Someone sent me this story today. I have seen it before and perhaps you have as well, but I thought it was worth sharing as another way to think about heart coherence. ... Two Wolves   more »

I don't know about you, but I'm not a big fan of New Year's Resolutions. I do enjoy sitting down at the end of every year and reflecting on what I did and why and how I would like to do things differently in the coming year. But I'm not into the traditional goal-setting thing: exercise 3 times a week, eat 3 healthy meals per day, go to bed earlier. That's not to say I wouldn't like to set these kinds of goals -- IF I could/would do them -- but I can't. Or won't. Or don't. The place I get hung up is in the whole idea of Goals, capital G. Philosophically, I get uncomfortable making too many decisions about where my life "Should" be going. If I had set specific goals and kept my nose to the grindstone to achieve them, I would be in a totally different place than I find myself now. I arrived at this most interesting place in my life by a rather circuitous route and an openness to new opportunities and possibilities. And I'm satisfied with where I am. (For now...who knows what else is coming?) Even though I'm not the type to map out how I want my life to go, I do have ideas for the near-term about what I need to do to progress on my current projects and ideas. And I certainly have ideas about the kind of person I want to be Becoming. So over the years I have developed alternatives to New Year's Resolutions that fit better with who and how I am. What has all this got to do with neurofeedback??   more »

I've been reading an inspiring little book called Seeking the Sacred: Leading a Spiritual Life in a Secular World. I was attracted to the book because it has essays by Romeo Dallaire and Stephen Lewis -- 2 people I respect for their efforts to fight to make a difference to make the world a better place. One of the essays in the book is by Martin Rutte (you may recognize his name as the co-author of Chicken Soup for the Soul). In it, he talks about a project he started called Project Heaven on Earth. I was impressed by his thoughts about what we can do to create our own Heaven on earth -- and so much of what he says fits in with our recent conversations about positive heart coherence and influencing others around us just by being in a positive place ourselves. So let me share a few quotes from his essay (emphases added):   more »

I came across this article Psychology Returns to Old Unhappy Roots on the website The Spoof. While it is a funny spoof on what might happen if...   more »

In previous articles, I've shared my distinction between neurofeedback training and "neurotherapy" treatment. I do training, not treatment. What's the difference and why does it matter?, you might ask. The difference between training and treatment is diagnosis.   more »

I came across a great little video describing the different evolutionary layers of the brain. It's from a site called Global Mind-Shift, which looks like a promising site for those interested in the need and processes for creating a shift in how we all think and feel and act to create a better world.   more »

Not all in your head of course. But it's there.... Surging hormones...dysregulation (or at least a "re-setting" of the system)... And if you've experienced menopause and its hot flashes, you know you feel like your brain isn't functioning on all cyclinders. (Many women say the same thing about being pregnant, but that's a little different story than this one.) I find menopause fascinating from a neurofeedback perspective. Let me share with you an "inside" view of the brain during hot flashes and you'll see what I mean about menopause being firmly in your head!   more »

I haven't really talked on my blog about the emWave personal trainer recently released by the HeartMath Institute. It's handy little device that you can use to practice heart coherence without having to have a computer on and that lets you wander as you practice. I have been using it with my clients and they have found it a useful addition to training sessions. So much so, that several have asked to purchase the extras I have for use in group classes. So what's all the buzz about? I recently saw a great review of the emWave personal heart coherence training tool on a The Gadgeteer. This is wonderful review of the emWave with great pictures and a quick video so you can see its use. The one comment I want to make in clarification is...   more »

There you are....wearing a tiny infrared camera on your head, intently watching a screen with a readout of the temperature of your brain, trying to make it go up. You're hoping it will help your migraines melt, your panic attacks retreat, your attention focus, or your mood stabilize in a good place. But what does it actually Feel Like?   more »

I've had a number of clients with migraines who are trying to understand why there are so many different triggers for migraine headaches and how neurofeedback can help even if they don't stop avoiding those triggers. This is one of the ways I explain the experience of getting migraines.   more »

Lately, I have become more and more interested in what the psychology world calls "positive psychology" -- the research related to what goes right in life and strategies for how to maximize feeling good about one's life instead of psychology's tendency to always be focusing on the negative -- what's wrong with you, what needs fixing, etc. From my perspective, our brains (head and heart!) are just as involved in what goes right. In fact, the more evolved areas of our brain are related to positive feelings and thoughts...   more »

Reading the Toronto Star this past weekend, I was delighted to come across "Brain Art"!   more »

While driving to the office today, I heard a story on 680 News (that's a Toronto all-news radio station, for those of you not in the Toronto region -- I just wanted the weather report....really!) about chronic work stress. It is an increasing problem for many people who are not feeling very satisfied with their work life. Part of the story was an interview with a woman who identified her top work stress as the comumute to get there. And she's not alone, apparently. So what do we do about it?   more »

I saw an article today that emphasized for me why we should always try to look at alternatives to medication for chronic problems such as headaches.   more »

What does the heart have to do with neurofeedback? When most people understand the term "neuro", they think neurologist, neurology, neurosurgery...i.e., related to the nervous system and especially the brain and spinal cord (otherwise known as the central nervous system). What does the heart have to do with nervous systems??   more »