I find myself giggling when I get done using the mind machine.
It doesn't seem right I should be able to dump all that garbage so easily.
It seems like I'm cheating the game.....BOOYAHAHAHA!!!
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I find myself giggling when I get done using the mind machine.
It doesn't seem right I should be able to dump all that garbage so easily.
It seems like I'm cheating the game.....BOOYAHAHAHA!!!
Come on, man, you must be doing something wrong - personal development is meant to be all hard work and suffering!!!!!
No, seriously, that's so good to hear. I get such pleasure out of seeing people try the Procyon or whatever and just see the look on their faces change as they realise something is really happening.
Keep up the good work!!!
Cheers,
Craig
What session are you using? I think the giggles should be passed around! :banana:
What you are experiencing is an Alpha high. Nice eh and you didn't even have to do drugs.
M.
Marisa....sorry this took so long. Your question threw me off because I gave my Proteus to my sister and I was using another unit so a session number was not appropriate. A Procyon came in the mail yesterday so I'm back on track. I'll respond in general. The mind machines make me feel like the cat who ate the canary. I've been trying to get out of this crap in my brain since I can remember. First drugs then AA then Therapy then Church then Eastern Philosopy presented by modern day gurus. To listen to changing sounds and flashing lights for 20min. and have all concerns eliminated is overwhelmingly absurd. That being said, I'll take it anyway I can get it.
So what was the L&S machine that made you giggle? It does not sound like your Proteus did this since you gave it to your sister. I hope your new Procyon really cracks you up, I really like mine!Quote:
Originally Posted by jloom
Best cheers,
TomC
Well, the other things that you have done were also useful in educating yourself about how your brain works and how to be more in control of your behavior. While those things may not have provided the relief you needed (surprised the drugs didn't if they were antidepressants) they are tools that you can use to help maintain the bio-balance they AVS machine was able to give you.Quote:
Originally Posted by jloom
This is probably more information that you need ... or want but I thought that maybe I'd elaborate on my thoughts of this subject in case you or someone else wanted more information.
Sidebar: I say this about the antidepressants because it appears that you had an imbalance or deficiency in brain-chemicals such as serotonin. Then again, perhaps the serotonin was okay but there were some other brain chemicals that were off that the meds didn't target and the AVS raising your Alpha waves did.
Achieving happiness and well being reminds me of an aquarium. When you first start up an aquarium, it takes a lot of effort because the biology isn't established or stable. Once you can stabilize the biology of the tank, maintenance is easy providing you do things in moderation (concerning cleaning the tank, feeding the fish etc.). Every now and then something throws the biology off and all hell breaks loose. If you don't act fast and get things under control, you'll have casualties. The trick is quick detection of a problem brewing and knowing what to do to counter the problem before it becomes a bigger issue.
So, getting one's biochemistry stable is essential to mental/emotional health. Once it's stable, having the knowledge to recognize when there is a problem and knowing what to do about it, gives one the best chance to return to the balanced (peaceful, happy) state quickest.
If there are things in a persons life that are dysfunctional, then physical remedies (meds, AVS, etc.) alone will not work. They may work temporarily in that the person's bio-state is good - but because the dysfunction is still there, the balanced state will not be able to be maintained. In order to maintain the balanced state, you need to have the knowledge of what to do and the tools to fix the problem.
Okay ... I'm done my rant ... off my soap box. :icon_wink:
M.
Nice reply, Marisa.
On the subject of antidepressants, entrainment has allowed me to cut right back on medication - to almost sub-therapeutic levels, in fact - but I found two different SSRIs (Prozac and Celexa) all but useless on their own. With entrainment I was able to get myself in a 'good enough' state.
By chance I was prescribed an ultra-low dose of Doxepin, which is an old tricyclic antidepressant, for an as yet unexplained face pain/headache, and not only have I been pain free for over five months (it was a several times a week thing), my base mood on the Prozac/Doxepin combo has been just superb.
I spent a long time being medicated for a misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder, and I think the meds fried a few of my seratonin receptors, so I suspect I'll be stuck with low dose SSRIs permanently now. Not that I mind - no side effects at low doses and it's great to feel good.
One of the nicest things about having my base mood stable is that I can really enjoy the benefits of entrainment to the maximum. The slightest dip in mood or increase in anxiety is swiftly and effectively dealt with, without having to make yet another trip to the M.D.
My doctor is astonished at the changes in me - actually, he's astonished at how little he sees of me these days - once every three months for repeat prescriptions, instead of once every three or four weeks to complain about meds not working or how much I hated the side effects.
My family is the real winner in all this - I'm now the quiet, calm voice of reason in the midst of the dramas of life.
Cheers,
Craig
Hi Craig,
Has anyone ever put together this play on words concerning your last name? ----> "en-tice" :icon_wink:
Thanks. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by CraigT
That's excellent news! How often do you do a entrainment session?Quote:
On the subject of antidepressants, entrainment has allowed me to cut right back on medication - to almost sub-therapeutic levels, in fact - but I found two different SSRIs (Prozac and Celexa) all but useless on their own. With entrainment I was able to get myself in a 'good enough' state.
What programs are you using?
I take a low dose of Amitriptyline and that really helps with my major FM pain. I am never totally pain free but it's at a tolerable level. I also take Zoloft which keep me normal. I think I was born with a deficiency in serotonin which may have contributed to the onset of FM at such an early age. The AVS is great and I'm all for the drugs as well. :banana:Quote:
By chance I was prescribed an ultra-low dose of Doxepin, which is an old tricyclic antidepressant, for an as yet unexplained face pain/headache, and not only have I been pain free for over five months (it was a several times a week thing), my base mood on the Prozac/Doxepin combo has been just superb.
You may have been born with a deficiency in serotonin, which doesn't make you bipolar by any means, just deficient in that area. If there was any alcoholism in your family - the deficiency is very likely.Quote:
I spent a long time being medicated for a misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder, and I think the meds fried a few of my seratonin receptors, so I suspect I'll be stuck with low dose SSRIs permanently now. Not that I mind - no side effects at low doses and it's great to feel good.
And just to feel good - able to deal with life's problems as they crop up instead of having to fight an uphill battle with brain chemistry as well as trying to solve problems.Quote:
One of the nicest things about having my base mood stable is that I can really enjoy the benefits of entrainment to the maximum. The slightest dip in mood or increase in anxiety is swiftly and effectively dealt with, without having to make yet another trip to the M.D.
I think this sort of thing is very inspirational to others, especially others who are struggling with stress or anything else that leaves them feeling less than okay. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.Quote:
My doctor is astonished at the changes in me - actually, he's astonished at how little he sees of me these days - once every three months for repeat prescriptions, instead of once every three or four weeks to complain about meds not working or how much I hated the side effects.
My family is the real winner in all this - I'm now the quiet, calm voice of reason in the midst of the dramas of life.
Thanks for writing this Craig
M.
Marisa,
My name, yes, it works well with quite a few prefixes. Unfortunately the one that scarred me from early childhood, that I encountered every where I went, was NO-TICE. It's taken a great deal of therapy to fully convince me that this was not a personal admonition :(
I am exposed to entrainment for 4+ hours every day. I say 'exposed to' because usually less than an hour of that is fully connected to sounds and lights and settled down for a committed session. The rest is audio-only through speakers while I am engaged in other activities.
While I was dealing with depression I used a wide variety of beta/SMR. Once depression was under control, anxiety was the next target and a lot of alpha has dealt with that, and continues to do so if the anxiety levels creep up. I now have difficulty with beta sessions, as they tend to induce the 'stomach sensations' that I associate with anxiety, so I only ever use them early in the day when a 'wake-up' is called for. I still use a bit of SMR to keep my sleep pattern in order.
Aside from that I use creative visualisation type sessions, sleep induction sessions, and all sorts of experimental altered states stuff. As a former psychonaut with a strong predilection to hallucenogenics, I've been thrilled to find that I can go with entrainment to most places that I thought were accessible only with chemicals.
Good to hear your getting good results with amitryptiline, that was going to be the next choice if the doxepin didn't work - same tricyclic class, just amitryptiline has more effect on norepinephrine than doxepin does. It's quite remarkable how these classic antidepressants have been found to have such a profound effect on neuralgic pain circuits.
Unfortunately I no longer have any way of working out whether I am naturally deficient in seratonin - I used medication before I put any serious work into resolving depression by other means. I firmly believe that if I had done earlier what I have done over the last couple of years, I could have completely avoided the whole psych-med experience.
Yes, feeling good about yourself and the world in general, without having to resort to denial of the facts about both, opens up a very wonderful future.
Cheers,
Craig
:laughing4: Good one! LOLQuote:
Originally Posted by CraigT
I'm not surprised with the results you got from Beta (producing anxiety) but I am surprised that SMR helped you sleep.Quote:
While I was dealing with depression I used a wide variety of beta/SMR. Once depression was under control, anxiety was the next target and a lot of alpha has dealt with that, and continues to do so if the anxiety levels creep up. I now have difficulty with beta sessions, as they tend to induce the 'stomach sensations' that I associate with anxiety, so I only ever use them early in the day when a 'wake-up' is called for. I still use a bit of SMR to keep my sleep pattern in order.
M. :happy8:
I learned about the SMR trick from Neuroprogrammer.
SMR is associated with a whole lot of autonomic functions, including the phenomenon of 'sleep paralysis', which allows you to keep still and ignore sensations whilst sleeping.
SMR sessions well ahead of bedtime improve your body's ability to sleep soundly, and thus are used to treat insomnia. There are lots of other benefits to regular use of SMR, such as better co-ordination and balance.
This is not to be confused with sleep induction, which use theta/delta to get you to sleep, or sleep cycle sessions that keep you asleep.
I've used SMR on a number of people who had been having trouble sleeping through the night with excellent results.
Cheers,
Craig
Hi Craig,
I've never seen any information that supports this. Normally SMR is associated with a quiet body and focused mind but a quiet body. Is it possible that your source has confused "quiet body" with "sleep paralysis"?Quote:
Originally Posted by CraigT
Quote:
SMR sessions well ahead of bedtime improve your body's ability to sleep soundly, and thus are used to treat insomnia. There are lots of other benefits to regular use of SMR, such as better co-ordination and balance.
This is not to be confused with sleep induction, which use theta/delta to get you to sleep, or sleep cycle sessions that keep you asleep.
I've used SMR on a number of people who had been having trouble sleeping through the night with excellent results.
So when during the day or night would you be giving the person the SMR session and how do you know that this is what has caused them to sleep better?
M.
Hi Marisa,
Again, I refer to the Insomnia Help sessions from Transparent, which use SMR, contrasted with their Sleep Induction sessions which use theta/delta.
I haven't seen 'sleep paralysis' fully defined, but it is used quite liberally to embrace the whole state of inactivity during deep sleep.
The SMR sessions are used in the evening, well before sleep is attempted, and may be followed by sleep induction.
Cheers,
Craig
It sounds to me like that program, perhaps, is trying to mimic the natural sleep cycles which do transition into SMR for a few minutes in Stage 2 sleep and REM.Quote:
Originally Posted by CraigT
Not to be anal about terminology but .... "sleep paralysis" is actually a pathological condition where one wakes up and can't move. Not that I knew this before I started digging around for more info today - but why not pass on what you learn. :DQuote:
I haven't seen 'sleep paralysis' fully defined, but it is used quite liberally to embrace the whole state of inactivity during deep sleep.
Anyway, it appears the proper term is: REM Atonia.
Here's what I found on the subject:
Physiologically, certain neurons in the brain stem, known as REM sleep-on cells, (located in the pontine tegmentum), are particularly active during REM sleep, and are probably responsible for its occurrence. The release of certain neurotransmitters, the monoamines (norepinephrine, serotonin and histamine), is completely shut down during REM. This causes REM atonia, a state in which the motor neurons are not stimulated and thus the body's muscles don't move.
So ... given that when we are in REM sleep, the corresponding brain waves are in the SMR region - there is a correlation between REM Atonia and SMR - however, correlation does not always equal causation. After all, a person's brain waves can be in an SMR state and not have Atonia occur. It may, however, be a necessary ingredient in the formula for this to happen.
M.