Today I had my fifteenth neurofeedback session at CSLC. I’ve noticed some positive changes in my mental disposition since I started, which I think warrant a blog post. So here’s a brief overview of how things are going.
For the first thirteen sessions, I trained on the frontal lobe, trying to inhibit theta and alpha frequencies and bring up beta frequencies (for an explanation of the different brain wave frequencies, see this wikipedia entry). At first, I didn’t really notice any immediate changes in my mental state. But as the sessions continued, I started to notice some changes that, at first, were difficult to describe. As the changes became more pronounced, I was able to identify the shift as an increase in clearheaded-ness. By that I mean my thought process became more coherent and organized. Understanding my surroundings and determining an appropriate response became more effortless. Focusing on the task at hand became slightly easier. Problem solving became slightly easier. It was a subtle shift, but still significant.
Today, I completed my second session working on the back of the temporal lobe of the left hemisphere, trying to inhibit delta, alpha, and hibeta frequencies. Two sessions is not a lot, but I’ve already noticed how it is starting to affect my mental state. If training the frontal lobe promotes clearheaded-ness, then I think training the temporal lobe promotes levelheaded-ness. By levelheaded-ness I mean a state of mind where the stress of everyday life doesn’t have as much sway over how you feel or think. If things don’t turn out the way you wanted them to, you don’t get too bent out of shape about it. It’s easier to accept things, good or bad, and still have a positive outlook. Shit happens, but life goes on. Perhaps a better word for it is equanimity. Since I’ve only just started training on this region, the shift has been very subtle, and I have yet to see how it plays out in the long run. But it has been noticeable.
Overall, I’ve been quite pleased with how this neurofeedback thing is going. I’ve also been reading some books about neurofeedback and the brain in general to help me understand how this all works, which has been a rewarding endeavor in itself. I recommend Mind Wide Open by Steven Johnson as a good, entertaining intro to neuroscience. A Symphony in the Brain by Jim Robbins is a good intro to neurofeedback and it’s history. I’m currently reading A User’s Guide to the Brain by John J. Ratey, which has some interesting stuff in it.
I’ll continue to write neurofeedback updates as I go. I’ve also got some other brain related stuff I’d like to blog about, but I’ll save that for a later date.
