New user - any tips?

Hello everybody,

after some online research I ordered the Kasina. It will be my first mind machine and I can't wait to get my hands on it. From what I have read it is more than an entertaining audio visual experience, and frankly I have a lot of expectations. I am willing to experiment, research and insist to get the results I want, and I have read that it works differently for each individual. However, I would like to ask you guys for some tips on which programs might be suitable for me and my partner.

My story: When I was young I used to write stories, daydream, have lots of imagination, inspiration and creativitiy. Adulthood and school killed all of it and I want it all back. I kind of need a brain refreshment, if not a reboot.

My partner's story: Let us just say when he was young he was very wild and fell into the cauldron with the magic potion, if you are aware of Asterix' story. Now his mind keeps spinning and spinning, mostly with negative thoughts and worries, and it takes him hours to fall asleep, which leaves him very tired during the day.

I am really hoping the Kasina can help both of us, but because I am a newbie I am not sure which are the right programms - herz - brainwaves - all this theory about alpha, beta etc is kind of hard to digest. All I have understood is that whatever we do we should stick to it and not expect it to work right away.

Any tips?

Thank you so much in advance, I am excited to have found this community.

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Originally Posted by raziela

My story: When I was young I used to write stories, daydream, have lots of imagination, inspiration and creativitiy. Adulthood and school killed all of it and I want it all back. I kind of need a brain refreshment, if not a reboot.

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As a child our minds tended to have a lot of alpha and theta activity. This enabled us to absorb a huge amount of information and form what we are as an adult. As we advance into higher education and work, more focus and executive function is called upon where beta brainwaves dominate. Our brain shifts into a predominate beta state, at least while awake.

Using AVS to guide your brainwave patterns down to alpha can bring back that daydreamy creative state of mind. It is good for recall and stress relief, which will bring your blood pressure down. 10- 9 Hz seems to be the most significant range for this purpose.

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My partner's story: Let us just say when he was young he was very wild and fell into the cauldron with the magic potion, if you are aware of Asterix' story. Now his mind keeps spinning and spinning, mostly with negative thoughts and worries, and it takes him hours to fall asleep, which leaves him very tired during the day.

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When the mind over analyzes, it cranks up the beta waves over 20 Hz causing anxiety. The mind does not differentiate what is a real threat, and what is imagined. Thoughts of things you cannot control such as the future can trigger the parasympathetic (flight, fight, or freeze) reaction flooding the system with adrenalin and cortisol, drawing blood away from the organs and into the muscles. The heartbeat quickens and blood pressure goes up. This is great if you are staring at a grizzly bear bent on having you for dinner, but if you are sitting in an office thinking about what your boss thinks of you, it wrecks havoc on the system.

Slowing those racing brainwaves down activates the sympathetic system which is the chill out and digest your food mode. Because his brainwaves are probably revved up, a longer session may be needed to do so. Ramping from high beta and resting at low beta 12-15 Hz (SMR) for 5 min or so before going down to alpha would be a good place to start.

Using SMR sessions will have a balancing effect, helping to handle stress better and aiding sleep. Unlike alpha sessions which the benefits can be had relatively quickly, SMR training requires some time before new neural pathways develop. Give it at least 3 weeks before making any judgments.

Use calming colors such as blue (avoid at night because it can disrupt melatonin production) or green. Avoid energizing colors such as red and yellow.

The good news is that AVE is really good for these applications. I have no doubt you will reap rewards with only a little time.

Thank you for taking the time to help me!

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Originally Posted by brewmasher

Using AVS to guide your brainwave patterns down to alpha can bring back that daydreamy creative state of mind. It is good for recall and stress relief, which will bring your blood pressure down. 10- 9 Hz seems to be the most significant range for this purpose.

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Well, I am not stressed at all and my blood pressure is low. I just want to start thinking more and more like when I was a child permanently. Which programms on the Kasina would be rather suitable for me?

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Originally Posted by brewmasher

Ramping from high beta and resting at low beta 12-15 Hz (SMR) for 5 min or so before going down to alpha would be a good place to start.

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What are SRM sessions? Which programms on the Kasina would be rather suitable for him?

Cheers!

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Originally Posted by raziela

Thank you for taking the time to help me!



Well, I am not stressed at all and my blood pressure is low. I just want to start thinking more and more like when I was a child permanently. Which programms on the Kasina would be rather suitable for me?

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Great! That means you should be able to get into an alpha state rather easily. It looks like the Relax and the Relax by Fire sessions are in the alpha range, you can start with those. You can also try the meditation sessions. Those go deeper, which can be good for inspiration and insight.

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What are SRM sessions? Which programms on the Kasina would be rather suitable for him?

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Low beta 12-15 Hz is known as SMR or sensorimotor rhythm, named so because it is mostly found as spindles (spikes of activity) across the sensorimotor cortex of the brain. Increasing SMR can train individuals to handle stress better, help with insomnia, and is good in the treatment of ADD/ADHD. Increasing SMR has a balancing effect and helps addicts stay clean. Well adjusted, happy individuals have high levels of SMR, dysfunctional people have low levels of SMR.

While alpha sessions can reduce anxiety on the spot, the benefits of SMR training happens over time as new neural pathways are developed. Give it at least 3 weeks before making any kind of judgment. It looks like the Focus session uses SMR frequencies. Neuroasis can give you a better idea of which Kasina sessions to use, as he is the composer of most of them.

Thank you so much, I really appreciate your advice and I really, really hope that my guy will find some relief with the Kasina cause nothing else helped so far. Would love some more tips on the specific programms from experienced users and I am excited about the device and this community. Hope it will be an interesting trip both for me and my boyfriend and that we will have something (positive) to report.

Hello Raziela,
Thank you for joining the community and sharing your goals. Before I get too much into specifics let me make some broad statements.

First off, since you and your partner both want to benefit from the Kasina have you considered getting an extra set of Kasina glasses and a splitter cable to share them? A suitable splitter is available here: http://amzn.to/1IAx3gW You may also want an audio splitter like this one for the headphones http://amzn.to/1IeMLRL .

A couple doing mind machine sessions and meditation in general together is an excellent relationship building exercise. It also strengthens 'connectedness'. As you can imagine over time you and your partner will have a deep set of shared 'inner' experiences. This is quite unusual for couples and a source of much discord as their worldview drift apart. You will also learn to match 'vibes' and energy levels... sounds quite metaphysical but I mean literally you will be operating somewhat closer to the same 'wavelength'. Many successful couples either do this to a degree already or their energy compliments and/or expands the other.

Doing this, you will both experience the Kasina together, rather than each experience being isolated. Of course each partner may want alone time as well, and in this case you would have that flexibility.

Now on the benefits of a mind machine to enhance creativity. Machines of this type excel at this. At the basic level, you are stimulating your brain and senses in brand new, novel ways. On the Kasina especially there is a level of artistry added to the sessions with the inclusion of synced elaborate soundtracks and quite beautiful color displays.

As a first time user with your indicated goals, I would suggest that you approach the Kasina experience as you would say an art show or a laser light show, Christmas lights display... things like that. What I mean is that you enter those experiences with a mindset prepared to be dazzled, prepared to be blown away, in psychological terms with 'open focus' or a 'right-brained' viewpoint. With AVS, an analytical approach is inevitable, and useful depending on purpose, however it can be a hindrance if taken too far. The ideal state of mind is to seek that inner world of infinite possibility and limitless beauty which every human possesses by virtue of our imagination. The mind machine experience offers a large palette of suggestive color imagery to build immersive mental creations from. On the Kasina, the sound enhances this.

Give yourself permission to take a vacation from your 'worker's mind'. This time is for you to play, for you to let your imagination run free, anything and everything is possible, all your wishes are weightless... In this space is where your inner child resides.

So, the best advise for initial exposure is to explore. Tune into each new experience without overly evaluating it at first. Don't be too concerned about frequencies or purposes. At the laser light show this is not your primary question. At an art gallery, you might admire the methods but a bulk of the joy is found in your personal interpretation of the works.

For your partner, I would suggest similar (and as mentioned you both can explore these spaces together). In his case, the AVS experience might at some point exacerbate worries and memories. This is a natural process of the brain stimulation. These ideas might lie close to the surface, and there may be many layers deeper down. But meditation, and assisted meditation with mind machines, offer a controllable, safe environment, to work through, that is fish for, capture and release, these uncomfortable aspects of one's inner life.

Once again, in that case, the carefree inner child holds the keys.

I don't want to make this over-long so please once you get your Kasina, try a few sessions and share your experiences. At that time more specific suggestions are possible.

Thanks for communicating with us. I wish you many happy journeys.
Scott

Hello Scott, nice to e-meet you. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts. Actually I did consider buying a second pair of glasses, I wrote to mindplace sales about that. I and my partner love to spend time and do stuff together so the thought of experiencing a mutual trip is really intriguing. However, because we have different goals that we wish the Kasina could help us with, I thought I should ask about individual programs to stick with and "train" his restless and my cynical mind, instead of trying all of them just for fun without a real purpose. But I do see your point, if you start the journey expecting something to happen, you close your mind to the possibilities.

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Originally Posted by raziela

But I do see your point, if you start the journey expecting something to happen, you close your mind to the possibilities.

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Yes, that is it exactly. Especially as far as something like the visions that many people report experiencing (including myself) or a program to 'cure' or 'cause' this or that... there are many variables in play. A person new to the experience should expect to spend at least a few weeks getting acquainted. Once you have your footing and the novelty settles then more structure can be beneficial. Compare it to moving to a new neighborhood, where at first you identify a few key spots then you drive around getting acquainted with the surroundings, and then finally you establish some patterns. Remember, meditation is the opposite of instant gratification. With assisted meditation you will definitely have an initial reaction (whatever that may be) but the greatest benefits come from extended practice.

One of the only exceptions to that is a sleep program, where you do hope that you will have results in a reasonable time frame, and then the idea is to taper off the program and let sleep onset come naturally, then use the program as maintenance when necessary.

On that note, your partner would probably benefit most for the Night Voyage sessions. I would recommend the combination of Soliton and Submerge. You can play these two session back to back by selecting Soliton in the Kasina browser (SpectraStrobe folder, Night Voyage) and pressing the control pad to the right to begin playing the session. This enters playlist mode and the following sessions will play as well. In this case, the following session is Submerge.

Night Voyage has slow, deliberate sleep programs. I also think that most people will want to sample the Mind Art programs, just to get a feel for the wide ranging Kasina output. So, for you Patternity and then selections from the Meditate folder would be good, like Forest and River or Everglade.

Your partner (and you) may also benefit from an interactive session like Biomarkers in the Rejuvenate folder. It is a breath pacing program and recommended for most any practice. Other sessions in that folder are good starting alpha/low beta joy programs.

Thank you, this is very valuable input. We will try and report in a few weeks! :-)

Great info ! SMR region here I come. Looking forward to some experiments with this.

I have been using the Kasina quite a while now with variable results. I have the feeling there is a lot of potential, but it is an insturment you have to learn to use, similar like learning a new craft or acquiring a new skill. I have been visiting the forum regularly too, and my impression is that users that are hooked immediately by the device either have experience in AVS, meditation, or both. Of course this is just my opinion. Anyway, lately I took an interest in emptying my mind completely and giving it so to say a break, instead of expecting it to come with creative ideas just by daydreaming, and I am trying to stop my thought carousel whenever I catch myself thinking anything irrelevant to the present moment. I am doing that on my forest walks and while using the Kasina. I think the Kasina can't stop my mind on its own, at the moment it feels that some effort is required from my side too. However, sessions have different purproses and some are made to help you ponder. Which would be the best to help you stop your thought stream and do you have any other tips on how to achieve that goal?

This is a very personal journey for which there are no sure answers which work for all people.

It is a very good start to learn what having your thoughts stopped in their tracks actually feels like. I suggest you play this online game: http://www.stutterbox.co.uk/ Play with the settings to find the best delay setting that makes it impossible (nearly so) to continue to speak.

Once you know this is possible then you can slowly work to develop an 'observer' or 'gatekeeper' consciousness that operates in parallel to your own inner voice. This consciousness is like a crossing guard gently directing traffic to achieve the best flow. Mantras help, much as the cross guard uses hand signals to initiate action.

In the context of AVS there is a flow within the 'spaces' between flashes. When your consciousness becomes aligned with the pulses then they can be all consuming, each moment full of sufficient information to fully engage all processing. That is the meaning of being in the 'now'. When you become so deeply interested and fascinated with your current experience that there is no room for anything else.

A very good topic of conversation and a worthy pursuit. Thanks for reading.

Scott

I like the idea of sharing the avs experience - but wondering why you reference two different splitter cables in your post. Do they have different fuctionality, or will any audio splitter cable work for the glasses?

Hi Mike,
You need a splitter cable that passes all of the connections straight through. It has to be a TRRS splitter (tip, ring, ring, sleeve). Many TRRS splitters are designed for phones that rewire the connector for a headphone and mic. You don't want one of these. You want a splitter like this one: http://amzn.to/1URhEDW This one is verified to work. TRRS splitters used to be a rare item and we had trouble finding them. Now they are rather common but be careful what you choose. You should be able to locate one in your country.

The splitter I recommend above is a dual splitter for 2 users. There is also the possibility of a 3 user splitter. Do keep in mind that each split puts a load on the glasses and pulls down the overall brightness for each. A dual splitter setup is not very noticeable, a 3 user split is noticeable. For the DV glasses a dual splitter is preferred.

Hope this helps,
Scott

Thank you Scott - it is indeed tricky to find a 4-pole 3.5mm splitter but I think I finally got lucky - http://www.amazon.de/Speedlink-Kopfh...ilpage_o00_s00

It didn't keep me from trying a 3-pole audio splitter of course ;-)
Works as such - except that there was no blue light at all - is that what the fourth pole is transmitting? I was wondering whether this couldn't be used intentionally if one wanted to do a SS session but avoid the blue light, e.g. before going to bed.

Best regards
Michael

I'd have to check the wiring again but each conductor sends signals for both left and right. I don't remember them as being the same color but maybe. The polarity of the 2 signals is reversed so depending on the connector it could create problems if the common ground signal is filtered on one of the sides. The best way to check is to use a KBS session with ColorPreset1 - RGB. Then you could see exactly what is filtered.