding because the business advisors say that businesses are supposed to expand into ever-increasing revenue. They don’t talk nearly as much about going deep and really growing what you do to the next level of expertise or connection.
In the end, I did choose to work with a few of these marketing gurus. One in particular who is all about helping alternative health-care providers move past trading money for time helped me realize over a decade ago that, indeed, I’m still quite happy trading my expertise for the opportunity to be with people hourly. I re-evaluate that stance every year about this time, and the answer again for 2022 is, yep, I want to continue to be a solo practitioner who helps people one-on-one to change the trajectory of their lives. It pleases me. I’m good. I neither need nor want to expand into a large clinic.
I continue to study, of course, because there is never really an end to learning when your topic is the brain or the subconscious or the soul. My colleagues enrich me, professional writings and podcasts inform me, online workshops and conferences fill my cup. In fact, I sometimes find myself overwhelmed because there’s so much I want to listen to or read, and I don’t have enough hours in the day to consume the information I want to absorb to become a better practitioner. For me, though, that never-ending flow is another sign that I’ve reached a pretty good point in my life.
If you’re reading this post, then I have to guess that you’re either a former or potential future client, or at least a family member to one. And, I bet you think this is an odd thing to be writing to you about. Yet, I think it’s an important thing for you to know. I want you to know that if you choose to work with me, you’re working with someone who’s been at this long enough to know what she wants her time with her beloved clients to feel and be like. She knows her life priorities, and she wants to know yours, too.
Winter, to me even more so than necessarily the start of a new year, is a beneath-the-surface time. This time of year is when seeds lie fallow in the ground, rich with the sugars that will make them burst forth in the spring to bring greenery and new life to the planet. I encourage you to consider this time of year your own time to lie fallow and go deep within to learn about yourself. Get quiet and consider: what do you really want? Does that differ from what you’re told you should want? What do you hope will sprout as your personal spring arrives? What sugars are you storing deep inside yourself to make that happen?
The things you tell yourself, the whispers from inside yourself, are so much more important than any societal message about how you could grow and be rich. Your heart knows what you want to feel and be and experience. Use the beauty of winter to get quiet, and listen, and then know.
Gamer Brain
I think many of us intuitively understand that excessive gaming is disruptive on many levels, but fewer are aware that gaming changes brain function. Last fall, the founder of a brain entrainment device discusses what he calls Gamer Brain on the NeuroNoodle podcast. This snippet from the podcast talks about what he has found. The full podcast may be found here. The full episode includes information on how lack of sleep, gaming, etc. has changed what is found in the brains of people with diagnoses of ADHD verses a “normal” population and has some sobering thoughts about even the brains of so-called normal youth now are indistinguishable from those with ADHD.
Perspective Matters
Many of you have probably seen this illusion before in which if you look one way, you see a young woman, and if you look another way, you see an old woman. The original is over 130 years old and still around, probably because it demonstrates an important truth in life: how we see the world is simply a matter of our perspective, and changing our perspective can change everything.
So it is when we want to change ourselves. Many of us are stuck in a perception that we are someone we don’t like, maybe even someone who is broken. By changing that into its opposite: that perhaps there is a world out there in which we do like ourselves and in which we are whole, we create that possibility in our lives. We go from only seeing one option to seeing another.
I encounter this in my work all the time. People come because they’re tired of seeing a bleak version of themselves and want to envision how they engage in life in other ways. They want to show up in the world calmer, more confident, more relaxed, more focused, more ready to be who they suspect that they really are under the surface.
Biofeedback works by holding a metaphoric mirror to ourselves. It rewards us for changing what we see in that metaphoric mirror. It’s a slow and steady process that can create great change in those who also are ready to change their perspective and see the person they want to be.
Hypnosis works by speaking with the subconscious mind and nudging it so it can see and adopt other ways too.
So, who did you see first when you looked at the image: the young woman or the old? Can you see both? Wouldn’t you like to embrace a fuller perspective? Give me a call, and let’s talk about how you can shift your perspective and your life in the new year.
P.S. An interesting site for the history of the flipping woman is here.
fMRI Neurofeedback Helps with Depressive Symptoms
Neurofeedback research using fMRI technology has increased dramatically in university settings in recent years and is helping shed light on the ways that neurofeedback can be of benefit to individuals from all walks of life.
As Neuroscience News has reported, one recent fMRI study published in the journal Psychological Medicine and conducted at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, & Neuroscience of King’s College, London shows that neurofeedback helped lessen symptoms of major depressive disorder in people who are depressed without also having anxiety.
The study is small, but it demonstrated an efficacy equal to talk therapy. In particular, it showed that fMRI-guided neurofeedback reduced feelings of self-blame and increased self-esteem.
Functional MRI is primarily a research tool at this point, because fMRI is too expensive for most clinical practices. However, the real-time fMRI helped because it gave participants a way to see what is happening in the brain as they strategize alternative ways of thinking about their situations.
EEG-based neurofeedback also demonstrates real-time shifts in brain activity, albeit through electrical brain-wave patterns rather than magnetic resonance imaging.
You can read the Neuroscience News article here and the study itself here.
Cut the Chaos to Create Better Results
One of my mantras is that neurofeedback does not happen in a vacuum, and that it works best when done in conjunction with other steps to improve your life. (If you’ve already taken steps to fix what ails your lifestyle, neurofeedback is going to be an excellent next step, and this post probably isn’t for you.) You probably already know what those steps are—seeing a psychotherapist or a doctor if you need one, eating more real food and less processed junk, getting out in nature, moving your body in some way, starting or diving more into your spiritual practices, and creating better sleep hygiene.
Despite hearing this, so many who share my perspective that neurofeedback is powerful and effectivive still expect it to be slightly magical. The truth is that neurofeedback works great at calming your nervous system, but it does not fix the crazy in your world.
You must start to work on reining in the chaos. In fact, one of my mentors, Peter Van Deusen, says that a person living in chaos needs to cut the chaos in their lives by about 25% for neurofeedback to work optimally. What does that mean? How on earth does one cut chaos if their brains need help? Isn’t this an awfully tall order?
Not really.
The hard part of cutting the chaos is admitting where it exists in your life, then committing to creating something better for yourself. So, if you are not sure where the chaos lies, here are a few ideas for where you can look to find it in your own life:
Start with the pain points. What is bothering you? For example, are you not sleeping well? Sleep deprivation starts a cascade of problems that can lead to so many problems, from foggy thinking to irritability and even depression. If sleep is a big issue for you, of course neurofeedback can help relax your mind and body so that sleep is easier. However, if you’re staying up late because you’re gaming or binge-watching the latest thing that caught your eye, neurofeedback isn’t going to magically send you off to bed. You have to find your own system for regulating your time with electronics. Or, say your sleep problems are coming from stress at work. Neurofeedback may help you approach your work more calmly, but it isn’t going to make an excessive workload or mismatch between your talents and your job requirements suddenly disappear. It’s up to you to evaluate what is happening at work and how to tweak what you’re doing to smooth out the bumps. This doesn’t just apply to sleep; this works for whatever is upsetting you in life.
Examine your motivations. Why are you doing what you’re doing to create or tolerate or fuel the chaos? Is your life chaotic because you are overly busy trying to please all the people in your life and putting yourself last? Is it because you’re afraid that if you don’t keep up with others’ frenetic pace that you’ll somehow miss out on life? Have you simply lost track of the idea that rest and relaxation can restore your energy so that you can do more without getting overwhelmed? Are your boundaries off, so you find yourself taking on things you don’t feel you have the right to say no to or postpone?
Assess your self-care. Are you failing to take good care of yourself in meaningful ways? If so, it’s time to start practicing extreme self-care. This doesn’t mean bubble baths and a new outfit. It means doing the things for yourself that are nurturing and good for you. For example, every parent of a preschooler knows the price that gets paid when a child is allowed to stay up too late. The next day, they have a cranky, tantrum-monster on their hands. It’s even worse when children don’t have a regular schedule at all. We grown-ups aren’t all that different. We need a nice bedtime routine to feel our best. So, use the toddler example. Try thinking of yourself as that beloved child in need of the influence of a gentle, guiding parent. What would have to change to help you be the adult equivalent of a sweet, sunshiny, creative child having a great day? Do you need more veggies? A nap? Time to snuggle with a loved one? A good book? A three-day weekend? Coffee with a friend? A hike? Another way to look at is to stop thinking of ourselves as productivity machines and more like the beautiful people that we are.
Back in the early 1990s when I read Stephen Covey’s book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, I was particularly struck by his seventh habit, called sharpening the saw. He writes the parable of coming across a man standing next to an old tree with a huge trunk, trying desperately to cut it down with a hand saw. The person who encounters the would-be woodcutter says to the man something to the effect of, “If you sharpen that saw, you could cut down that tree much faster.” The man responds that he doesn’t have the time to sharpen his saw because he’s got to get the tree cut down before sunset. Please let him be, because he has important work to do. It’s so easy for us all to be like that woodcutter and forget that when we sharpen our own saws in life, things get done faster, better, with more ease, and probably with more pleasure or satisfaction.
Not everyone who comes in for neurofeedback needs to examine their lifestyle and habits in this way, but for most of us, an occasional reminder to cut the chaos for ourselves or our children is a good thing. In fact, just writing on this subject has inspired me to schedule a half-day, in-home retreat for myself.
Writing on this subject reminds me of poet Mary Oliver’s famous quote, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life.” She also wrote, “having chosen to claim my life, I have made for myself, out of work and love, a handsome life. And can do what I want to with it. Live it. Give it back, someday, without bitterness, to the wild and weedy dunes.”
If you are ready to cut the chaos and create more of what you want in life, I can help with getting your brain on board, either through biofeedback for the brain as neurofeedback or by delving with you into your own depths via hypnosis.
Alpha and Attention
The alpha electrical frequency in the brain is called alpha because it was the first electrical brainwave pattern identified over 100 years ago. Despite being the longest-known frequency and the subject of intensive research, there is still much we do not know about it.
We do know, however, that it is generated in a part of the brain called the thalamus. We know that in well-performing brains, the alpha frequency activates when one’s eyes are closed. We know that alpha gets generated when one slides into meditation, and that it is the frequency that links internal and external awareness. We know, too, that when the peak of alpha frequency starts to slide down below its ideal state of 10 Hz, memory starts to wane, and by the time the frequency has slid down below 8 Hz, dementia may be present.
There is still a great deal that we do not yet know or understand about the alpha frequency. In the 1970s, training up the alpha frequency became the focus of meditators, to the extent that neurofeedback for awhile waned in credibility as being something only hippies explored. That led to waning interest in scientific study or application of brain training. As neurofeedback rebounded and expanded in the 1990s, alpha again became a credible topic for exploration.
Now, a team of researchers at the University of Oregon have published a study in the journal Neuron showing that the alpha-like frequency in mice corresponds with communication between two parts of the brain called the thalamus and cortex. A summary of this research in Neuroscience News suggests that researchers have previously considered this to be meaningless background noise, but those in the field of neurofeedback have long suspected that so-called electrical noise in the brain has purpose; we just don’t understand it all yet. Oregon researchers are now recognizing that what once was considered noise is likely meaningful. They found that when they disrupted the alpha-like signal coming from the thalamus of the mice they studied, the cortex (the outer layer of the brain associated with conscious awareness) could not create an attentive, information-sending state.
Because even in the field of neurofeedback, practitioners focus more on various states of the beta frequency instead of alpha when it comes to attention and focus, this research may open doors to exploring how the alpha state also affects attention and focus. This has implications for improving attention in those who struggle, such as individuals with a diagnosis of ADHD.
You can find the Neuroscience News study here and a summary of the study here.
Go Wild, by John Ratey, MD
Once I read Dr. John Ratey’s book, Spark, several years ago, I started recommending it to many clients and friends, to the point that I probably annoyed people. Dr. Ratey explains in Spark that vigorous aerobic exercise in the morning boosts cognitive performance, and he cites work done in the Chicago area with students who came to school early to work out before class. They showed significant increases in cognitive capacity, regardless of whether they came from privileged suburbs or impoverished inner city neighborhoods.
Given that it’s just one physician and one study, I get how people can dismiss it as not being relevant to them.
Now, though, I’ve read another of Dr. Ratey’s books, Go Wild. Most of the book provides an explanation for the final chapter, which are his recommendations for building health and well-being. Unlike many health books I’ve read lately, the build-up to his set of recommendations is interesting and straightforward. Moreover, it might just motivate you to make a change or two.
His first recommendation is to find your lever. By that, he basically means the first simple step that will serve as a domino to cause other unhelpful behaviors to fall away as easily as other dominoes in a row. His co-author, Richard Manning, suggests that for most of us, the lever to pull to start everything in motion is likely going to be food or movement.
For food, they advise eliminating sugar, grains, and any processed foods, and to do this forever, not just as a fad diet. Unlike other books on the subject, they don’t advocate for zealous adherence, just moving toward this way of eating. For movement, they suggest doing something you like, especially if it involves being outdoors. In fact, they emphasize the importance of being outdoors for well-being on many levels. They also stress the importance of sleep and good relationships.
I think most of us know the basic prescription: eat right, move right, live right. This book, though, makes it seem simpler to accomplish than other books I’ve read on the subject. It’s a good read for anyone looking to make changes without reading a dozen books on the subject of physical and emotional health.
Air Filtration Reduces Airborne COVID
I’ve had good-quality air purifiers in my office since last April, when it first became apparent that COVID-19 likely is transmitted through airborne particles. They are over-engineered, meaning that they filter the air faster and more than the CDC has recommended. I’m not an expert in air safety or air quality, but it felt like the right thing to do.
Now, researchers at the University of Cambridge in the UK have looked at whether portable air purifiers help, and their discovery was YES, they do.
“When a team of doctors, scientists and engineers at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the University of Cambridge placed an air filtration machine in COVID-19 wards, they found that it removed almost all traces of airborne SARS-CoV-2.”
You can read more details here. Their cookies policy is a bit confusing. What I did to read it myself was to read on a laptop screen so that I could just scroll without responding to their request for information.
Brain Trainer International
Since I first learned neurofeedback, I have been purchasing most of my equipment from a company called Brain Trainer International. Its founder, Peter Van Deusen, has studied with, ruffled the feathers of, and surpassed some of the most brilliant names in the business. In my opinion, he is out in front of most other approaches to neurofeedback due to his emphasis on working to optimize brain functioning instead of trying to create a “normal” brain.
Pete is an interesting guy, and he is worth listening to if you have any interest in learning how to do neurofeedback yourself or simply want to understand more about what practitioners who adopt his approach do.
He recently appeared on a neurofeedback and neuroscience-related podcast called Neuronoodle. You can listen to Pete on their website here. You can also listen on YouTube.