From past meetings organized by
Futurehealth and Rob Kall
Abstracts from the 2000 Futurehealth Meetings
Optimal Functioning Central
Is There a Self in Self-regulation?
Al Collins, Ph.D.
Psychology, biofeedback, and specifically neurofeedback are concerned with increasing
and enhancing self control and self regulation. A number of disputed issues in
neurofeedback turn on the question of how this "self" is to be understood. For
instance, the question of speed. Does it matter how fast feedback is beyond the limit
required for conscious recognition of the feedback signal's meaning? Implicit here may be
the notion that an inner controlling self must register the significance of the feedback
in order to learn from it. Neurologically, this might translate into the idea that the
visual or auditory feedback signal, along with information about somatosensory cortical
activity (if this is the area where the electrodes are placed), must reach the prefrontal
cortex to be associated, interpreted, and then acted on via a return message to the
somatosensory cortex to do more or less of what it was just doing. The assumption might be
that an executive self lives in the prefrontal cortex and that self regulation means
regulation by this executive.
Most neurofeedback theories seem to follow something like the above scenario. But not
all, and in fact many other possibilities would seem to exist. What if it is the
somatosensory cortex where feedback about its state (along with visual/auditory signals)
is processed? Or could it be the visual cortex, which is constantly monitoring the
just-past state of the somatosensory areas along with its own current state? This might
imply that faster feedback could be useful. The ROSHI, Margaret Ayres, and other
approaches seem to believe something like this is going on in neurofeedback. But what kind
of "self" can we imagine in the visual association cortex? Who is doing the self
controlling then?
Going further, what if it is the whole state of the brain that is the "self"
in self regulation? In this case, even greater delays might be desirable, in order for
this self to catch up with its various states, coherences and discontinuities, etc.,
before processing the rewarding or inhibitory signal.
Speed is only an example. More generally, I will suggest that the kind of
"self" involved in self control influences how brain function and neurofeedback
is understood and what protocols are thought to be effective. I will briefly survey some
Western and Eastern psychological ideas on the self to guide the analysis.
Goals: To increase awareness that our understanding of what the "self" is
influences our theories and practice of neurofeedback and to illustrate this with a few
examples.
WS2 Buddhism, the Yogic Self, and Neurofeedback
Al Collins, Ph.D.
Neurofeedback, like all biofeedback, is a technology of self regulation. The word
"self" in this definition is crucial in understanding what neurofeedback is. The
kind of self that is understood to be doing the regulating (or being regulated) differs
from one theory of neurofeedback to another. I will propose a taxonomy of neurofeedback
theories based on how they understand the self and its role in the process. Because the
deepest and most accurate analysis of the self has been done in the Indian and Chinese
psychologies of bondage and self realization, I will use these ideas as a basic grid or
framework for understanding the self's place in neurofeedback. Western psychological
theories of the self will also be briefly reviewed, including Bandura's self efficacy
theory, Rogers' and Gendlin's anti-self theories, Jung's distinction between ego and self,
and Kohut's biploar self theory. Finally, I will apply Western and Eastern self ideas to
the controversy over whether the brain, and therefore neurofeedback, is "linear"
or "chaotic."
There are at least three types of self in neurofeedback theories:
1. Self as ego (gaining self efficacy or self control)
2. Self as witness (learning to act while not claiming the "fruits" of action)
3. Self as no-self (reorganization outside self awareness)
In yogic and Buddhist terms, these correspond to the Sanskrit words ahamkara, Purusa,
and Buddha. We will discuss these concepts and apply them. At this point I believe that
most neurofeedback based on QEEG, decreasing theta/beta ratios, and frontal lobe mastery
falls into the self as ego category. Val Brown's and Len Ochs' theories, and perhaps
ROSHI, seem to fall into the self as no-self group. Jeff Carmen's HEG, possibly ROSHI, and
Anna Wise's Mind Mirror seem to belong in the self as witness category. I will discuss the
role of the frontal lobes (especially left prefrontal) as the locus of the self (ego,
possibly witness) and contrast this with the "global synchrony" no-self ideas
that are not interested in localization and in fact implicitly subordinate the self to a
wider organization. It is the no-self perspective that most naturally aligns itself with
chaos theory and nonlinearity of the nervous system and neurotherapy.
Goals: To clarify what "self regulation" means in neurofeedback (and
biofeedback generally) and to make explicit the implications that different understandings
of "self" have for theories and practice of neurofeedback.
Love is a Way of Paying Attention
Les Fehmi and Susan Shor
A stockbroker, viewing his stock picks and talking to his clients in paying attention. A
musician playing jazz is paying attention. An athlete who is immersed in his sport is
paying attention. Someone who experiences anger or sadness is paying attention.
All of these forms of attention are important in our everyday lives. Love seems to most
of us to be one of the more fleeting states of mind. Is it because we don’t bring the
appropriate forms of attention to support the experience of love?
Objectives:
-discuss various forms of attention according to a quadrant model
-to illustrate the appropriateness of the various forms of attention in each of the
quadrants for various human activities
-to recommend an inclusive form of attention that engenders compassion and love.
WS4 Managing Self, Managing awareness ; realizing your true nature through Attention
Training.
Les Fehmi
One can spend a life searching for one’s true nature. One can miss altogether the
nature of the searcher. Of all the variables associated with the searcher, the way he
attends-- the attention he brings to the search --is most critical. If he goes chasing his
true nature with a narrow focused atention, he’ll never get to realize other forms of
attention, which is the object of the search. The object of the search is to realize his
self. but Self is a composite of a multiplicity of forms of attention.
The participant will be exposed to various parameters of attention and will be guided
through experiential exercises which enable participants to actually experience forms of
attention discussed in the didactic part of the lecture. Attentional flexibility and its
applications to personal and clinical settings will be discussed.
Objectives:
-didactic and experiential understanding and realization of various forms of attention
according to a quadrant model
-to illustrate the relationship of the various forms of attention in the formation and
search for self.
-learn practical exercises which can be used or taught to clients for daily use in
practicing attentional flexibility
Transformations of Consciousness: Spiritual Milestones
Rhonda Greenberg
This presentation will address how to expand dimensions of consciousness and facilitate
spiritual growth in everyday psychotherapy. Learn how to effectively support, explore, and
effectively use the spiritual transformative techniques and recognize the phases of
transformational change. Inner transformation requires one to feel keenly and have a sheer
experience of the aspects of self that we hold back and then, begin to discover the truths
about ourselves. The integration of the dimensions of the soul into our healing work helps
individuals to emerge from the dark nights with a inner knowledge that deepens and
enriches ones' life. Release of emotional distress and all kinds of psychological problems
can be obtained through traditional psychotherapies and the new energy psychotherapies.
Learn how to employ these techniques in the service of growth, healing and optimal
wellness.
Objectives:
1. Understand the major theoretical paradigms that describe the developmental milestones
of spiritual and transformational growth.
2. Learn how psychotherapy can support spiritual emergence in order to help the client
achieve optimal inner healing and performance goals.
3. Introduction to the new energy meridien-based therapies and their integration of
these techniques with the more classic psychotherapies.
Optimal Functioning & QEEG 30 minutes
Jay Gunkelman
The concept of optimal functioning has been one which has had many protocols designed to
create such a state. These protocols have included many one-size-fits-all fixed state
protocols, such as the frontal lobe generalized suppression or the varieties of alpha
based protocols. There are others which are a universally applied protocols with multiple
steps, from the two chanell work of Anna Wise, to the Chaos theory expounding works of Val
Brown.
I will attempt to show the use of the qEEG to customize the NF intervention to the
individuals own EEG profile to optimize the effect desired by the client, rather than
accepting these more commonly expounded neurofeedback approaches to optimal functioning.
The arbitrary separation between clinical treatment and optimal functioning will be
discussed. Individual cases will be reviewed.
This is not a "weekend wonder" (one seminar gets you into a practice)
approach, but requires a depth understanding of the brain's physiological systems and
their EEG/qEEG signatures. The seductive nature of the less intellectually taxing
interventions will become obvious. A serious long term committment to the field is
required to attain independent mastry of the techniques, but with the modern information
technologies these advanced interventions do not have to be done independently.
Soma Sound: The Voice of Memory
Jane Gutman
An introduction to the "memory body," both as the embodiment of cellular
history and the expression of your mental/physical/emotional and spiritual
experience.
Meet an ancient practice that will re-align the collection of your bodies,
i.e. mental, physical, emotional, spiritual and memory bodies. This process
addresses the cellular memory system. It is a system that allows you to
access the library of memories that has accumulated from the moment of
conception to the present. Through a combination of energy balancing, breath
and "sounding" you will begin the process of gently releasing the material
that has collected in the cells and tissues of your system. As you begin to
address this collection you will allow the accumulated material to clear and
