《号外周刊》Special Weekly Magazine 780 issue (1 April 2016) - 行行出达人系列之临床催眠师

《号外周刊》的内容很丰富，这是本以政治作为主题的杂志。无可否认，我们国家的政治新闻泰半都精彩过娱乐新闻。

文归正题，杂志里你看到我拿着怀表对吧？其实这只是众多催眠引导法中的一种，怀表并不是治疗过程里的必要品哦！

大家不妨一阅第780期的《号外周刊》，里头有简述我加入这行的原因哦。话说我成为合法registered hypnotherapist的过程还真不简单啊！从修读心理学，修读临床催眠疗法，修读脑电波反馈疗法和实习等，接着再一步步通过AHPM催眠治疗师协会的审查与训练；这一切就花了我近7年的时间。

First neural evidence for the unconscious thought process

Hemingway (1964/2010) describes a process that people who engage in creative pursuits from time to time recognize. While you are engaged in one thing—say a conversation with friends—consciously, something that you had been working on beforehand is still simmering unconsciously. At times the simmering is quite vigorous, and the repeating conscious intrusions can make it difficult to fully concentrate on your current activity—talking to your friends.

The idea of that incubation or unconscious thought can aid creativity or problem solving is old (Schopenhauer, 1851), and 10 years ago, we started to link the process of unconsious thought to decision making in a series of experiments (Dijksterhuis, 2004; Dijksterhuis and Nordgren, 2006;Dijksterhuis et al., 2006). The idea was based on two considerations. The first was that it is quite a small step from problem solving to decision making and the second was that the process of unconscious thought as described in the first paragraph can often be sensed, introspectively, when one is in the process of making an important decision such as buying a house or choosing between one’s job and a job offer for a new one.

In our initial experiments, we gave participants the task to choose between four alternatives (houses, cars, roommates, etc.) on the basis of a number of aspects (often 12 per alternative). Participants either decided immediately after reading the decision information, or after a period of conscious thought, or after a period of distraction during which unconscious thought was assumed to take place. In our early experiments, unconscious thinkers made better decisions than participants in the other two conditions. We initially called this the deliberation without attention effect; however, now we prefer the term unconscious thought effect (UTE).

These initial findings led a number of colleagues to also investigate the relation between unconscious thought and decision making and, looking back now at 10 years of unconscious thought research, the research seems to have revolved around two questions. The first is whether unconscious thought indeed leads to better decisions that conscious thought or no thought, the second is whether unconscious thought really exists in the first place (and if so, what exactly is it)? The contribution by Creswell et al. (2013) constitutes a major step towards answering the second question, so I focus briefly on the first before devoting the remainder of this introduction to the second and to the work by Creswellet al.

Does unconscious thought lead to better decisions? As such things tend to go, 10 years of research has led to a rather predictable answer: Probably, but only under some circumstances. The paradigm we developed turned out to be much more fragile than we had hoped, and although the UTE has been replicated independently in well over dozen laboratories, at least equally often people did not obtain any evidence for improved decision making after unconscious thought. Some individual papers, as well as a recent meta-analysis (Strick et al., 2011), identified a number of moderators. It seems that unconsious thought is beneficial when decisions are based on a lot rather than on little information, when the decision information is presented blocked by decision alternative rather than completely randomized, when the distraction task is not too cognitively taxing, and when the decision information contains visual stimuli in addition to verbal stimuli. It is encouranging for proponents of the work on unconscious thought that unconscious thoughts seem to be more fruitful when the experimental set-up becomes more ecologically valid.

That being said, some people have argued that unconscious thought does not really exist in the first place. People may make better decisions after being distracted, but that does not yet mean that any decision related mental activity took place while they were distracted. Some have proposed, for instance, that participants in unconscious thought conditions form an impression of the decision alternatives online—that is, while they read the decision information—and later simply retrieve this information. These participants may perform better than conscious thinkers, because under some circumstances, conscious thought can actually hamper decision making. Although it is indeed very likely that a reasonable proportion of participants in some unconscious thought experiments indeed merely retrieved online impression (which, by the way, can be prevented by presenting the stimulus materials rapidly), this cannot explain why unconscious thinkers also often outperform immediate decision makers (Strick et al., 2010), something that has been curiously overlooked when this alternative explanation was first published. However, there is also evidence that people who are not given the goal to make a decision before they are distracted make worse decisions than people who do have the goal (Bos et al., 2008), and this rules out this alternative explanation even more effectively. Unconscious thought is a goal-directed unconscious process, and merely distracting people does not do anything.

The experiment by Creswell et al.—in which they provide the first neural evidence for the UTE—also provides strong evidence for the unconscious thought process. They indeed found that unconscious thinkers made better decisions than conscious thinkers and than immediate decision makers. More importantly, they compared neural activity among people who were thinking unconsciously while they were engaged in a distraction task with the neural activity of people doing this same distraction task without engaging in unconscious thought. They found evidence forreactivation. The same regions that were active while people encoded the decision information—the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and left intermediate visual cortex—were active during unconscious thought. Moreover, the degree of neural reactivation differed between participants and was predictive of the quality of the decision after unconscious thought.

This is a breakthrough in unconscious thought research, and, quite appropriately in a celebratory sort of way, published almost exactly 10 years after the first experiments with the unconscious thought paradigm. Again, Creswell et al. provide the first neural evidence, and thereby—in my view at least—unambiguous evidence for the unconscious thought process. Finally, they also provide insight into the characteristics of the unconscious thought process.

Althought some aspects of the unconscious thought process can be carefully deduced from moderators, direct process-oriented evidence is scarce. Unconscious thought leads the representations of the decision alternatives in memory to become better organized and more polarized (Dijksterhuis, 2004; Bos et al., 2011) and interestingly, a recent paper shows that unconscious thinkers rely more on gist memory than on verbatim memory (Abadie et al., in press) thereby also integrating fuzzy-trace theory (e.g. Reyna and Brainerd, 1995) and unconscious thought theory. The reactivation account by Creswell et al. is fully in line with these earier findings, as earlier work on reactivation has repeatedly found (for references see the article by Creswell et al.) that reactivation improves memory and learning processes.

The work by Creswell and colleagues constitues a vital step forwards. The combined evidence now suggests that unconscious thought is a goal-directed process of neural reactivation during which memory representations of—in this case decision alternatives—change.

• © The Author (2013). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: [email protected]

Source: http://scan.oxfordjournals.org/content/8/8/845.full

The brain-computer duel: Do we have free will?

The background to this new set of experiments lies in the debate regarding conscious will and determinism in human decision-making, which has attracted researchers, psychologists, philosophers and the general public, and which has been ongoing since at least the 1980s. At that time, the American researcher Benjamin Libet studied the nature of cerebral processes of study participants during conscious decision-making. He demonstrated that conscious decisions were initiated by unconscious brain processes, and that a wave of brain activity referred to as a 'readiness potential' could be recorded even before the subject had made a conscious decision.

How can the unconscious brain processes possibly know in advance what decision a person is going to make at a time when they are not yet sure themselves? Until now, the existence of such preparatory brain processes has been regarded as evidence of 'determinism', according to which free will is nothing but an illusion, meaning our decisions are initiated by unconscious brain processes, and not by our 'conscious self'. In conjunction with Prof. Dr. Benjamin Blankertz and Matthias Schultze-Kraft from Technische Universität Berlin, a team of researchers from Charité's Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, led by Prof. Dr. John-Dylan Haynes, has now taken a fresh look at this issue. Using state-of-the-art measurement techniques, the researchers tested whether people are able to stop planned movements once the readiness potential for a movement has been triggered.

"The aim of our research was to find out whether the presence of early brain waves means that further decision-making is automatic and not under conscious control, or whether the person can still cancel the decision, i.e. use a 'veto'," explains Prof. Haynes. As part of this study, researchers asked study participants to enter into a 'duel' with a computer, and then monitored their brain waves throughout the duration of the game using electroencephalography (EEG). A specially-trained computer was then tasked with using these EEG data to predict when a subject would move, the aim being to out-maneuver the player. This was achieved by manipulating the game in favor of the computer as soon as brain wave measurements indicated that the player was about to move.

If subjects are able to evade being predicted based on their own brain processes this would be evidence that control over their actions can be retained for much longer than previously thought, which is exactly what the researchers were able to demonstrate. "A person's decisions are not at the mercy of unconscious and early brain waves. They are able to actively intervene in the decision-making process and interrupt a movement," says Prof. Haynes. "Previously people have used the preparatory brain signals to argue against free will. Our study now shows that the freedom is much less limited than previously thought. However, there is a 'point of no return' in the decision-making process, after which cancellation of movement is no longer possible." Further studies are planned in which the researchers will investigate more complex decision-making processes.

Source:

http://www.neuroscientistnews.com/research-news/brain-computer-duel-do-we-have-free-will

World Hypnotism Day 4th January in Malaysia 今天不只是开学日，也是世界催眠日

今天不只是开学日，也是世界催眠日

全球催眠业界将每年的1月4日定为世界催眠日(World Hypnotism Day)。 很多人对催眠术的误解来自于科幻类书籍或电影，坊间也有许多关於催眠术负面的描述，例如很多人认为被催眠後就会受到控制，会在外界的引导下做出一些尴尬的事情，将每年的1月4日定为世界催眠日的目的，就是让人们改变这个错误的观念并了解事实，了解真正的催眠术能对他们的生活有怎样积极的改变，任何你可以想像到的坏习惯，都可以通过催眠术进行治疗，从而得到改善。

不少人对于催眠有很多迷思与误解，其实简单来说催眠可以说是处于一种“意识高度专注的状态”。它不是睡眠状态，也不是正常的清醒状态（如何肯定？本人都会以非侵入性的方式观测被催眠者的脑电波来探测）。从我对被催眠者的脑波观测与他们的口述回馈发现他们大致都会体会几种状态；有的人会进入高度放松的状态，有的人会进入非常祥和平静的状态。而我本身称它为一种“恍惚”般的状态。然而在这样的恍惚状态下，被催眠者依然能感受到身边所发生的事情和防范违反他们意愿的事情的。那感觉就如在高速公路驾驶数小时，在完全睡着前或者投入的看电影那般的感觉。

根据美国心理学会心理催眠部门 (American Psychological Association’s Division of Psychological Hypnosis)对催眠的解释是：“hypnosis is a procedure during which a health professional or researcher suggests while treating someone that he or she experience changes in sensations, perceptions, thoughts, or behavior. Although some hypnosis is used to make people more alert, most hypnosis includes suggestions for relaxation, calmness, and well-being. Instructions to imagine or think about pleasant experiences are also commonly included during hypnosis. People respond to hypnosis in different ways. Some describe hypnosis as a state of focused attention, in which they feel very calm and relaxed. Most people describe the experience as pleasant.”


I am celebrating World Hypnotism Day Jan. 4 by providing the email consultation regarding your concern. This day was established to help educate the general public of the fact and benefits of hypnosis.
Welcome to drop me an email: [email protected]

ntv7《活力早晨》民生关注问题之如何预防电话催眠

新闻事件内容：

(吉隆坡2015年3月25日讯）

最新电话骗案手法，老千隔空施催眠术，让你不经意透露银行户头资料？！

　手机通讯应用程序最近流传一则来历不明的讯息，内容警告手机用户，指一旦接获背景有奇怪音乐的电话，便应该马上盖电话，否则将成为“电话催眠术”的受害者。

　讯息内容提及，对方一般会尝试拖延时间，而接听者在听到奇怪的背景声音后便陷入迷糊状态，疑似已被催眠。

　接著，便会不经意透露银行户头资料，让不法之徒有机可趁。

　讯息指案件是于上周五（20日）早上，在吉隆坡苏丹阿兹兰沙路（前是怡保路）发生，并指受害者是一名华裔女生，幸她被催眠时，身旁友人感觉有异大声呼喝把她惊醒，并马上中止所有银行户头交易及信用卡，以致没有损失。

　讯息指，至今为止警方已接获10宗类似投报。她说，不料对方却大声呼喝她，惊吓之下，她挂断电话。

　“我朋友清醒后即刻前往临近银行马上取消所有转账、个人银行户头及信用卡，银行服务员获悉受害者遭遇后，也告知她这是银行接获的第3宗类似案件。”

　冼都警区主任慕鲁沙米助理总监受询时指并未接获相关投报。

资料来源：http://cnews.cari.com.my/news.php?id=727639

最近许多人成为电话催眠的受害者。感谢媒体对社会时事的关注，让我可以以临床催眠师的身份在ntv7《活力早晨》节目上教导民众如何对抗罪犯。实际上，临床催眠是非常科学有效的身心治疗方法，属于心理与医学结合的辅助医学技术。在临床上对自律神经失调如失眠和肠胃问题，改变坏习惯如催眠瘦身或戒烟，疼痛管理如生产或手术过程，情绪问题如抑郁或焦虑等都有非常显著的治疗效果。

以下是我今早ntv7电视台教导的预防罪犯催眠的方法简述：

• 受害者被电话催眠后，将陷入恍惚状态Alpha-Theta脑电波状态，逻辑思考能力受限；很容易做出不理智的决定。当你发现对方说的话毫无疑点但同时却觉得困惑不已，或许你几经成为了受害者。（可以透过脑电波反馈疗法EEG biofeedback训练你的逻辑思考，专注力甚至让你变得不容易被影响和催眠）。
• 当你发现自己变得特别的乖和听话，那或许就是一个被控制的迹象了。
• 当你发现自己的情绪反应强烈时，你或许已经进入了失控状态。
• 勇敢的说“不”，跳出恍惚状态，让自己恢复理智。
• 有的人无法轻易跳出恍惚状态，可以考虑学习自我催眠或者脑电波反馈疗法来帮助自己加强抵御力或增强逻辑思考能力。
• 催眠是无法控制别人的行为的，因为如果你不愿意合作，没有人可以催眠你的。催眠的功效实际上就是合作与配合度来决定的。只要你不合作，没有人可以催眠你的。

事实上，当你收看这节目或阅读此文章时，你的大脑潜意识就如已经植入了我（临床催眠师的角色就如软件工程师般)给你的初级版防毒程式anti-virus。那么电话催眠罪犯(他们就如hacker般的角色)的病毒virus就比较难对你的潜意识产生影响了（记得勇于说NO! 跳出催眠状态）。如果你想要找寻临床催眠做疗法，建议找有向MSCH或AHPM注册的催眠师。再次特别感谢电视台的化妆师，主持人和工作人员的专业服务与制作。

If scammer is trying to hypnotize you without knowledge, what can you do exactly to not get hypnotized?

Hypnosis is natural, we are all in and out of trance every day. The hypnotic state is a very natural state of physical relaxation and heightened mental awareness whereby an action is felt to "just happen" automatically without conscious effort. For example, when you are driving, you often slip into a trance state where the conscious and unconscious minds appear to concentrate on different things (conscious mind focus and think about the task later on & your unconscious mind is focusing on driving the car). 

Your unconscious mind (hypnotic trance state) just like the part of you which looks out for you. Your action is felt to "just happen" automatically without conscious effort when unconscious mind(hypnotic trance state) is in charge. 
Most of the time it does a good job but sometimes it makes mistakes. For example: Bad habit, eating pattern, phobia, headache, migraine, irritable bowel syndrome, insomnia, light sleeper, anxiety and more. Your hypnotic trance can give rise to problems or solutions, depending on the value of the context.
Thus, clinical hypnotherapist is just like a "software engineer" to help you reprogramming, re-education or re-training your unconscious mind. Then gives your subconscious mind the "anti-virus"software that it needs, to stop it from makes mistakes again. Hypnotherapy are at their best when they are collaborative. So if you don't want to be hypnotized, then you can't be hypnotized. In Malaysia, make sure the hypnotherapist belongs to one of the major governing bodies such as - The Association of Hypnotherapy Practitioners, Malaysia (AHPM) which is regulated under the FCNMAM. Yes, AHPM members must adhere to AHPM's ethical, professional and evidence-based practice guidelines.


Scammers are like a hacker. They understand how our unconscious mind (hypnotic trance state) works. They identify possible exploits and hack into your unconscious mind (hypnotic trance state) and put"virus" into your system either through security 'holes' and then you might make mistakes. They can find exploits by using specific technique. Some victims are easier to go into hypnotic trance state than others. Thus, those people "system" are easily hacked. Stop collaborative when you receive their call so you can't be hypnotized. 



However, there are many ways to improve your system, so you won't be hacked easily:
EEG biofeedback/neurotherapy:
Hypnotherapy works with people who are highly suggestible. Highly suggestible people tend to have certain brainwave profiles. They usually have Alphas and Thetas which can be increased easily. These brainwaves are associated with relaxation and dreaminess. That’s why hypnotherapist always ask you to relax, focus and calm down. In some people, these brain waves can increase easily, making them more vulnerable to go into hypnotic trance state. An experienced hypnotherapist (just like software engineer) or scammers(Hacker) can detect it. The good news is that EEG biofeedback therapy can train you to control your brainwaves at will. With this training, you can protect yourself from people who try to exploit your unconscious mind (hypnotic trance state).

Hypnotherapy:
Clinical hypnotherapist is just like a "software engineer" to help you reprogramming, re-education or re-training your unconscious mind. Then gives your subconscious mind the "anti-virus" software that it needs, to stop it from makes mistakes again. Yes, if you set your mind against being hypnotized, you can't be hypnotized. However, if you don't realize you're being hypnotized, and so don't know to be resistant, you can sometimes be hypnotized lightly. Thus, experienced clinical hypnotherapist able to identify or guide you to prevent being hypnotized by giving your subconscious mind the "anti-virus"software (hypnotic suggestion). Scientists have found evidence that hypnotic suggestion can modify processing of a targeted stimulus before it reaches consciousness (Suomen Akatemia, 2013). This result indicates that all hypnotic responding can no longer be regarded merely as goal directed mental imagery. It shows that in hypnosis, hypnotic suggestion is possible to create a engrams. Engrams are means by which memory traces are stored as biophysical or biochemical changes in the brain (and other neural tissue) in response to external stimuli.






Source:
Suomen Akatemia (Academy of Finland). (2013, August 13). A hypnotic suggestion can generate true and automatic hallucinations. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 10, 2015 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/08/130813101014.htm.

Neurofeedback now available in Malaysia

Yes, you can now experience the wonder of clinical neurofeedback training in Malaysia!

Currently, I am practicing the clinical neurofeedback training in the Hypnosis Integrative Hub @ Life Care Diagnostic Medical Centre at Bangsar South (KL). I am a Singapore trained neurofeedback (Master Trainer Level) practitioner with many years of experience. Clinical Neurofeedback/EEG biofeedback deals with your subconscious mind and it is very effective in changing one's behavior, attention, concentration, stress arousal and emotion state. Contact me if you would like to know more about it.

Neurofeedback is a scientifically-based treatment for a variety of problems that result from a dysregulated nervous system. There have been hundreds (or more) of research studies to prove the effectiveness of Neurofeedback in the last 45 years. Recent meta analyses document the effectiveness of Neurofeedback in the treatment of ADHD (Arns, de Ridder, Strehl, Breteler, and Coenen, 2009). In 2012, the American Academy of Pediatrics rated Neurofeedback/ Biofeedback is rated as a Level 1 intervention for ADHD – the same as medication.

What is Neurofeedback?

Neurofeedback is direct training of brain function, by which the brain learns to function more efficiently. We observe the brain in action from moment to moment. We show that information back to the person. And we reward the brain for changing its own activity to more appropriate patterns. This is a gradual learning process. It applies to any aspect of brain function that we can measure. Neurofeedback is also called EEG Biofeedback, because it is based on electrical brain activity, the electroencephalogram, or EEG. Neurofeedback is training in self-regulation. It is simply biofeedback applied to the brain directly. Self-regulation is a necessary part of good brain function. Self-regulation training allows the system (the central nervous system) to function better.

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 and emotional disturbances. It is also useful for organic brain conditions such as seizures, the autism spectrum, and cerebral palsy.

Is Neurofeedback a Cure?

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.

What Conditions Can it Help?

Many children have sleep problems that can be helped such as Bed wetting, Sleep walking, sleep talking, Teeth grinding, Nightmares, Night terrors.

We can also be helpful with many of the problems of adolescence including Drug abuse, Suicidal behavior, Anxiety and depression.

We can also help to maintain good brain function as people get older. The good news is that almost any brain, regardless of its level of function, can be trained to function better.

Training effects last?

If the problem being addressed is one of brain disregulation, then the answer is yes, and that covers a lot of ground. Neurofeedback involves learning by the brain and if that brings order out of disorder, the brain will continue to use its new capabilities, and thus reinforce them.

Matters are different when we are dealing with degenerative conditions like Parkinson's or the dementias, or when we are working against continuing insults to the system, as may be the case in the autism spectrum. In such cases the training needs to be continued at some level over time. Allergic susceptibilities and food intolerances make it more difficult to hold the gains. Poor digestive function will pose a problem, as does poor nutrition. A child living in a toxic environment (in either the physical or the psychological sense) will have more difficulty retaining good function.

Your initial assessment costs RM190 only. 

Report will be given right after your consultation session. 

No worries, you won't be labelled in our centre. 

Suggestions will be offered as a starting point for training.

Further reading: 

[News on The Washington Post By Arlene Karidis 2015 January 19 ]

Therapists are using neurofeedback to treat ADHD, PTSD and other conditions

In September 2013, Chris Gardner went from kicking and spinning as a black belt in taekwondo to being locked in a world where he could not follow conversations — or even walk his dog. The 58-year-old Vienna, Va., resident had just had brain surgery to remove a large tumor, and the operation affected his mobility and cognition.

After nine months of physical and occupational therapy, he’d made little progress. So he tried neurofeedback, hoping this controversial treatment would improve his balance and mental processes.

Neurofeedback — a type of biofeedback — uses movies, video games, computers and other tools to help individuals regulate their brain waves. A patient might watch a movie, for example, while hooked to sensors that send data to a computer. A therapist, following the brain activity on a monitor, programs the computer to stop the movie if an abnormal number of fast or slow brain waves is detected or if the brain waves are erratic, moving rapidly from fast to slow waves.

The stop-and-start feedback, repeated over and over in numerous sessions, seems to yield more-normal brain waves. Researchers who endorse the technique say they don’t know exactly how it works but they say the changes in brain waves result in improved ability to focus and relax.

Better focus and relaxation can seemingly help improve or eliminate such conditions as migraines (imbalanced brain waves are associated with certain symptoms like pain) and anxiety.

Neurofeedback, which is also used for post-traumatic stress disorder and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, has been around since the 1960s. Some research has found it promising. Other studies have been inconclusive, and some have shown no positive outcomes.

The most solid data concern ADHD, especially a recent trial involving 104 children published in March in the Journal of Pediatrics. Those who received neurofeedback had improvements in attention and impulse control, while those who did not receive the therapy did not. These improvements persisted after six months. The authors concluded that neurofeedback may be a “promising attention training treatment for children with ADHD.”

Gardner had read that the technique could aid in recovery from brain injuries.

“I was skeptical. But I was desperate. I felt like I was wrapped in miles of cotton and could not reach through it to touch or feel anything,” said Gardner, an electronic technology consultant. His doctor was projecting a two-to-three-year recovery period, based on Gardner’s slow progress nine months after surgery.

By his ninth neurofeedback session, he was driving, taking power walks and working from home.

Neurofeedback treatments vary. In Gardner’s case, he sat in a chair while tiny, pulsed signals were sent to his brain. Research suggests that these signals enable the brain to revive its communication channels, which can become impaired after a brain injury.

“I couldn’t feel anything” while the treatments were underway, Gardner said. “I just sat there with my eyes closed. My therapist explained that the pulses basically reboot the brain.”

He has just completed the last of 10 treatments. “I am not 100 percent. I probably won’t stand on my head or get on a roller coaster. But I can do almost everything I couldn’t do before,” said Gardner, who’s back to his martial arts.

“Do most people become totally normal? No. But they improve,” said Michael Sitar, a Bethesda psychologist certified in neurofeedback. He uses it to treat depression, ADHD, chronic pain and some other conditions.

“I find [that] people with focus problems can switch tasks easier. Kids who repeat themselves and who are emotionally labile become calmer and don’t repeat as much,” Sitar said. “With some complicated cases, like bipolar disorder, people may get by on less medication. Though less common, there are documented cases of nonverbal people who become verbal.”

Like riding a bike

Deborah Stokes, an Alexandria psychologist, compares neurofeedback to riding a bike: It’s non-conscious learning, based on the feedback, that, with repetition, can be long-lasting, she said.

“We don’t know exactly how neurofeedback works,” she said. “It’s a process where if clients get out of their own way, they relax. Over time, they get the desired brain pattern, feel calm and function better. This encourages them to stay with it.” Her team sees 30 patients a week.

Thomas Nicklin, whose family was living in Alexandria, saw Stokes for debilitating migraines. A year and a half after beginning a drug regimen prescribed by a neurologist, he was not getting better.

Nicklin, a teenager who was in boarding school, did 45 neurofeedback sessions over three months last year.

“Over time, Thomas went from three or four blinding migraines a week, vomiting and daily pain, to no symptoms,” said his mother, Pat Nicklin.

Silver Spring psychologist Robb Mapou is among the skeptics.

“I have not seen enough well-controlled, rigorous studies in most conditions for which it is recommended to show, definitively, that neurofeedback is effective. I also think there are other therapeutic factors that can contribute to an individual’s outcome, such as discussing their problems with a therapist.”

Michelle Harris-Love, a neuroscience researcher at the MedStar National Rehabilitation Network in Washington, agrees.

“I believe it is applied in some situations where we do not have enough information on the cause of a disorder or how recovery happens,” she said.

But Rex Cannon, past president of the International Society for Neurofeedback and Research, based in McLean, Va., cited nearly 200 peer-reviewed published articles that indicate neurofeedback’s effectiveness. This includes a meta-analysis of 10 studies on epilepsy patients: Although they had not responded to medications, they had a significant reduction in seizures after neurofeedback treatment. And a study on migraine patientsreported, “Neurofeedback appears to be dramatically effective in abolishing or significantly reducing migraine frequency in the great majority of patients.”

Patients usually have sessions two or three times a week, for a total of 10 to 40. Most sessions are 30 to 60 minutes long. They can be expensive — from $50 to $130 each. Some insurance policies cover neurofeedback, depending on the diagnosis.

Mary Lee Esty, a Bethesda clinical social worker, has a small study underway treating veterans with PTSD. In an earlier study of seven veterans who used neurofeedback, she reported, the results were promising.

“These people [in the early study] initially had minimal function. They could not work, and many attempted suicide,” she said. “One is getting a PhD now. One has a full scholarship when he could not read after his head injury. All of them are doing well.”

Other studies describe results of the therapy in a similar way, as promising but requiring further examination.

Esty, who received a National Institutes of Health grant for an earlier study of brain-injured patients, has used neurofeedback to treat more than 2,500 people, mainly with brain injuries or PTSD. In her most recent and still ongoing study, she collaborates with the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, which gives participants in her program post-treatment evaluations.

“I am in this collaboration because I want to get the hard data out there,” Esty said.

Karidis is a freelance writer.

Source:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/therapists-are-using-neurofeedback-to-treat-adhd-ptsd-and-other-conditions/2015/01/16/b38e6cee-5ec3-11e4-91f7-5d89b5e8c251_story.html
http://www.eeginfo.com/what-is-neurofeedback.jsp
https://geekdad.com/2017/01/neurofeedback-what-it-is-what-it-does-what-you-need-to-know/

Hypnotherapy May Help Improve Deep Sleep

In the US, over a quarter of the population report not getting enough sleep, and almost 10% endure chronic insomnia. But new research from two universities in Switzerland suggests hypnosis has a surprising positive impact on quality of sleep.

The researchers, led by biopsychologist Björn Rasch from the Psychological Institute of the University of Zurich, say their findings "open up new, promising opportunities for improving the quality of sleep without drugs."

They publish their research in the journal Sleep.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) note that although sleep is often considered a "passive" activity, ample sleep is an essential part of staying healthy and preventing disease.

Insufficient sleep is linked with several chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and depression.

Additionally, the researchers of this latest study say that slow-wave sleep (SWS) has a positive impact on memory and immune system function, and during this period of sleep, the body secretes growth hormones, promotes cell repair and improves brain plasticity. However, the team also notes that SWS declines significantly across a person's lifespan.

Hypnosis is a technique that can impact processes that are difficult to voluntarily control - for example, when you are exhausted and want to sleep but are unable to do so.

Although patients with sleep conditions have been successfully treated with hypnotherapy in the past, the researchers say that until now, objectively measurable changes in sleep have not been proven.

In order to further investigate, the team conducted a study with 70 healthy young women who came to the sleep laboratory for a 90-minute nap during midday.

During their nap, the researchers objectively measured their sleep by recording electrical brain activity with an electroencephalogram (EEG). The team says slow-wave sleep is characterized by an even and slow oscillation in electrical activity in the brain.

Results showed that the women in the highly suggestible group experienced over 80% more SWS after hypnosis session, and their time spent awake was reduced by one third, compared with highly suggestible women who listened to the neutral text.

After they conducted additional control experiments, the researchers concluded that the beneficial effects of hypnosis on SWS were attributed to the hypnotic suggestion to "sleep deeper," stating that these effects were not simply expectancy effects.

'Unlike drugs, hypnosis has no side effects'

The research was only conducted in women, and the investigators note that females tend to have higher values for hypnotic susceptibility, compared with males. However, the team believes they would encounter similar positive effects of hypnosis on sleep for men who are highly suggestible.

Maren Cordi, a psychologist involved with the study, says "the results may be of major importance for patients with sleep problems and for older adults. In contrast to many sleep-inducing drugs, hypnosis has no adverse side effects."

The researchers conclude their study by noting that essentially everyone who responds to hypnosis could achieve better sleep with hypnosis.

Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/277731.php

National Seminar on Counselling & Psychotherapy 2014

I represent my healthcare centre to this seminar.

This was one of the most informative seminars I have ever attended.

I have learned a lot from professors from UTM and professional hypnotherapist.

I am delighted that the contribution of hypnotherapist and other professional helpers have been recognized by professors there.

The Topics Covered include: 

1. Transference and countertransference in couselling

2. E-Counselling

3. Professional Issues & Challenges in Counselling and Psychotherapy in Malaysia

4. Issues and Challenges in Family Therapy

5. Contemporary Issues and Challenges in the Helping Profession

They were also discussing to form a new psychotherapy association under the MOH-TCM.

With Prof. Datuk Dr. Mohd. Tajudin Ninggal (UTM) and Dr.Soo.

"Ubah frekuensi gelombang otak" KOSMO! | Newspaper | Neuro-hipnoterapi

Oleh MAHFUZ MOHAMAD
[email protected]

NAFSU makan yang tidak terbendung merupakan igauan ngeri bagi seorang wanita muda. Kebimbangan bertambah setiap hari terutama apabila melihat skala pada mesin penimbang berat badan yang menunjukkan peningkatan setiap hari.

Hati menjadi semakin resah dan gelisah apabila memikirkan tentang perkara yang boleh mengakibatkan dirinya ditimpa penyakit serius itu.

Selain bimbang mengenai risiko kesihatan, pandangan sinis rakan-rakan dan orang sekeliling mengenai saiz tubuhnya yang semakin membesar secara tidak langsung menipiskan keyakinan dirinya untuk bersosial.

“Setiap kali saya melihat makanan, saya pasti tidak dapat menahan diri daripada menjamah hidangan tersebut. Keadaan jadi lebih parah apabila ternampak restoran makanan segera.

“Saya rasa seperti ada magnet yang menarik untuk menuju ke situ. Boleh dikatakan setiap hari saya akan singgah ke tempat itu untuk mengisi perut yang tidak pernah kenyang ini.

“Saya pernah ditegur oleh majikan mengenai saiz tubuh badan yang besar. Perkara tersebut sangat menurunkan motivasi saya untuk bekerja dan berhadapan dengan orang ramai terutama rakan sekerja,” ujar Sharon John, 24, ketika ditemui Kosmo! baru-baru ini.

Rawatan alternatif

Prihatin terhadap keadaan Sharon, ­majikannya menyarankan supaya dia mengikuti sesi neuro-hipnoterapi bagi mengatasi masalah nafsu makan dan berat badannya.

Neuro-hipnoterapi ialah kaedah rawatan alternatif yang digunakan untuk merawat penyakit-penyakit berkaitan ketidakstabilan fungsi otak, emosi dan psikologi tanpa pembedahan serta ubat-ubatan.

Mengakui agak sangsi dengan kaedah rawatan alternatif tersebut, dia tetap tekad untuk mencuba kaedah yang mula diperkenalkan di Amerika Syarikat sejak 40 tahun lalu itu.

Setelah menjalani rawatan neuro-hipnoterapi lebih kurang sebulan di pusat kesihatan Spectrum Of Life yang terletak di Setapak, Kuala Lumpur, wanita berusia 24 tahun itu berpuas hati dengan hasil rawatan tersebut apabila dia berjaya mengawal nafsu makannya.

Selain itu, berat badannya juga berkurangan sebanyak 10 kilogram selepas menjalani beberapa rawatan menurunkan berat badan yang ditawarkan di pusat tersebut seperti sauna inframerah.

“Selepas menjalani beberapa sesi neuro-hipnoterapi, saya sedari bahawa terdapat perubahan yang sangat ketara pada diri sendiri. Tanpa disedari, keinginan untuk makan yang melampau sudah hilang. Jika melihat restoran makanan segera pula sudah tidak ada kemahuan untuk menjamu selera di situ.

“Saya juga dapat mengawal jumlah pengambilan makanan harian dalam kuantiti yang sedikit kerana rasa cepat kenyang. Pilihan jenis hidangan juga lebih sihat serta seimbang sekarang,” luah wanita tersebut yang mengakui berasa lebih yakin apabila berhadapan dengan orang ramai.

Kesan daripada rawatan itu juga menyebabkan tahap tekanan sewaktu di tempat kerja berkurangan, sekali gus meningkatkan prestasi kerjanya sebagai pegawai khidmat pelanggan di sebuah bank di ibu kota.

Perubahan positif

Perubahan ke arah yang lebih positif turut dirasai seorang akauntan, Angelin Tan, 51, selepas menjalani lima sesi neuro-hipnoterapi untuk mengurangkan tahap tekanan yang dialaminya akibat bebanan kerja di pejabat.

Dia yang sudah berkecimpung dalam bidang akaun selama 20 tahun mengakui mampu mengawal perasaan marah yang sering dilemparkan terhadap rakan sepejabat dan pekerja bawahannya.

“Dulu, apabila pekerja saya membuat kesalahan dalam tugas yang diberikan, saya pasti akan memarahi mereka walaupun kesilapan kecil sahaja. Namun, selepas menjalani rawatan ini, rakan-rakan sekerja boleh nampak perubahan pada diri saya yang semakin tenang dan lebih mesra pekerja.

“Saya rasa sangat bersyukur dengan kehidupan sekarang. Selain rasa lebih tenteram di tempat kerja, masalah gangguan tidur juga sudah hilang dan tidak lagi terjaga di tengah malam,” katanya yang turut menghantar anaknya ke situ untuk menjalani sesi rawatan sama bagi membantu meningkatkan prestasi dalam pembelajaran.

Tidak terhad kepada rawatan mengubah sikap dan kelakuan, rawatan alternatif itu juga mampu membantu mengurangkan simptom penyakit berkaitan gangguan fungsi otak seperti autisme dan masalah hiperaktif dan kekurangan tumpuan (ADHD).

Masalah yang boleh dirawat melalui kaedah tersebut antara lainnya ialah sakit kepala dan migrain, kemurungan, masalah sistem penghadaman, darah tinggi, sawan gangguan tidur, merokok, keresahan dan epilepsi atau sawan.

“Ketidaktentuan aktiviti gelombang otak yang tidak menentu dikatakan antara punca kepada masalah kelakuan dan sikap seseorang. Melakukan perubahan terhadap perkara tersebut di sesetengah kawasan otak mampu mengurangkan serta menyelesaikan keadaan itu,” kata juruhipnoterapi klinikal Spectrum Of Life Sdn. Bhd., Hiro Koo.

Jelasnya, rawatan tersebut berbeza dengan hipnoterapi biasa kerana menggabungkan cara tradisional yang biasa digunakan oleh ahli terapi hipnosis di seluruh dunia dan kaedah saintifik.

Kaedah saintifik yang dipraktikkan membolehkan juruterapi melihat dan memantau keadaan gelombang otak pesakit sama ada berada dalam keadaan tertekan, relaks mahupun tidak sedar menggunakan mesin pengimbas khas.

“Semasa menjalani rawatan ini, pesakit tidak perlu risau mengenai rasa sakit kerana ia adalah rawatan yang tidak menyakitkan tanpa sebarang prosedur pembedahan. Peralatan yang kita gunakan untuk menganalisis gelombang otak mereka juga tidak menggunakan tenaga elektrik. Jadi, ia selamat.

“Kaedah yang kita gunakan ini mampu memahami keadaan seseorang pesakit dengan lebih baik melalui paparan graf-graf gelombang otak yang dapat dilihat di skrin seperti beta, alpha, theta dan delta,” katanya.

Sementara itu, Hiro memberitahu, perubahan frekuensi gelombang otak yang berlaku terhadap seseorang pesakit tidak akan mendatangkan kesan sampingan negatif seperti penyakit gila dan sebagainya.

Katanya, salah tanggapan masyarakat mengenai rawatan hipnoterapi masih lagi menebal dalam kalangan masyarakat dengan menganggap kaedah tersebut boleh mengakibatkan pesakit hilang kawalan terhadap dirinya dan mudah untuk dimanipulasi oleh orang lain.

“Rawatan ini bukanlah seperti yang kita lihat di dalam televisyen iaitu individu berkenaan seperti dipukau dan tidak sedar apa-apa perkara yang berlaku. Sebaliknya, mereka sebenarnya sedar dan mempunyai kawalan terhadap diri sendiri sepenuhnya ketika rawatan.

“Kaedah neuro-hipnoterapi ini baru diperkenalkan di Malaysia dan kami juga merupakan ahli Persatuan Psikologi Amerika (APA). Keahlian tersebut secara langsung mengiktiraf standard emas bagi rawatan yang ditawarkan,” tuturnya.

Artikel Penuh: http://www.kosmo.com.my/kosmo/content.asp?y=2014&dt=1209&pub=Kosmo&sec=Rencana_Utama&pg=ru_01.htm#ixzz3LUj00QYf 
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