Re: Passive meditation and amygdalae
Let me now address your Procyon questions as that is more in my area of expertise.
An AVS machine can be utilized in differing ways according to goal of the user.
At one level it is a totally automatic system, that is, press play and go. How does this session make me feel? How about this one? and so on... I don't mean that it is haphazard as there is serious design intent behind each session, but each person brings a mindset and series of mental associations to the table, so there will always be preferences.
Frankly, people are also somewhat pre-programmed by the session description. We don't just pull these descriptions out of the air but it is the nature of how we process information and our presumptions. The Kasina, our newer system, takes away a bit of this with more abstract descriptions, which don't 'tip the hand' so to speak. People like simple 'it will do this' descriptions I know, but anyway that was a conscious and considered decision to let some things stand alone.
Our brains are always measuring, comparing and calculating. Most of this occurs at a deep subconscious level. Even when lying down, we are calculating our position in space, the pressure on body regions, cues from the environment.. etc. AVS is automatic in this sense too. It presents a stimulus that has a regulated pattern and the brain calculates and tracks this. In the same manner it does the tracking on a mainly subconscious level. However, you are also presented visual and audio cues which represent the stimuli (actually they are the stimuli) So you can also engage higher level thought processes and participate. Or not. Whichever.
Let's take a simple example. A song is playing. It colors your environment. You may not even be paying attention, but you notice that you are tapping your foot to the beat. This is entrainment. It is common knowledge that most slow songs are sad,meditative, relaxing.. etc. Most fast songs are stimulating, exciting, motivating... etc. Brainwave rhythms are quite fast compared to music, but the analogy still stands. Again in this instance you are not actually doing anything. The natural inclination and inherent understanding of what to do is already built in.
So, that is correct, you don't have to do anything. Taking time for yourself, relaxing, being introspective, slowing time.. etc. All very beneficial things, even if you took away all the ordered patterns that an AVS machine produces.
More in a bit.
Last edited by neuroasis; 07-21-2014 at 01:53 PM.
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