Author Archives: Tamera

The Floggings will Continue Until Morale Improves

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

 

 

 

Nutrition and Brain Health

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Sometimes, I wish I had nutritionist credentials, because, quite honestly, most people who come to me for neurofeedback or hypnosis could benefit from significant shifts to their dietary habits. It comes as a surprise to them when I mention that food affects mood and behavior, and that teaching themselves about what changes might help shift their problems (sleep, anxiety, anger, inability to calm oneself, etc.) would accelerate their brain-related work with me.

When someone has already committed to doing at least twice weekly, hour-long brain training in my office or the same number of hours once a week doing hypnosis, it is a tall order to get them to take additional time out of their busy schedules to make an appointment with a nutritionist. I get that.

At the same time, the people who end up with the best results from working with me are generally the people who are eating real food, focusing on good sleep, and moving their bodies regularly.  The foundation of all that is food, because food impacts one’s ability to sleep properly and to have the oomph to exercise or play a sport.

It’s outside my scope to dispense nutritional advice, but in an attempt to reach folks about the importance of fueling their bodies properly, I occasionally recommend books on food and nutrition that are worth taking the time to read. The title I’d like to recommend today is called Eat Smarter—Use the Power of Food to Reboot Your Metabolism, Upgrade Your Brain, and Transform Your Life, by nutrition expert Shawn Stevenson.  Stevenson is smart, and the level of detail he’s thrown into this book is mind-boggling. However, he has a terrific sense of humor and a way of approaching solid science that makes it approachable and easy to understand. It’s an easy read.

In fact, it’s so well-written that I find myself taking in information he presents much more easily than one would expect on this subject. For example, just before writing this, I texted a friend a detail I found fascinating while reading the book: Stevenson cited an Oxford University study showing that prison inmates who were provided with nutritional supplements for four months showed a 35 percent decrease in disciplinary infractions and a 34 percent decrease in violent incidents. He quoted one of the lead researchers as saying that a bad diet is a better predictor of future violent behavior than is a past history of violence. Wow. If dietary support can do that, imagine what else it can do! And, if a book contains information that you pass on like treasured trivia to a friend, you know it’s worth your time.

There is so much information in his book that could change your life if only you were to pick one or two things and try them.  But, if reading isn’t your thing, Stevenson has a podcast called The Model Health Show that addresses many of the subjects in his book.  His on-air personality is strong, so it may not be for everyone, but I have become an avid listener.

 

 

 

Shrinking and Enlarging Brains

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I knew that trauma and pregnancy change the size of the brain, but it turns out, changing seasons also affect the volume of certain structures of the brain. Several sub-cortical structures grow larger in the winter and smaller in the summer. Other structures, such as the cerebellum, are larger in the summer and smaller in the winter.

Researchers are slowly working toward understanding these seasonal shifts in both humans and animals, but the reasons behind these volume shifts remain a mystery. Discover Magazine published a story about this topic and recent discoveries, which is a short and interesting read. You can find the article here and one of the studies on which the story is based, conducted at the Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center in Connecticut, here.

Program Announcement: Adaptive Resilience

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My friend Martha Brettschneider offers amazing courses in meditation, self awareness, and well-being. Her students come from around the country, and her seminars have most recently been well-received at the World Bank. If you are looking for ways to help you feel more adaptable and resilient to our ongoing stressful times, I encourage you to check out her current offering.  You can learn more about it below.

Disclaimer:  I have no financial or business relationship with Martha, meaning that I do not profit if you register for the course. I’m sharing because spreading the word about her is potentially beneficial to you.

 

As we move through fall and towards the holiday season with the pandemic still woven into our daily experience, we could all use a booster shot of resilience. Am I right?

That’s why I’m so excited to share with you that I have added a new program to my offerings next month: Search Inside Yourself’s Adaptive Resilience Series.

Why This Program?

Some of the latest neuroscience and behavioral research suggests that resilience – the ability to recover from adversity, adapt and thrive – can be systematically developed as a set of skills, especially in challenging times.
 
This virtual program will enable participants to build the useful behaviors, mental habits and micro-practices that promote personal resilience and also grow a culture of resilience in our relationships and social groups, whether that’s at home, at work, or in our communities.
 
Module 1: Developing Clarity (Monday, November 8, 7-8:30 pm ET)
Managing stress and overwhelm, and staying focused in difficult and uncertain times.
 
Module 2: Shifting Mindsets (Monday, November 15, 7-8:30 pm ET)
Mindsets and skills for adaptability and creativity in the midst of uncertainty and complexity.
 
Module 3: Influencing Change / Building Trust (Monday, November 22, 7-8:30 ET)
Creating a change-capable culture by growing empathy and psychological safety.
 
In each of the modules, emphasis will be placed on concrete and practical skills and tools that participants can implement immediately to boost resilience at home, at work, and out in the wider world.

What does it cost?

One of the great benefits of being a Certified SIY Teacher is that I have flexibility to offer discounts to my clients. This invite-only program (yes, this is YOUR invitation) is priced at $115, a significant discount from SIY’s public program price.

GO HERE to register. If you have questions, contact Martha Brettschneider directly at Martha@Damselwings.com.

Serotonin and the Gut

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An article in Neuroscience News explores the brain-gut connection when it comes to mental health. They remind readers that 95% of all serotonin is produced in the gut, not the brain, and point out that researchers at Duke University are looking for ways to treat depression and anxiety by targeting serotonin molecules in the gut instead of the brain. Studies are ongoing in mice, and it is known that there is a sweet spot for the amount of serotonin—too much serotonin in the body can cause heart problems.  You may find the Neuroscience News article here.

Anger Alchemy, Four-Week Course

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David Bedrick is a sensitive soul, exceptionally talented therapist, wise person, and all around nice guy.  In my email inbox today, I received an invitation from him to attend a four-week seminar he is offering in September called Anger Alchemy.

If you are on any kind of a healing journey, I encourage you to take a look at what David has to offer, not only in this particular seminar, but in general.  Here is a link to the Anger Alchemy class: https://santafeinstitute.davidbedrick.com/courses/anger-alchemy

Each week has a slightly different focus:  shame and repressed anger, inner criticism, angry words, and working with anger in the world. These topics are practically universal, I think.

If you are a client or former client of mine and opt to attend the seminars, please let me know what you think. I cannot participate due to my work schedule, but if I could, I would.

(Please note that I am not financially connected to David Bedrick in any way, nor did he ask me to post this. I simply think his gifts are worth broadcasting.)