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Thursday, August 12, 2010

Brainwaves and Depression-Part Two

Brainwaves and Depression-Part Two

So I’m free of anti-depressant medications after almost twenty years.  Free of the side-effects that have negatively impacted my life.  But I’m still clinically depressed.  That negatively impacts my life as well.  So do I have to trade the drowsiness that Celexa causes which makes me sleep all day for the intense agony that deep depression causes in me?  Fortunately not.  There is another way.  And it’s been working for me.


While searching on the Internet for information of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (I’m a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist), I ran across a site than markets brainwave training software.  Now this software is not only for relieving clinical depression; that’s just one of over 20 issues it addresses.


Research indicates that imbalances in the amplitude, the strength, of specific brainwaves can be a cause for depression.  Not for everybody; but for some.  There are three specific imbalances that have been identified:
1:  Low levels of Alpha and Theta brainwaves.   This tends to cause insomnia in people as well as anxiety.
2.  Low levels of Beta.  This tends to cause lethargy in people.  Being tired all the time.  Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
3.  An imbalance between the right and left hemispheres of the brain.  A dominating right brain causes people to be overly emotional, taking events too seriously, which can lead to depression.

From the brainwave training website:
     J.B. Henriques, R.J. Davidson and others have found a very distinct brainwave pattern associated with depression: too much activity in the right (emotional) hemisphere and too little activity in the left (logical) hemisphere, leading to irrational, overly emotional reactions to otherwise trivial situations. Correcting this hemispheric imbalance is simple and the benefits are rapid.

Dr. Siegfried Othmer noted that depressed individuals tend to exhibit lower brainwave amplitudes over all, and particularly in the beta range. In other words, depressed individuals exist largely in the Alpha and Theta brainwave patterns, resulting in persistent fatigue or feeling like a "sleep walker".

In a study on Seasonal Affective Disorder, conducted by Kathy Berg and David Siever, 84% of the subject became clinically non-depressed after treatment, and 100% of those treated experienced a significant reduction in depression. Results also showed decreases in Anxiety, over-eating while energy and motivation levels increased! Twelve of the participants actually lost weight (average of 9.5 pounds) during the trial.

In late 2007, David Cantor, Ph.D. released the details of a controlled pilot study on depression at the annual conference of the EEG and Clinical Neuroscience Society. He reported that after 4 weeks of using 14 Hz brainwave entrainment, testing revealed "a huge drop" in self-reported depression scores. The treatment even showed a sustained effect, with testing showing lasting results a month after treatment had ceased.

There’s quite a bit more research available.  If you’d like a list of books and peer-reviewed articles to read, send me an email and I’ll send that list to you.

What’s cool about the company that markets this brainwave training software is that they offer you a free two week trial.  Unlike other companies that say you get a free trial but charge you an upfront fee and then promise to return it if you don’t like the product, no credit card is required to download the trial version.
You can get that version here:
(Full disclosure:  If you end up buying the software after your free two week trial, I will receive a commission )

1 comment:

  1. I beсame interestіng in readіng this when
    I rеaԁ the summary, but I hadn't heard much about it, so I didn't add it too my Book Review list.
    Αnyωay, аfter your rеview,
    ӏ will bе ѕuгe to do ѕo!

    ReplyDelete