Using a Light & Sound Mind Machine to Access Visions

I was using the Voyager Galaxy with a client who reported suffering from depression. I was adjusting the frequency of the lights when the client suddenly yelled out to me to stop at a certain frequency. The client was “seeing” recognizable imagery! What’s more, when I placed the glasses on myself, I saw clear recognizable imagery, too! All I could figure was that the frequency matched some physical brain structure that opened imagery to me (and my client).

visionsWhat I saw was clear and distinct as though I was looking out the window at an actual scene. The colors were as clear as broad daylight. What’s more, the scene changed in a logical order; that is, it proceeded like I was watching a movie. My client, too, saw a moving imagery that was spontaneous. I suspect that the frequency triggered spontaneous imagery related to deeper issues that were metaphorically represented.

Since then, I’ve experimented with the Galaxy on a number of clients and several have reported spontaneous imagery at frequencies of 12.3 to 12.8 hz. More imagery was reported at 12.7 hz unison (both lights flashing in unison) than at other frequencies in that range. In one instance, a person reported imagery that evoked strong emotion that we could work with using RET. Most other clients merely received insight or, in some cases, “gee whiz” information. As a hypnotherapist versed in metaphor, I could use their “gee whiz” imagery to draw useful information for the client’s sessions.

Not everyone who tries this process sees visions. Of the 25 clients with whom I’ve done this, 14 saw visions, 2 saw “something interesting”, and the rest saw lights flashing or unrecognizable patterns.

Clench for Willpower Boost

Tempted? Clench your lip muscles shut!

Tempted? Clench your lip muscles shut!

A study reported in the Journal of Consumer Research says firming muscles can shore up self-control. Of course, it only works if the choice you are faced with is in alignment with your goals and the muscle clenching is done at the moment of highest self-control dilemma. For example, when faced with the choice to snag a high fat snack when your goal is to lose weight is the perfect time to clench your muscles – adding will-power to your self-control dilemma.

Apparently it doesn’t matter which muscles you clench – what matters is the timing. You must clench DURING a crisis of will-power – like when you’re staring that cigarette in the face! It doesn’t help – in fact it works to your detriment – to clench muscles before the temptation.

So, next time you feel the urge to break your diet, clench your lip muscles shut instead!

Study source: Iris W. Hung and Aparna A. Labroo. “From Firm Muscles to Firm Willpower: Understanding the Role of Embodied Cognition in Self-Regulation.” Journal of Consumer Research.

Path to true happiness ‘revealed’

From BBC NEWS 11-15-05
Path to true happiness ‘revealed’
Experts believe they have found the essential ingredients to make a person’s life happier.

The 10 steps to happiness

  • Plant something and nurture it
  • Count your blessings – at least five – at the end of each day
  • Take time to talk – have an hour-long conversation with a loved one each week
  • Phone a friend whom you have not spoken to for a while and arrange to meet up
  • Give yourself a treat every day and take the time to really enjoy it
  • Have a good laugh at least once a day
  • Get physical – exercise for half an hour three times a week
  • Smile at and/or say hello to a stranger at least once each day
  • Cut your TV viewing by half
  • Spread some kindness – do a good turn for someone every day

Read the entire story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/health/4436482.stm

Mind Machine Madness

A light and sound mind machine can be WAY fun!

A light and sound mind machine can be WAY fun!

Have you ever tried a mind machine? You know, those cool hand-held computers that present you with flashing lights and brain wave tones? Basically, you put on headsets and special glasses that have LEDs in them, close your eyes, hit the start button and WOW! Yeah – those are the mind machines I’m talking about.

I own several models – Voyager Mind’s Eye (used to be Voyager XL), Voyager Galaxy, Proteus, and Sirius (Used to be Orion). My favorite is the Voyager Mind’s Eye. Here is my personal evaluation of each:
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Simple Lifestyle Changes May Improve Cognitive Function And Brain Efficiency

A UCLA research study published in the June issue of the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry found that people may be able to improve their cognitive function and brain efficiency by making simple lifestyle changes such as incorporating memory exercises, healthy eating, physical fitness and stress reduction into their daily lives.

“We’ve known for several years that diet and exercise can help people maintain their physical health and live longer, but maintaining mental health is just as important,” said lead investigator, Dr. Gary Small, professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. “The UCLA study is the first to show the impact of memory exercises and stress reduction used together with a healthy diet and physical exercise to improve brain and cognitive function.”

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Time for a Good Nap?

napping.jpgHere’s a great exercise for self improvement! According to new research by Prof. Avi Karni and Dr. Maria Korman of the Center for Brain and Behavior Research at the University of Haifah, a ninety minute daytime nap helps speed up the process of long term memory consolidation. Now that is a self-help regimen I can get on board with!

“We still don’t know the exact mechanism of the memory process that occurs during sleep, but the results of this research suggest the possibility that it is possible to speed up memory consolidation, and in the future, we may be able to do it artificially,” said Prof. Karni.

Now that’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout! Artificial sleep! (What? Like hypnosis or Rapid Eye Technology?!!)

In the study, the group that slept in the afternoon showed a distinct improvement in their task performance by that evening, as opposed to the group that stayed awake, which did not exhibit any improvement. Following an entire night’s sleep, both groups exhibited the same skill level. “This part of the research showed that a daytime nap speeds up performance improvement in the brain. After a night’s sleep the two groups were at the same level, but the group that slept in the afternoon improved much faster than the group that stayed awake,” stressed Prof. Karni.

A second experiment showed that another aspect of memory consolidation is accelerated by sleep. It was previously shown that during the 6-8 hours after completing an effective practice session, the neural process of “how” memory consolidation is susceptible to interference, such that if, for example, one learns or performs a second, different task, one’s brain will not be able to successfully remember the first trained task. However, when a group of participants was allowed a 90 minute nap between learning the first set of movements and the second, they did not show much improvement in the evening, but on the following morning these participants showed a marked improvement of their performance, as if there had been no interference at all.

“This part of the study demonstrated, for the first time, that daytime sleep can shorten the time “how to” memory becomes immune to interference and forgetting. Instead of 6-8 hours, the brain consolidated the memory during the 90 minute nap,” explains Prof. The elucidation of the actual mechanisms involved, say the researchers, could enable the development of methods to accelerate memory consolidation in adults and to create stable memories in a short time.

Until then, if you need to memorize something quickly or if your schedule is filled with different activities that require learning “how” to do things, it may be worthwhile to find the time for an afternoon nap. Or you could learn self-hypnosis or Rapid Eye Technology (RET)

How Well Is It Working for You?

“How well is that working for you?”

Dr. Phil McGraw’s famous saying is the essence of Neuro-linguistics. Basically, the question assumes certain important things:

  • That what you are doing IS working…
  • That you have the ability to judge how well it is working…
  • That you can make a change…
  • That you are getting something of value from what you are doing now…

The answer to the question is the key to making a change.

Perhaps you don’t know why your life is not working. Maybe you think your problems are the result of someone else’s actions/fault. Maybe you are confused or angry or sad or afraid…

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Quelling the Common Cold?

My retort is, "Why not cure the common cold?" - or at least speed its healing and recovery time.

My retort is, “Why not cure the common cold?” – or at least speed its healing and recovery time.

Novel approaches to an old problem

Maybe you’ve heard the saying, “It will do everything but cure the common cold.” I’ve even had people tell me this about Rapid Eye Technology (RET). My retort is, “Why not cure the common cold?” – or at least speed its healing and recovery time. The law says I can’t claim that any process can cure any ailment. And there are no studies that conclusively demonstrate such. Still, when I feel a cold coming on, I know just what to do about it – and it works almost every time – a claim I’ve proven to myself on more than a few occasions!

It’s a bit expensive going to do a regular RET session every time you feel a cold coming on so I explored a number of alternative options you can do for yourself at home (or wherever you find yourself). I have two self-administered programs and one you can do with a RET technician – or a RET technician can do with a person suffering from cold symptoms – including symptoms of allergies, hay fever, and asthma. Try one or more of these ideas yourself – maybe one will work for you, too.

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Get an Attitude

Look into the mirror and say, "Oh, wow! You are so amazing!"

Look into the mirror and say, “Oh, wow! You are so amazing!”

Everybody deserves to have at least one person in their life who is totally, completely, wonderfully in love with them. Someone who realizes how magnificently awesome they are…. Someone who understands their unique beauty and one-of-a-kind personality….Yes, someone whose heart thrills at the sight of them and whose eyes light up and say “OH. WOW! YOU ARE SO AMAZING!”

I call it, understandably, the “OH WOW attitude.” Babies need to have this attitude expressed to them many, many times in order for them to pick up the message that they are wonderful, worthwhile human beings. With repetition, they will begin to make it a part of themselves.

How does this apply to me as an adult?

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Google May Slow Brain Aging

"Older people with minimal experience, performing Internet searches for even a relatively short period of time can change brain activity patterns and enhance function."

“Older people with minimal experience, performing Internet searches for even a relatively short period of time can change brain activity patterns and enhance function.”

Research out of the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), presented at the Neuroscience 2009 meeting in Chicago, IL, demonstrated signs of enhanced neural stimulation in parts of the brain that control decision-making and reasoning in the brains of middle aged and older first time Internet users after only seven days of internet use – specifically, doing searches.

They contend that learning to use the Internet stimulates neural activation patterns and could enhance brain function and cognition in older adults.

As a long time habitual web surfer, and aging Baby Boomer, I’m absolutely delighted to read this! On the other hand, I’m left with one less excuse for forgetting where I left my keys – again!!

Senior research associate at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA and study author Teena D Moody told the press, “The results suggest that searching online may be a simple form of brain exercise that might be employed to enhance cognition in older adults.”

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