QUESTIONS:
ANSWERS:
How does the neurofeedback (aka Brain State Conditioning) work?
The goal of brain training, or Brain State Conditioning, is to balance and harmonize the brain activity of the client. Brain training is completely non-invasive; in other words, nothing is ever “put into” the client – the client does all the work themselves with the aid of sophisticated neurofeedback equipment.
How do the Brain Training Starter Packages work?
Ideally, the Starter Packages are scheduled over a period of 3 or 4 days, with the client doing two 1-hour and 45 minute sessions per day. The process begins with an assessment, which will determine the course of the training. The training is tailored to each individual based on his/her particular brain wave pattern and imbalances.
What is an Assessment?
The assessment takes about an hour and forty-five minutes. During the assessment, we will place sensors (which are really just little amplifiers which allow us to “listen” to the client’s brainwaves) at different positions on the client’s head and take readings of the brain wave activity at those points. There are seven positions total, and we do three different two-channel readings at each point: (1) one with eyes closed (2) one with eyes partially open, and (3) one with the eyes open while performing a task. All of the information gathered is processed by a highly advanced software program that runs many different algorithms on the information and produces a “brain map” that details how the client’s brain is functioning. Specifically, the software looks at different ratios within the brain, for instance, the ratio of alpha to theta in the frontal lobe, or the ratio of alpha in the frontal lobe compared to alpha in the occipital lobe.
After the assessment, the software will recommend a training protocol for the client that will help the client correct any imbalances that the software detected. The YogiMind trainer will go over the training protocol with the client and explain how the process will work. As the client goes through his/her sessions, the trainer will continue to monitor the client’s progress and update and change the protocols.
Is there anything special that I need to do while I go through my training? Can I keep my normal schedule?
It is very important to remain well-hydrated throughout the training process. We recommend that clients drink 100 ounces of water per day and that they begin doing so as far in advance of their first appointment as possible.
Also, because the brain uses a lot of protein when it is building new neural-networks, we recommend that clients increase their protein intake as much as possible during the intensive.
Ideally, we recommend that while you do your Starter Package, you take time away from your normal daily activities if it is at all possible. It’s not necessary to do this in order for the training to have an effect, but it can make the impact of the training more powerful.
How did you determine the price for these sessions?
Many factors are taken into consideration in determining our pricing, including the price of rent in our different locations (which is why our prices vary from location to location). The technology that we use is extremely advanced and very expensive. The brain-training process is also time-consuming for the trainer. Given the considerations we have to contend with, we have made every effort to make it as affordable as possible.
Remember that the changes you make are permanent – and you make them quickly.
What is an “extended session”?
We used to work with clients three times a day for 45 minutes at a time. However, research has shown that it is actually more powerful to do fewer sessions for longer periods of time. We now do two 75-minute sessions a day (that’s 75 full minutes of training in a one-hour and 45-minute session). If you are comparing our prices to other providers, be sure to ask how long their sessions are.
How does a brain get out of balance in the first place?
There are many different theories about this, but the one that makes the most sense to us is that our brains react to trauma by changing their brainwave pattern. There are a couple of very common ways that we see this manifest. The first is to see a brain that has higher-than-normal beta waves in comparison to the rest of its brainwaves. Our beta waves are our thinking/decision-making/action waves. When a brain has high beta, this means, in simple terms, that the organism has experienced a trauma and has gone on “high alert” in order to avoid re-experiencing the same situation. The consequence of the high beta is anxiety, restlessness, and often sleep disorders, among other things.
Another common way of reacting to trauma is to “separate” from it by raising our theta waves in our frontal lobe. Theta waves are our “deep relaxation” and “transition into sleep” waves. They should go up when we close our eyes and down when we open our eyes. If they are high with our eyes open, it makes us difficult to focus, can make us feels “foggy” and can also cause more extreme conditions like ADD or even seizure disorders.
The problem is that our brains don’t return to balance on their own because of the way humans are socialized to deal with trauma. So we have to do something to recover from the trauma - which is why we brain-train.
What Neurofeedback software do you use? How is it different from other neurofeedback providers?
We license our software through Brain State Technologies, which is based in Scottsdale , AZ.
What is the difference between Brain State Conditioning and other neurofeedback technologies?
Standard Neurofeedback Models
Some neurofeedback methods are based on a Quantitative Electroencephalographic Analysis (QEEG). Using a QEEG, the neurofeedback provider compares the brain waves of the client to a normative data base of other brain waves and irregularities are noted for neurofeedback training. QEEG assessment can take many hours and cost $250 to $1200. The problem with a QEEG is the basic assumption that the data base of brain waves is helpful to establish a normal or healthy brain wave pattern for an individual. Can I compare my brain wave patterns to many others and determine if I am normal and where my abnormalities exist? At YogiMind, we disagree with that assumption.
Some neuro-feedback providers will train for 30 to 40 minutes 2 to 3 times per week. This often requires 40 to 100 sessions to complete a training process. Benefits are sometimes not seen for 20 sessions or more and when seen may be subtle in nature.
YogiMind Training Model
Brain State Conditioning™ is a technology-based approach to assist an individual in self-optimization by balancing and harmonizing his brain wave patterns. Brain State Conditioning™ stresses total individuality in a holistic context whereby algorithms are applied to an individual brain wave pattern along with the subjective analysis of the individual to assist in the determination of a brain-training plan. Nothing from the outside is used as normative to compare to the individual to determine abnormalities.
We start out with a Starter Package where the client trains intensively for 3 days. This gives the client a "booster shot" - they make significant progress in building their new neuropathways. For some, that is all the training they need. Others may decide to train further - but at that point, they can train less intensively because they have already made significant progress on building their new neuropathways.
What conditions can brain state conditioning help with?
- Stress
- Sleep Disorders
- Pain Management
- Anxiety
- Depression
- ADD/ADHD
- Autism
- Brain Injury
- Chronic Fatigue
- Anger
|
- Dementia
- Immune Enhancement
- Epilepsy
- Exhaustion
- Panic Attacks
- Increased Learning
- OCD
- Hormonal Imbalance
- Violent Tendencies
- Sexual Dysfunction
|
We Can Help with Addiction As well.
Smoking, Drugs, Alcoholism, Sex, Eating Disorders
How is it that doing brain state conditioning can affect so many different disorders?
We work by balancing and harmonizing the brain, which is the central control unit for the entire organism – psychological and physical. Once the brain is balanced, all sorts of different issues may fall away.
How long do the effects of brain state conditioning last? Will it ever wear off?
Once you have a neural pathway, it’s permanent. That’s why we never forget how to balance on a bicycle, even if we don’t ride one for 20 years. So the new pathways that you build will be permanent. However, life goes on. If you experience another trauma, it is possible that your brain may react by changing its pattern again, and in that case, it usually only takes one or two sessions to get you back on track, because you already have built those neural pathways and you don’t need to re-build them, you just need to get re-centered in them.
Can I do brain state conditioning if I’m on medication?
Yes, although it can be hard to train through medication that has beta-blockers in it, so we like to know what medications you are taking. Any medication at all, including herbal medications, will affect the brain’s ability to respond to the training, and it generally will respond more slowly, but it will still respond. Also, we request that you stay in close communication with your prescribing physician throughout this process. Often when people start to come back into balance, they begin to experience overdose symptoms from their medications, and it’s important that they monitor themselves closely and go back to their physicians if they need to discuss dosage changes.
|
