Brain Activity: Intense Focus Versus Watching TV

Posted on April 29, 2012 by Glyn Blackett

I recorded my brain activity during a HEG neurofeedback session. More specifically, that means I recorded changes in infra-red heat radiation coming from my forehead. This form of biofeedback is used to train “executive function”, which is the job of the prefrontal cortex (the part of the brain behind the forehead). In this session I interspersed periods of intense focus with watching TV. You can see the results in the graph below. Continue reading →

How to Choose Between Neurotherapy Modalities

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Glyn Blackett

Neurotherapy at its broadest covers a wide range of techniques and therapies, including neurofeedback and biofeedback, transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), Cranial Electro-Stimulation (CES) and Audio-Visual Stimulation (AVS). But how does a practitioner select which is appropriate for any given client?

In a recent blog post I reviewed Richard Davidson’s theory of emotional style (presented in his book, ‘The Emotional Life of Your Brain’ co-authored with Sharon Begley). I believe Davidson’s ideas offer a framework for choosing neurotherapies, and for tailoring therapy for the individual – in effect, for realising the goal of personalised health care. In this blog post I attempt to link some of the dimensions of emotional style to neurotherapy interventions. Continue reading →

Anger Deactivates the Brain’s Executive Control

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Glyn Blackett

Some weeks ago an event happened while I was practising biofeedback (on myself) that I found very interesting and revelatory. I got a glimpse of how spontaneous emotions affect the brain, and I wanted to share what I learned with others.

I was working with HEG neurofeedback. This involves having a sensor mounted over the forehead, in this case an infra-red temperature sensor. I discussed this form of biofeedback in a recent blog post. To summarise, the sensor detects changes in heat radiation from the forehead, which are presumed to come from changes in activity in the prefrontal cortex (which is behind the forehead). When I focus intently, with a bright and vivid awareness, the signal increases. When I drift into day-dreaming or dullness, the signal falls. Continue reading →

The Future of Psychotherapy

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Glyn Blackett

As long as I’ve been a therapist I’ve held that psychotherapy interventions should be rooted in an understanding of the biological systems that underlie mental and emotional well-being.

Professor Richard Davidson’s recent book, ‘The Emotional Life of Your Brain’ (co-authored with Sharon Begley), offers us a glimpse of a future in which mental health issues such as anxiety and depression are defined not in terms of their symptoms but rather which specific brain systems are out of balance or need to be strengthened. Such an understanding would naturally inform our choice of therapies.

Professor Davidson is a leading figure in the field of “affective neuroscience”, or the study of the brain mechanisms behind emotions. The book explores his theory of “emotional style”, a way of describing our emotional propensities based on a set of six dimensions, each representing a relatively independent trait and embodied in distinct brain circuits that can be measured objectively using the tools of neuroscience. Examples are resilience, or how quickly you recover from adverse events, and self-awareness in the sense of how well you perceive bodily sensations that reflect emotions. Continue reading →

Biofeedback Affects Mindfulness Meditation

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Glyn Blackett

This week I did a small experiment with myself using infra-red temperature neurofeedback (commonly known as HEG or hemoencephalography neurofeedback). I’ve been using biofeedback in support of my personal meditation practice for quite some time. One evening this week I connected myself to the sensor as usual, then simply recorded over a short period of mindfulness of breathing practice but without any feedback turned on (and the software not visible). The next evening I meditated again with the IR sensor connected, but this time with feedback. Continue reading →

Neurofeedback Training in the UK

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Glyn Blackett

On behalf of my colleagues Antonio Martins-Mourao, PhD, FHEA and Tony Steffert, BSc., MA. I’d like to announce a workshop offering training in neurofeedback to health professionals, educators etc. to be held under the auspices of the Open University at their London campus. For details follow this link:

Neurofeedback Workshop – Open University – London March 2012 Continue reading →

Flow States Part 2

Posted on December 1, 2011 by Glyn Blackett

To recap: the problem with flow is it presents a paradox: we want to access flow states, yet to try is by definition not flow.

I think the key to the resolution, insofar as a resolution is possible, is Continue reading →

Flow States and How to Access Them – Part 1

Posted on November 24, 2011 by Glyn Blackett

The concept of flow is in some ways as old as the hills but it was systematised and brought to prominence by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, in his classic work ‘Flow’. Flow states are a mainstay in the world of positive psychology, which studies what it means to be happy. For example see Martin Seligman’s work.

Csikszentmihalyi wanted to know what characterised people who were happy – in the sense of being fully engaged in life. The essence of a flow state is that you become so absorbed in whatever it is you’re doing, that you lose awareness of yourself as a separate being, and things just happen naturally (they flow) without any need for willed effort on your part. It’s still you doing it, but if feels effortless, as if you are moved by some force beyond yourself. Flow states are very enjoyable – but you only realise it in retrospect. Flow states are common, at least for some people, and can happen in almost any context but are most typically encountered while playing sport, or music, or practising some art form, but also in more mundane contexts. A lot of people find flow at work! Csikszentmihalyi researched flow states in a wide range of cultures and contexts, and distilled a set of characteristics of flow states: Continue reading →

How To Stop Thinking in Mindfulness Meditation

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Glyn Blackett

Admittedly this title is somewhat provocative – a more important question is, should we even be trying to stop thinking in mindfulness meditation? And the answer to this question is no.

Recently I read Andy Puddicombe’s book, ‘Get Some Headspace’, and he points out, as lots of other writers do, that it’s a common misconception that meditation is about stopping thinking. People get frustrated because the more they try to silence the thinking mind, the more their thoughts come back at them – a classic example of the “quicksand” dynamic that I mentioned in an earlier post.

But it really begs the question, why should people think meditation is about silencing the thinking mind? After all, good mindfulness teachers make it clear that it isn’t. Perhaps it’s more that people naturally seem to want to shut off thoughts. Continue reading →

The Nature of Effort in Mindfulness and Biofeedback

Posted on November 13, 2011 by Glyn Blackett

Mindfulness presents us with something of a paradox: we want to control the mind in some sense, at least by keeping it in the present moment, and yet we are taught that any effort to control the mind is doomed to failure. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT – a form of mindfulness-based therapy) gives us the metaphor of quicksand: when we struggle in quicksand, we get sucked down. In other words we get the opposite of what we want. Instead we need to focus on acceptance. Mindfulness therapy purists seem to be saying don’t make any attempt at all to control the mind, or at least to control emotions.

I think this goes too far – it risks throwing the baby out with the bath water. The key thing is the nature of the effort. The wrong kind of effort is indeed counter-productive. But there is a right kind – let’s call it mental application to distinguish it. It’s possible to acquire skill in working with emotions – emotional intelligence if you like. We’ll never have absolute control over our emotions, but equally we aren’t powerless. Continue reading →

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