Okay. This is frigging amazing. Did you know that science can change brainwaves so that you function better, are more peaceful, more relaxed, more focused? Did you know this?
Somehow. I did not.
Yesterday Max was telling me about a science show on PBS where scientists have figured out a way for blind people to see by transmitting pulses through the tongue, because apparently any surface of the body will do when it comes to “seeing”.
One scientist, Bach-y-Rita, reasoned that because the nerves carrying messages from one part of the body to the brain are identical to those carrying messages from other body parts, it might actually be possible, even in adulthood, to substitute one sense for another.
To read the whole article and to watch a video, click here.
The possibilities are endless. Since hearing about this my mind has been going beserk in a million directions. This means it’s possible to rewire the brain … period … without machines or devices. Because if it’s possible for the blind to see with a machine then it’s possible for the blind to see without a machine. It’s simply a matter of figuring out how to change the pulses that go to the brain.
Right? This makes perfect sense.
So I did some searching on biofeedback and here’s the definition: “Neurofeedback is direct training of brain function, by which the brain learns to function more efficiently.”
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Um. Excuse me. Does everyone already know about this? Am I the last to know everything? Was I sleeping or passing notes during science class???
This tells me that you can actually change your brain patterns, and change your thinking.
More info from the EEG website on Neurofeedback (click this link for full article):
What is Neurofeedback good for? |
| Neurofeedback addresses problems of brain disregulation. These happen to be numerous. They include the anxiety-depression spectrum, attention deficits, behavior disorders, various sleep disorders, headaches and migraines, PMS, emotional disturbances. It is also useful for organic brain conditions such as seizures, the autism spectrum, and cerebral palsy. |
May this be considered a cure for some of these conditions? |
| In the case of organic brain disorders, it can only be a matter of getting the brain to function better rather than of curing the condition. When it comes to problems of disregulation, we would say that there is not a disease to be cured. Where disregulation is the problem, self-regulation may very well be the remedy. But again the word cure would not apply. |
But the symptoms may go away, so it’s all the same in the end? |
| Indeed, with Neurofeedback the symptoms may be entirely suppressed. A person with diagnosed Attention Deficit Disorder may be able to train the brain to pay attention, so that condition will no longer be diagnosable. A person coming in with migraines may no longer have them. (However, that person may still have a greater “vulnerability” to migraines than the average person on the street.) A person with epilepsy may no longer have seizures. (Although that person still retains a vulnerability to seizures.) A child with severe rages and temper tantrums may not have them again. Etc. |
I’m kind of losing my mind over here. This means that everything that is happening to you is simply a chemical reaction and pulses based on stimulation THAT CAN BE CHANGED.
You can change your brain waves and change your life.
Did you see the movie What the Bleep? This reminds me of that movie. Where everything is just stimulation that causes you to act/think in a certain way. The trick is to not react/act when it appears like something is occurring.
You are simply having a chemical reaction based on brain activity, which seems to cause your heart to beat faster, your palms to sweat, your mind to race. Etc.
But you can change all this by redirecting those brain waves.
Do some rewiring.
I have a friend who used to overeat and who used to think about food nonstop and through training her mind to a new way to think, you can put a piece of cake on the table in front of her and she doesn’t even notice it. Or she’ll take one bite, and then not be interested. She changed her brain pattern. Cake and food no longer causes a chemical reaction.
I’m no scientist, but this is all very exciting to me right now.
It’s possible to disrupt brain patterns, and redirect them.
I’m pretty certain the way to rewire the brain to be healthy, happy, peaceful is to be constantly in the PRESENT MOMENT OF NOW.
I’m fairly certain this short-circuits all the other brainwaves – the impulse to judge, the way a mind hangs on to a grievance or worry, the brain wave that wants to organize a story, and plan. I think when you are totally present, all other systems shut down.
Think about how you might be thinking of a certain situation all day long – wondering what happened, what went wrong, what you could have done, what so-and-so did, what so-and-so said … but suddenly something dramatic happens, like someone rushes in with an emergency or the phone rings or there’s a fire and suddenly you forget the story.
How did this occur? It seems to me that the brain waves were scrambled. One minute they were all “organized” in a row, thinking linear, trying to sequence time, and suddenly there was a catalyst introduced into the mind making you “lose your train of thought” and suddenly your attention is focused entirely on something new.
We’ve all had this happen. Where one minute you are depressed, and then something happens, and the next minute you are engaged in some activity and you forget all about the depression.
Brain waves.
I’m totally amazed.
I’m well aware that my mind is the determiner of my body and how it functions, etc. (mind-body connection, chakras, energy) but the idea that you can see through your tongue is kind of flipping me out a little, in a very excited sort of way.
Facebook comments:
Lisa,
Nice to see your enthusiasm for neurofeedback. Yes, it is all that good and better. The brain does much more than think. Optimizing the central nervous system is a tonic that promotes optimal flow and function.
Gary