Abstracts for 

Optimal Functioning & Positive Psychology 2001

Optimal Functioning & Positive Psychology 2001

Rhonda Greenberg

Thom Hartmann is an award-winning best-selling author, international lecturer, teacher, and psychotherapist. His books have been written about in Time magazine, and he has appeared on the front page of The Wall Street Journal, and on numerous radio and TV shows including "All Things Considered," CNN, and BBC. A former journalist, international relief worker, and the executive director of a residential treatment facility for abused children, he now lives in Vermont where he is a guest faculty member at Goddard College and fulltime writer.

Thom Hartmann is an internationally known speaker on psychotherapy and communications, an author, and an innovator in the fields of psychiatry, ecology, and the intersection of spiritual and cultural transformation. The

founder of The New England Salem Children’s Village (1978) and The Hunter School (1997), he has led national innovations in the areas of residential treatment for abused children and private/public education for learning-disabled children.

Hartmann is the award-winning, best-selling author of eleven books currentlyin print. He is the former executive director of a residential treatment program for emotionally disturbed and abused children, and has helped set up and support hospitals, famine relief programs, schools, and communities for orphaned or blind children in India, Uganda, Australia, Colombia, and the United States. Rostered with the State of Vermont as a psychotherapist, he was the originator of the revolutionary "Hunter/Farmer Hypothesis" to understand the psychiatric condition known as Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). He also synthesized the "Younger/Older Culture model" for describing the underpinnings - and possible solutions - to the world’s ecological and socio-political crises, suggesting that our problems are grounded in our cultural "stories" which go back thousands of years. His most recent books (2000) are "Thom Hartmann’s Complete Guide to ADHD," and "The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight," with a foreword by Joseph Chilton

Pearce and afterword by Neale Donald Walsch.

Hartmann’s books have been written about in Time and many other magazines, he has been on NPR and BBC radio and CNN television (among others), mentioned on the front page of The Wall Street Journal, and has spoken to hundreds of thousands of people on five continents over the past two decades. One of his books was selected for inclusion in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian for its "visionary use of information

technology to produce positive social, economic, and educational change in medicine." As a result of his book "The Prophet's Way," he received an unsolicited invitation in August 1998 for a personal audience with Pope John Paul II at the Pope's summer palace on Lake Gandolfo. His book "The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight" brought about an unsolicited invitation for him

to participate in the weeklong AGNT meeting in September 1999 with His Holiness The Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, India.

Hartmann holds several degrees in various aspects of complimentary medicine (1971-78), studied acupuncture in Beijing (1986), and is a licensed and certified NLP Practitioner (1994) and NLP Trainer (1996) with the Society of NLP. For this latter, he was trained by Leif Roland and Richard Bandler, who wrote the foreword to Hartmann’s NLP book "Healing ADD."

A recurrent theme in Hartmann’s work is that all true and lasting cultural change begins with personal change propagating through enough people to reach a critical mass. Thus, he urges us all to be conscious and open to the world, showing that doing all you can to save the planet and improve the human condition requires both personal spiritual connection and global intent. He points out that history demonstrates that even the tiniest and most anonymous actions can have world-changing ramifications, and that "when stories change, history changes." (Good examples from the 20th century are the stories that women in America should not be allowed to vote, or that blacks should have separate facilities and schools. Once these centuries-old toxic stories began to break down, cultural change came almost immediately.) Other "stories" that must change include the ideas that our creator is angry with us, that humans are inherently evil (and it’s a woman’ s fault), and that sin and punishment are appropriate models in a culture (as opposed to imbalance and balance).

In this passionate yet thoroughly researched presentation, author Thom Hartmann proposes that the only lasting solution to the crisis we face is to relearn the lessons of out ancient ancestors--who lived sustainably for thousands of generations. When you touch this new yet "older" way of seeing the world and hearing the voice of all life, you will discover that you, personally, hold the power of personal and planetary transformation.

2-3 hour Workshop:

Thom touches on how seven cultural stories have caused global problems, and why changing them can save the world from impending ecological and cultural crises. Touching that place where the survival of humanity may be found is the focus of this workshop.

Find out:

*Why woman’s rights is the most important of the "human rights" movements now.

*Discover why changing how we think could empty our prisons.

*Learn how viewing time differently can change your life and the world around you.

* Discover Self-Actualization is possible both individually and culturally.

Russell Hebert, M.A., Psychophysiology, Director, Maharishi Vedic School of Houston

In the classic Vedic literature the state of transcending is described as a state of Samhita or "collectedness" of Knower, Known and Process of Knowing. This means that all duality has merged into unified state of awareness devoid of any kind of activity. (No activity in the senses, mind, intellect or ego or prana- breath). Just pure unbounded awareness of nothing but the Self.

To simplify things Maharishi Mahesh Yogi , the founder of the TM technique, describes the mind in terms of an analogy of active mind (waves on the ocean) and settled mind (flat, unbounded ocean). The domain of TM he says is between active and settled mind. In EEG terms the active mind is represented by beta and the settled (conscious) mind is represented by high amplitude alpha and hyper-synchronous theta. This is what has been verified in the EEG literature. From the psychophysiology laboratory at our University in Switzerland we published TM papers which showed that in 1/3 of the subjects there were periods of suspension of respiration which coincided with the experience of this least excited state of consciousness. These periods allowed researchers to discover discrete periods of high EEG coherence especially in the alpha and theta bands. High EEG coherence in the alpha and theta bands in the frontal-central locus became the "fingerprint" of this extremely quiet state of awareness.

Recently Maharishi Mahesh Yogi from his headquarters in Holland has proclaimed that in the state of transcendental consciousness and only in that state the brain is fully enlivened, a state of Total Brain Function wherein all the neurons in the brain are awake but non-active. He emphasized the importance of this experience in terms of the alternative- damaging our brains through disuse. To be able to use our full mental potential has been the theme of the TM introductory lecture for over 40 years, but it is becoming more clear what this means. But wait! Hershel Toomim is fond of saying "You can't use your total brain at once, the thing would self-destruct from the metabolic heat produced". In order to create this Total Brain state the neurons which subserve the mind, intellect, emotions and senses must be awake but non active, in a collected state. This is what transcending accomplishes.

Cerebral blood flow (CBF) experiments show that there are regional blood flow increases in TM. These increases do not come from increased metabolic activity. TM is described as a wakeful hypo-metabolic physiologic state and the slowing of alpha into theta represents a manifestation of lower levels of brain metabolism. With TM we have found reliable CBFincreases in Hershel's HEG measurements with no increases in Dr. Carmen's pictographs of infrared emissions.This means that during TM CBF is increasing globally through a broader vasodialation mechanism. (strong enough to be picked up in carotid arteries in doppler tests), but not through a mechanism triggered by fast neuronal activity or increased metabolism. The mechanisms involved in increased metabolic activity have been described by ( Gebremedhin et al at the University of Wisconsin Medical College) who have identified arachidonic acid as the release factor which causes increases in brain microcirculation under increased activity conditions. These are the changes picked up by PET scans and SPECT which are showing increases in radioactively-tagged metabolic by-product accumulation.

If not inspired by increased metabolic demand what is the function of the CBF increases found in TM? It will be proposed that the increases are related to a restoring-detoxifying-enlivening mode that holistically prepares the brain for activity. Such a TM-related mechanism has been described with the increases in peripheral blood flow in the musculature which dramatically reduces plasma lactate as a preparation for increased demands on the body. Why not postulate a mechanism such as this to enliven the Total Brain? Logically we can conclude that in order to create this state of total brain function the mind must be completely non-active yet awake, a global alpha-like state. This agrees with Robert Thatcher's functional definition of alpha which he says represents the reserve capacity of the brain.

To substantiate the model of Total Brain Function we are currently employing coherence mapping, microstate analysis and LORETA imaging to depict the least excited state neurophysiologically, postulating a state of high EEG spacial stability representing the "ground state" of human consciousness (Nature's ultimate self-referral balancing mechanism). Published evidence will be presented to suggest that experientially referencing this "ground state" of the mind leads to neurophysiological growth towards higher states of consciousness as described in the ancient Vedic literature..

Stephen and Robin Larsen

Combining the basic principles of biofeedback and human relations skills, the Larsens present a new approach that opens human partnerships to more sensitive attunements and creative use of differences. Their insights are drawn also from depth psychology, myth, and the emerging field of "energy psychology."

Workshop: Open to couples and individuals; draws from the above with a focus on experiential exercises from their new book: The Fashioning of Angels: Partnership as Spiritual Practice. The exercises include how to sense "the third thing" the energy element in a relationship, and work with it constructively. Fairfighting, working with animus and

anima, and opening to the transpersonal or spiritual dimension of the relationship are explored.

Stephen Larsen

Based on his work with Dr. Len Ochs' "Flexyx" Neurotherapy, now amounting to thousands of hours of treatments for a variety of disorders--and for optimal performance candidates--including the author himself and colleagues, Stephen Larsen develops a coherent theory which shows how human responses can vary from rigidity and stereotypic behaviors, to flexibility, metacognition and mindfulness. Depression and anxiety both are examined as functional distortions, and a model of mental/emotional health through flexibility developed.

"Not Freud, Not Jung, Nor Thomas Mann, has brought so widespread and complete and understanding of Mythology to the Twentieth Century as Joseph Campbell." (James Hillman)

What is less well known in Campbell's approach to human psychology based on the energy patterns or configurations embodied in myths. Myths, in their most elemental form, shape our experience of both ourselves and our world. More than a mere Jungian, Joseph Campbell drew on his vast experience of primitive and oriental mythology, as well as modern psychological literature, to shape this perspective.

Biographies:

Stephen Larsen, Ph.D. is Professor Emeritus of psychology (SUNY) and directs the Stone Mountain Counseling Center, offering biofeedback/neurotherapy, and transpersonally-oriented psychotherapy. He is the author of The Shaman's Doorway (1975) The Mythic Imagination (1990), and with his wife Robin, A Fire in the Mind: The Life of Joseph Campbell (1991), and their recent book The Fashioning of Angels: Partnership as Spiritual Practice (2000) Robin Larsen, Ph.D. is an Artist and Art Historian and director of the not for profit Center for Symbolic Studies, working with youth at risk, outdoor programs, and presentation of the work of traditional teachers (shamans) and seasonal festivals. She is the editor of Emanuel Swedenborg: A Continuing Vision

Judith O.Lubar LCSW-BCD

We love our children and have hopes and dreams for them. If we had parents who gave us adequate love and approval and our children do not match our hopes and dreams we can regroup and set new goals that that match the child we were given. We can travel with them along the path of time on a road we had not conceived until they arrived. Sometimes however our family history, particular pressures of our family of origin messages, and personal needs that have never been met make it impossible to switch. The results can be extremely painful for the child and the parents. This is especially true for some families of ADD and ADHD children for their behavior makes them a lightening rod for parental and sibling anger.

We now know that when the environment is very stressful (as it often is when hopes, dreams and reality collide) changes can and do occur in the limbic and prefrontal areas of the brain resulting in loss of connections and decreased metabolism of these key structures in a very young child. These losses can have profound effects on the interpersonal relationships of these individuals throughout their life. We now also know that specific EEG signatures change with depression, grief and dysthymia. We also know that anxiety can prevent learning. We can actually measure these changes through quantitative EEG and by observing changes of EEG measures over time in the same locations. We can further see these changes on the MRI and SPECT scans.

In this presentation these concepts will be illustrated and amplified with actual family histories presented to illustrate how familymultigenerational pressures create the pain in the family and data of the actual measured negative EEG changes that can be verified . We will also address some specific techniques that can be used to positively change the child’s physiology and normalize the family climate.

While much psychological theory and practice has focused on improving health and well-being by reducing negative emotions, relatively little research has explored the impact of positive emotions on physiological processes and psychological functioning. We have found that sustained positive affective states lead to a distinct mode of physiological function that is correlated with improved cognitive function and health-related outcomes.

This mode, which we call physiological coherence, is associated with a sine wave-like pattern in the heart rhythms, increased heart-brain synchronization and entrainment between diverse physiological systems. Although physiological coherence is a natural human state that can occur spontaneously during positive emotional experiences and sleep, sustained episodes are generally rare. While specific rhythmic breathing methods can induce coherence and entrainment for brief periods, our research indicates that individuals can produce extended periods of physiological coherence by actively generating a sustained positive emotion. Using positive emotion to drive the coherent mode allows it to emerge naturally and typically makes it easier to sustain positive emotions and physiological coherence for longer periods, even during challenging situations. When the physiological coherence mode is driven by a positive psychological state, we call it psychophysiological coherence.

The capacity to self-generate positive emotional states and quickly shift to a physiologically coherent mode at will can be developed and refined through the use of practical, positive emotion refocusing techniques developed by the Institute of HeartMath. These techniques enable people to arrest the physiological stress response and prevent the psychological wear and tear normally associated with various stressors.

Studies conducted across diverse populations have associated the use of techniques that increase psychophysiological coherence with a range of favorable outcomes, including reduced anxiety and depression, enhanced cognitive and academic performance, reduced physical stress symptoms, decreased cortisol and increased DHEA. Additionally, practice of these interventions has been associated with reduced depression and improved functional capacity in patients with congestive heart failure, the restoration of normal blood pressure levels in hypertensive individuals, and improved glycemic control and quality of life in patients with diabetes.

The presentation will describe the coherent mode and methods by which physiological coherence can be objectively monitored and quantified. In addition, summary results from several outcome studies will be presented.

In conclusion, psychophysiological coherence is a distinct internal mode that has far-reaching implications for human health and optimal functioning. Physiological correlates of this mode can be objectively measured using straightforward methods. Practical tools and techniques exist by which individuals of diverse ages and backgrounds can learn to self-orchestrate coherence with increased consistency, thereby reducing stress and enhancing health, emotional stability, performance and quality of life.

Rollin McCraty, Ph.D.

HeartMath Research Center

Institute of HeartMath

Boulder Creek, California

This workshop will cover the background, purpose and uses of a new approach to stress management and performance enhancement training that has broad-based applications in schools, blood pressure control and other health-related areas, sports performance and workplace stress reduction. This computer-based training and heart rhythm education system includes instruction in the Freeze-Frame and Heart Lock-In techniques, which are particularly effective in increasing heart rhythm coherence, improving autonomic balance, and enhancing emotional stability and cognitive performance. The Freeze-Framer can also be used to monitor the effects of techniques such as meditation, controlled breathing and other interventions believed to affect autonomic nervous system activity.

 

The Freeze-Framer is a convenient and accurate device that monitors and displays clientsí heart rate variability in real time as they practice the stress management techniques taught in the on-line menus and books included with the system. It plots changes in heart rate on a beat-to-beat basis and analyzes the heart rhythm patterns for coherence. Coherence reflects autonomic nervous system balance, heart-brain synchronization and entrainment of the bodyís major oscillatory systems. The output of the coherence algorithm is used to control three enjoyable games that are designed to reinforce emotional self-regulation skills.

 

A small finger sensor detects each pulse and the time interval between consecutive heartbeats is computed. The changing beat-to-beat heart rate is then displayed on the computer screen. In general, a smoother or more sine-wave-like heart rhythm pattern indicates a more balanced autonomic nervous system, increased parasympathetic activity and a higher ratio of physiological entrainment. The ratio of entrainment is calculated and fed back to the user as an accumulated score or success in playing one of three games. The three on-screen games are: (1) The hot air balloon game, in which the degree of heart rhythm coherence controls how high the balloon flies. There are obstacles that must be cleared as the user travels through a moving landscape. When the heart rhythm coherence is too low, the balloon returns to the ground and stops the landscape from moving. (2) The rainbow game, in which the userís level of coherence controls the development of a rainbow that gradually grows until it reaches a pot of gold, which starts to fill and then overflow with gold coins. At the end of this game a score is calculated indicating how much has been accumulated. (3) The meadow game, in which sustained heart rhythm coherence gradually transforms a dry, black-and-white nature scene into a beautiful landscape filled with color, running water and gentle animals.

 

Several examples will be presented showing how the Freeze-Framer has been used in diverse settings to decrease stress, anxiety, depression and fatigue, promote improved academic and work performance, lower blood pressure and facilitate health improvements in numerous clinical disorders.

In recent years, educators have increasingly integrated programs designed to build emotional competence skills into school curricula. Research has demonstrated that unmanaged emotional stress inhibits higher cognitive processes critical for learning. HeartMath techniques have been shown to increase physiological coherence, an internal mode associated with improved autonomic balance, increased heart-brain synchronization, increased emotional stability and improved cognitive performance. This presentation will describe three studies illustrating how HeartMath emotional self-regulation and learning enhancement tools have been used at the elementary, middle and high school levels to improve academic performance, test-taking skills, emotional health and behavior.

The first study was conducted at an inner city elementary school with a small group of fifth and sixth grade students with learning disabilities. HeartMath tools formed the primary content of a three-week summer session course intended to improve reading skills and thereby allow many of the students to be promoted to the next grade. At the end of the three weeks, improvements in the classroom environment, attitudes and behavior were apparent. Moreover, every student’s reading scores improved substantially (average growth of 1.5 years in grade level). The fact that the course included little traditional reading instruction suggests that increased emotional stability enables students to better access information they have already learned.

In the second study, conducted in the Miami area, the "Heart Smarts" program was incorporated in a middle school curriculum, first as a two-week in-class program and subsequently as a full-year elective course. Students who learned the techniques exhibited significant improvements in nearly all areas of psychosocial functioning assessed, including stress and anger management, risky behavior, work management and focus, and relationships with teachers, family and peers. Furthermore, students who used the self-regulation skills to recover from acute emotional stress were able to positively modulate their stress response in real time, demonstrating increased heart rhythm coherence, physiological entrainment and parasympathetic activity in relation to a control group. We propose that children who learn to make these beneficial physiological shifts at a young age will effectively establish more healthy patterns in their neural architecture, leading to favorable long-term psychological, behavioral, health and performance-related outcomes.

The third study examined the impact of the HeartMath learning enhancement program on reducing test-taking anxiety and improving test scores in high school seniors. Seniors who needed to re-take state-required standardized tests in order to graduate from high school participated in a three-week intensive program. The course included practice with the Freeze-Framer, a computer-based performance enhancement system designed to reinforce the use of the HeartMath tools and promote increased physiological coherence. After the program, HeartMath-trained students showed improvements in test-taking performance that greatly exceeded those achieved through standard academic preparation alone. The HeartMath group demonstrated a mean increase of 35% in math test scores and a 14% increase in reading test scores. These gains represented one to two years’ growth in academic skills. Of the trained students re-taking the math test, 64% passed, as compared to the district average of 42% for all seniors re-taking the test. For reading, the trained group’s passing was 55%, as compared to the district average of 31%. As compared to a control group, the trained students also demonstrated significant reductions in hostility, depression and other key indices of psychological distress, as measured by the Brief Symptom Inventory.

In conclusion, results suggest that interventions that increase emotional stability and physiological coherence can be efficiently implemented in educational settings to promote significant improvements in academic performance, psychological well-being and behavior.

Rollin McCraty, Ph.D.

Director of Research

Dr. Rollin McCraty is Director of Research at the Institute of HeartMath, a nonprofit research and educational organization located in Boulder Creek, California. The Instituteís research has laid the foundation for the development of interventions which have been demonstrated to reduce stress, enhance performance and promote physical, mental and emotional stability, and improve quality of life.

Dr. McCraty has an extensive background in research and development, systems engineering, radiational physics and instrumentation design. He was co-founder of a successful engineering and manufacturing company involved in electrostatic problem solving and developed a new technology that revolutionized the industry, designs that are still in use by most of the worldís high tech companies.

In 1989, McCratyís research interests led him to the Institute of HeartMath where he helped to establish the HeartMath Research Center. Here he is able to apply his system engineering background to the study of human electrophysiology, currently focusing on unraveling the mechanisms by which our mental and emotional systems interact with and affect cardiovascular function, autonomic nervous systems balance, and hormonal and immune system health. Additional research endeavors center on stress reduction and emotional physiology, as well as enhancing individual and organizational productivity and performance.

Dr. McCraty has presented at numerous scientific and medical conferences and has authored a number of scientific papers on heart rate variability, cognitive performance, and the effects of stress and positive emotions on human physiology. His papers have been published in such journals as American Journal of Cardiology, Stress Medicine, and Integrative Physiological and Behavioral Science. He has been interviewed for numerous publications such as Prevention, Natural Health, Men's Fitness, and American Health magazines, as well as having given dozens of television interviews including ABC Good Morning America, CNN, Life Time-New Attitudes, Discovery Channel-Beyond 2000 among many others.

A description and analysis of phosphene images suggests that the EEG

patterns of advanced meditators and healers may be generated by slow wave

sleep rhythms.

LONG DESCRIPTION (580 words):

Electroencephalographic studies of advanced meditators and healers report three types of cortical EEG patterns: (1) high-amplitude occipital alpha which, unlike normal waking alpha, is not blocked by sensory stimulation;

(2) theta-delta predominant in the frontal and central leads with occipital alpha occupying less than half of the epoch, as in stage 1 NREMS; and, (3) a sudden shift from the theta-delta patterns to lower delta frequencies, followed by a second shift to high-voltage beta and gamma surges at the vertex or over the temporal lobes. Little is known about the kinds of neural mechanisms that generate these unusual EEG patterns. This

presentation proposes a new hypothesis about the neural mechanisms involved based on an analysis of phosphene images.

The presenter will describe two sets of phosphene images, one he often observes at sleep onset or early in meditation, another he observed on one occasion when his attempt to meditate in the early morning hours while in a sleep-deprived condition had dramatic and memorable consequences. The

phosphene images described here parallel descriptions of light visions described in the ancient Vedic scriptures and in yoga meditation texts in the Hindu and Tibetan Buddhist religious traditions. In modern contexts, these lights are often referred to as 'cakras' that manifest the progress of 'kundalini energy' moving through a subtle body.

Based on an analysis of the spatiotemporal characteristics of the phosphene images, the presenter suggests that the phosphenes represent the activation of sleep rhythm oscillators in the thalamus: (1) the threshold images are

annuli that appear at intervals similar to the synchronous spindle bursts fired by the thalamic reticular nucleus (RTN) and have shapes that reflect rebound bursts fired by thalamocortical (TC) cells in the visual relay of the thalamus, the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), after the release of

spindle wave inhibition; and (2) images of expanding waves of amorphous, mist-like phosphene match what is known about the propagation patterns of the cortical slow (< 1 Hz) waves that interact with TC cells to generate delta activity in corticothalamic circuits.

The presentation describes how phosphene images associated with states of calm concentration evolve into a different set of images associated with paroxysmal experience. These paroxysmal phosphenes match descriptions in yoga meditation texts of the light images that signify the final stages of kundalini rising and then its culmination in blissful consciousness of union with the cosmic light.

Based on analysis of the spatiotemporal characteristics of this second set of phosphenes, the presenter suggests that the paroxysmal symptoms are generated by the following mechanisms: (1) destabilization of the RTN spindle oscillators, manifested by a shift in timing from spike bursts

fired at 0.2 Hz intervals to > 2.0 Hz intervals; (2) emergence of

hypersynchronous (spike-and-wave) activity in corticothalamic circuits which does not generalize to the cortical mantle; (3) cortical driving of hypersynchronous activity in the hippocampus (H); (4) outbreak of paroxysmal discharges in the contralateral H, triggering the onset of a bilateral mesotemporal seizure. This experience can be classified as a

simple partial seizure because consciousness was not significantly impaired and no amnesia occurred. Studies of EEG patterns associated with simple partial seizures show resemblances to the pattern reported in advanced

meditators and healers where there is a shift to low delta, then a second shift to beta and gamma surges at the vertex or over the temporal lobes.

If this analysis is correct, it suggests a need to reconsider the health implications of those kinds of meditation techniques that purport to be specifically designed to induce ecstatic visions.

Brief Program Description: A simplified introduction to the "ABC’s of phenomenology," with applications to the human experience of illness, and to the understanding of states of consciousness. The practice of neurofeedback immerses each professional in an encounter with the suffering of disturbed or diseased persons, and into an encounter with impaired and heightened states of consciousness. Familiarity with the phenomenology of illness and consciousness can provide a useful orientation for the professional journey of neurofeedback.

Perhaps the greatest challenge to good brain function is the need to sufficiently inhibit the intrinsic excitability of the central nervous system. Neuronal circuits can become hyperexcitable, leading to large unstable responses to small stimuli or bursts of activity arising chaotically without any stimulus. Such uncontrolled activity can manifest as instabilities of many aspects of brain function including mood, sleep, attention, energy, consciousness, pain, muscle tone, sensory experience, and autonomic or immune regulation.

A new EEG training approach will be presented which directly trains the stability of brain function. Good clinical results have been observed with seizures, bipolar mood swings, panic attacks, migraines and other instabilities. Relevant QEEG data will be discussed, as well as what information is useful from the QEEG in this model, where we are training intrinsic brain mechanisms of self-regulation rather than fixing the QEEG.

FUNCTION AND DYSFUNCTION OF THE RIGHT ORBITOFRONTAL CORTEX IN PTSD AND BRAIN INJURY: Neurobiology and treatment techniques using EEG, HRV and HEG.

PRESENTER: Carol J. Schneider, Ph.D.

Carol J. Schneider

1526 Spruce St. #302

Boulder, Colorado 80302

PHONE: 303-449-2364

FAX: 303-449-6825

EMAIL: ccbh@idcomm.com

In the 1860’s, railroad worker Phineas Gage survived the entry and exit of a projectile spike blasted by dynamite through his brain. This well-documented case was perhaps the first documentation of right frontal lobe injury as correlated with altered personality and emotional dyscontrol. As one of his associates so aptly remarked about him, "Gage was no longer Gage."

Drawing upon modern technology and decades of study, neuroscientists are beginning to compile a unifying theory of brain anatomy and function which includes the origin of self. In particular, the right brain and especially the right orbitofrontal cortex (ROFC) are implicated. Since 1994, four important books have been written describing right brain function in sickness and/or health by Damasio, Shore, Ornstein, and LeDoux.

This presentation will make the case that the ROFC is the master regulator of the brain and body, and the primary location of the "self", the place where the "I" is located. As its core are emotional regulation capabilities, as well as recognition of emotions in others. Neurologist Antonio Damasio has described the ROFC as having the most comprehensive and integrated map of the body state available to the brain and as a convergence zone which is privy to signals about virtually any activity taking place in our beings- mind or body – at anytime. The ROFC is the hierarchically dominant regulator of visual tracking, muscle tone, cardiac function, temperature homeostasis, the immune system, and neurotransmitter production. Appraisals are made in the ROFC of both sensory and social data.

The ROFC is remarkably vulnerable to injury and is affected in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, causing serious consequences for functioning which will be presented. This presentation will discuss how EEG researchers and therapists are trying to measure and treat disturbances in functioning after head injuries. Neurofeedback, HRV and brain blood flow biofeedback techniques will be described with reference to head injury cases. The ROFC can also be the site of seizure activity. Cases involving partial complex seizures of the frontal lobe will be discussed.

Brief Description:

The neurobiology of the ROFC will be described with reference to the neuromuscular, neurovascular, neurohormonal and neuropsychiatric pathways of distress. The implications of dysfunction in any of these pathways for physical and emotional health will be explored. The use of EEG, HEG and HRV to enhance function after Brain Injury or in cases of PTSD will be explained.

Goals of this presentation:

To increase knowledge of attendees regarding the master regulating system of the brain (ROFC).

To relate dysfunction of this area to problems in physical and emotional dis-ease.

To describe (and if equipment is available on site) to demonstrate how EEG, HEG and HRV can be used to measure and correct problems of ROFC functioning.

 

 

Keynote: Gary E. R. Schwartz

Dept. of Psychology, The University of Arizona

Box 210068 Tucson, AZ 85721-0068

Phone (520) 6215497 Fax (520) 621-9306

Email GSCHWART@u.arizona.edu

What happens to our models of brain and consciousness when we consider the integration of systems theory with the concepts of energy and information?

Predictions of the nature of reality, from physics and chemistry to biology, psychology, medicine and ecology, take on new and dramatic implications. In THE LIVING ENERGY UNIVERSE (Schwartz and

Russek, 1999, Hampton Roads Press), we illustrate how the theory leads to

the conclusion that everything in the universe, including light itself, is eternal, alive, and evolving. The theory not only predicts that all dynamical systems "remember," but that the "info-energy" systems that exist inside "material" systems exist and have a "life of their own" that continues even after physical deconstructions (e.g. physical death.).

Research from our laboratory provides compelling evidence that consciousness continues after physical death, as featured in our new book, WHITE CROWS AND INVISIBLE RAINBOWS (Schwartz and Russek, in press).

Objectives:

1. To explain how systems theory can be integrated with the concepts of energy and information.

2. To illustrate how the prediction is reached that everything in the universe is eternal, alive, and evolving.

3. To show how research on systemic memory and consiousness beyond the brain can be researched.

Gary E. R. Schwartz, Ph.D.

This workshop will present the latest research from our laboratory on (1)

electrostatic body movements and the human antenna / receiver effect, (2)

heart focused attention and heart-brain synchrony, (3) measurement of giga hertz activity emitted by the human body, (4) gamma radiation absorption and emission as measures of loving energy and healing, and (5) effects of consciousness and Qi Gong on random event generators and mechanical devices. Implications for the clinical practice of energy

medicine and neurotherapy will be discussed. The presentation will include a demonstration of equipment for measuring 12 giga hertz activity.

Objectives:

1. Describe the measurement of electrostatic body motion and its relationship to healing touch.

2. Describe the measurement of energy cardiology and its relationship to attention.

3. Describe the measurement of gigahertz and gamma ray spectrometry and its relationship to loving energy.

Gary E. R. Schwartz, Ph.D. and Linda G. S. Russek, Ph.D

This workshop reviews the latest research from our laboratory on the possibility of survival of consciousness after death. Research includes (1)

"from here to there and back again" - a study involving two mediums and four "departed hypothesized coinvestigators", (2) research using energy cardiology measures, involving 5 members of our "dream team" of superstar mediums, (3) possible spirit communication using random event generator-type devices, (4) mediums receiving "spirit information" before readings begin, and (5) evidence for what Linda calls "spirit assisted healing."

Objectives:

1. Explain how research involves collaboration between here and there. 2. Explain how EEG and ECG measures can be used to explore alternative hypotheses.

3. Consider implications for clinical work in psychotherapy and energy medicine

Richard Soutar

Some clinicians find they can adequately serve their clients by just hooking

up the electrodes and running the protocols. We have not found that this

sufficiently meets the needs of the client population we have encountered. It

is an approach which in our clinical experience generates temporary and

superficial solutions. It ignores meaning as it removes suffering and

consequently renders suffering meaningless and life pointless. Our clients

find new substitutes for old problems and it only looks on the surface like a

resolution when it is merely another exercise in self-deception. It is a

false summit. Another escape from freedom. Quick fixes leave them

psychologically slowly bleeding to death. Our clients become walking time

bombs if we do not get them to confront their fundamental existential issues.

(Bardo Surgeon General's Warning: A Career in Bardo surgery is not for those

with weak existential stomachs and who are afraid of suffering.)

 

The Agenda:

Bardo Surgery: On Being a Guide.

The Heroes Journey: Preparing the client.

The Gateway: Don't be afraid of the Theta.

Dark Passages: Holding their hand.

The Hall of Mirrors: Denial and Self-deception.

Pandoras Box: First Peek Inside.

Monsters in the Basement: Exploring dreams and hypnogogic images.

The Judgement: Putting their cards on the table.

Cleaning the Wounds: Dealing with profound grief.

Jacobs Ladder: Connecting dreamtime to realtime.

Synchronicity: Using emerging life events as a resource of growth.

The Golden Thread: Finding meaning in suffering

Taking Out the Trash: The burden is lifted.

The Resurrection: A new maturity and autonomy: new guides to action.

Closing Up: Integration through the sutures of fast wave training.

Based on a forthcoming Book: Bardo Surgery: Neurofeedback &

Psycho-Spiritual Training.

By Richard & Barbara Soutar

Copyright 2000 by Barbara & Richard Soutar

Michael Thompson, M.D., Lynda Thompson, Ph.D.

Abstract: Assisting a client to optimize their functioning requires a holistic approach. The weighting of interventions depends on the clients needs. We will present a rational for using a detailed trainer-client questionnaire and a neurofeedback / biofeedback assessment form to help the client understand the goals, objectives and techniques they will use to improve their functioning. Each client is unique. This approach also assists the trainer when choosing which techniques to combine for a particular client. We will give a case example of an underachieving high-school graduate who did summer training and then entered pre-med Science and has just achieved top grades in one of Canada’s most difficult university programs.

Nancy E. White, Ph.D., LMFT, LCDC, FAACS, QEEGT, Etc.

Dr. White traces the development of our emotional makeup – a matrix as individual as a fingerprint – and discusses how it determines our attitudes, the way we think about things, what we notice and attract in the way of people, events and outcomes. She outlines the basic reason that energy-based therapies can achieve rapid change in the way we experience life.

Most of us function from chronic emotions and embedded perceptual patterns that, virtually outside our awareness, create the experiences and outcomes of our lives. This story begins in the womb. While the child is developing in the safety of the mother’s uterus it is receiving a preview of its future environment and is being prepared to function in it. The work of Dr. Bruce Lipton, a leading researcher and professor at the Stanford School of Medicine in the field of developmental cell biology, shows that the mother’s continuously held emotions send chemical and electromagnetic messages to the fetus, passing on "information" to the fetus concerning her attitudes toward events happening around her. In response the fetus, accommodating to an expected environment, is setting up programs, both physically and psychologically, that will be a foundation of his or her approach to life. Lipton calls this "Nature's Head Start Program."

As we grow and develop, what we make of our experiences produces "life filters" which affect how we create cell tissue and set up neurological, physiological and psychological patterns in the brain/mind/body system. According to leading edge cellular biologists and geneticists the chronic thought patterns and perceptual sets from which we deal with our environment directly affect the activity of our genes. After our prenatal and birth experiences we are likely to move into further stresses that create energetic shutdown: shock, abandonment (or the fear of it), grief, physical injury and other emotional and physical trauma. Over time these energetic shutdowns and the repetition of negative thought patterns are likely to compromise our health and well-being. The good news is that now we are able play an active role in the alteration of these processes.

Leading edge cell research has transcended conventional Newtonian physics and is now based upon a Universe created of energy as defined by quantum physics. We now recognize that the body responds to energy signals as well as molecular signals. These findings are relevant for they acknowledge that biological behavior can be controlled by "invisible" energy forces, which includes thought (an electromagnetic field). Several more recently developed therapy modalities may owe their relatively rapid effectiveness to this phenomenon.

In this workshop we will be introduced to one of the more recent of these modalities, based upon dynamic images channeled by Dawn Clark, Ph.D. and developed by her into a system of "cellular reformatting." These images elicit energetic responses within us, initiating healing processes in mind, body and soul. In most cases the effects are almost immediate. This modality facilitates the reconnection of energy meridians which, coupled with forgiveness and release, creates a forum for cellular reprogramming and the resolution of core life issues.

We will explore these and related ideas to give you a better understanding of the ways our habitual thoughts and feelings contribute to the way our lives unfold. We will show that, by paying attention to what we are feeling and thinking and by utilizing one or more of the modalities that give us a direct route to the sources of those patterns, we can create a life much closer to our heart’s desire.

Vietta E. Wilson, Ph.D

York University

This workshop will briefly outline the pathway to achieving high performance and how focus on how high performance is sustained.. In the section on how to achieve high performance materials on how to identify the task requirements and the ‘ideal performance state’ will be presented. This will be followed by the periodization model which guides the coach/teacher/counselor on what, when and how to integrate biofeedback assisted mental strategies for enhancing performance. It is assumed that individuals attending have knowledge/expertise in biofeedback but wish to know more about how to use it in performance based settings such as sport, business, music, etc.

 

I. Choosing ‘high performance’ individuals

 

II. How to develop optimum skill performance

 

III. Identifying individual zones of optimal emotional functioning

 

IV. Producing a periodization plan

 

V. Active Recovery and Regeneration

 

 

Questions

 

What are the three stages of learning identified in the development of excellence?

A) initiation stage- age 6-13 need teach who likes child & activity but does

does not need high skill level. Performer learns quickly

B) Development stage 13-15 yrs Habit of skill developed (usually through positive feedback & success) & needs more time and energy. Expert instruction now

required.

C) Perfection stage Must take personal ownership of commitment, responsibility and social consequences.

 

How does ‘deliberate practice’ create excellent performance?

A) Task has to be well defined & challenging to individual\

B) Information feedback is essential

C) Time for repetition and correction is necessary

D) Requires effort, determination and concentration

E) Takes years to create ‘expertise’

 

What are the principles of periodization?

 

A) Planned overload

B) Reduction in workload

C) Overcompensation

D) Planned Recovery/regeneration

E) Integration of physiological/psychological & social plans

 

How does one determine the ‘Individual Zone of Optimal Functioning"?

 

Identification of positive & negative emotions that improve performance

Identification of positive & negative emotions that impair performance

Confirmation of these emotions in actual stressful situations.

Practice in enhancing facilitator emotions & eliminating or reducing non-productive emotions