Several years ago, I tried a treatment that I thought of as fairly radical. I felt skeptical but in need of something more in my treatment to control bipolar disorder and co morbid conditions of my Asperger’s Syndrome. The treatment; neurofeedback. Neurofeedback is a balancing treatment for your brainwaves, and it actually works.
Neurofeedback, also called neurotherapy or EEG biofeedback is a process of training conscious control of various brainwave patterns by showing the patient results of brainwave activity with a video screen and attachment to sensors on the scalp.
Imagine a white circle on a black screen. If you are over tense or tense at all, the ball floats off to the left of the screen. If you are too relaxed, it floats off to the right. You learn to control yourself by concentrating on keeping that big round blip in the middle of the screen. There are several different screen settings and “games” to pick from, but all of them come out with about the same results. They’re just plain neat to see. You can get a very detailed explanation of neurofeedback in wikipedia. There are also many good websites for your own research on the subject. I look at it like having a chiropractor for your brain.
My results in treatment? I found myself calmer in situations that normally would have made me angry. I found myself less confused and more capable of complex decisions than before. I didn’t stop taking my medications, but I certainly found the treatment to be very helpful to my over all medical care and control of my conditions. I advise it as worth looking into.
Neurofeedback is listed as treating ADHD, bipolar, and other mood disorders. Check out Neurofeedbacktherapy.net for a more complete list of conditions treated. I don’t personally advise dropping other treatments for the sake of this one, but I do advise using it right along with your existing treatments. Naturally, it’s worthwhile to consult a trusted physician.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
I'm Driven
I feel I must explain myself. In some of my blogs I have been very harsh in my opinion and reports. I’ve been harsh on some professional places. Our police dispatch for example, yes I’ve been very harsh on them. But why? Am I just angry because things didn’t go my way? The answer is a devoted NO. The truth is that I am driven when it comes to matters of public safety, public awareness that contributes to safety and more. It’s a drive to me and I’ll tell you why.
First, what is a drive? What do I mean by using this word? A drive is an internal force that compels you to do something or act in a certain way. Our basic drives include eating, sleeping, and procreation (making babies). Our drives are triggered in various ways. When you are hungry, you are compelled to eat, for example. If you didn’t you would face consequences of getting sick or starving.
Personal preservation are not the only drives we can have. Some drives can hurt us, like the drive from an addiction. Some drives take more control of us like that of obsessive compulsive disorders (and other disorders).
Next I’m going to bring my autism into this. Autistics, especially in the high functioning zones, are often known for having special talents or interests that they have difficulty breaking away from. Dr. Hans Asperger coined the identification of Asperger’s children as being “little professors” (you can check that out by looking up Dr. Hans Asperger in Wikipedia). For what ever each child’s special interest became, they could be highly versed to the point of extreme trivia on the subject. They would also have difficulty, due to obsession to that interest, in talking to you about anything else. This can be overcome with practice and support, but I think you can see how this can be a drive.
Now, I have more than one special interest, but my greatest interest has always been in safety, security and protection fields. As a matter of fact, my past work history boasts over 19 years of experience. As one our Sheboygan officers said to me, “old habits die hard”. Well, mine certainly aren’t dead yet and I don’t think they ever will be. My field experience has been diverse. I’ve been everything from security guard to body guard, from soldier to duly authorized ticket wielding officer. For that matter, my military experience was serving with a military police company and doing some MP duties even though I was not an MP. That’s the Army for you.
So, I have a very strong drive from my interest and experience and when it gets triggered I am compelled to take action. Of late, that action has been in my blogs, but I have taken more immediate action before. I do not feel that my decision to act is one I make lightly because of how strongly I believe in my convictions. They are that driven.
So, that is just a small explanation of my drives and example of how such drives can work. I hope you have found it informative.
First, what is a drive? What do I mean by using this word? A drive is an internal force that compels you to do something or act in a certain way. Our basic drives include eating, sleeping, and procreation (making babies). Our drives are triggered in various ways. When you are hungry, you are compelled to eat, for example. If you didn’t you would face consequences of getting sick or starving.
Personal preservation are not the only drives we can have. Some drives can hurt us, like the drive from an addiction. Some drives take more control of us like that of obsessive compulsive disorders (and other disorders).
Next I’m going to bring my autism into this. Autistics, especially in the high functioning zones, are often known for having special talents or interests that they have difficulty breaking away from. Dr. Hans Asperger coined the identification of Asperger’s children as being “little professors” (you can check that out by looking up Dr. Hans Asperger in Wikipedia). For what ever each child’s special interest became, they could be highly versed to the point of extreme trivia on the subject. They would also have difficulty, due to obsession to that interest, in talking to you about anything else. This can be overcome with practice and support, but I think you can see how this can be a drive.
Now, I have more than one special interest, but my greatest interest has always been in safety, security and protection fields. As a matter of fact, my past work history boasts over 19 years of experience. As one our Sheboygan officers said to me, “old habits die hard”. Well, mine certainly aren’t dead yet and I don’t think they ever will be. My field experience has been diverse. I’ve been everything from security guard to body guard, from soldier to duly authorized ticket wielding officer. For that matter, my military experience was serving with a military police company and doing some MP duties even though I was not an MP. That’s the Army for you.
So, I have a very strong drive from my interest and experience and when it gets triggered I am compelled to take action. Of late, that action has been in my blogs, but I have taken more immediate action before. I do not feel that my decision to act is one I make lightly because of how strongly I believe in my convictions. They are that driven.
So, that is just a small explanation of my drives and example of how such drives can work. I hope you have found it informative.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Stop the Madness, Stop Black Friday
Black Friday, arguably the biggest shopping day of the year every year. This year they’ve taken a spin with some early sales, but I doubt that will slow down the day itself. And people will die.
I can’t remember one year in more than the last decade where people haven’t been assaulted, shot, stabbed or trampled for the sake of some cheap piece of junk. Just last year Walmart had an employee get trampled and two people were shot at a Toy’s R Us. The year before that, three trample victims were reported. I also remember a woman getting shot for a laptop computer and the list of assaults is book worthy.
What’s worse than that, fair people, you are all being taken for a ride by the companies. Just check out this years CNN report about the dirty secrets of Black Friday. Apparently, risk of your life is still A-OK with the big corporations. “While supplies last” and “limit of 3 in store” are geared to make shoppers frantic.
Some of them boast new plans to help safety. They say they’ll hand out guaranteed purchase tickets to the beginning numbers of people in line or some such garbage. I wonder how exactly that is going to stop 4000 frantic shoppers again? Bottom line, too many people in too small of places, all on edge for some trinket, equals disaster. I don’t care what you promise them, you can’t alter reality.
So if you go out shopping on Black Friday this year, don’t forget your life insurance and bullet proof vest. Kiss your kids lil foreheads because if you don’t see their smiling faces on Christmas Day, it’s because you’re either in the hospital or the morgue. Yes, that’s brutal, but it’s a surging reality for a day with a death record from human greed. The madness needs to stop
I can’t remember one year in more than the last decade where people haven’t been assaulted, shot, stabbed or trampled for the sake of some cheap piece of junk. Just last year Walmart had an employee get trampled and two people were shot at a Toy’s R Us. The year before that, three trample victims were reported. I also remember a woman getting shot for a laptop computer and the list of assaults is book worthy.
What’s worse than that, fair people, you are all being taken for a ride by the companies. Just check out this years CNN report about the dirty secrets of Black Friday. Apparently, risk of your life is still A-OK with the big corporations. “While supplies last” and “limit of 3 in store” are geared to make shoppers frantic.
Some of them boast new plans to help safety. They say they’ll hand out guaranteed purchase tickets to the beginning numbers of people in line or some such garbage. I wonder how exactly that is going to stop 4000 frantic shoppers again? Bottom line, too many people in too small of places, all on edge for some trinket, equals disaster. I don’t care what you promise them, you can’t alter reality.
So if you go out shopping on Black Friday this year, don’t forget your life insurance and bullet proof vest. Kiss your kids lil foreheads because if you don’t see their smiling faces on Christmas Day, it’s because you’re either in the hospital or the morgue. Yes, that’s brutal, but it’s a surging reality for a day with a death record from human greed. The madness needs to stop
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)