Do you live in fear and anxiety? Do you think they protect you? They may—to a degree.

The startle reflex is protective; if we happen to step in front of a moving car, we immediately jump back, and that is a good thing. This reflex originates in the brain stem.

The fight, flight, or freeze response originates in the amygdala in the mid-brain. It is triggered when we sense danger. When we do not feel safe, we react instinctively without being aware of what we just perceived. The amygdala can be compared to a scanner on a submarine that is always on alert for danger. We are mostly unaware that this is happening. If we perceive a threat to our survival or emotional well-being, we generally respond by fighting back, fleeing, or freezing.

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The third level of fear is irrational beliefs and unreasonable expectations. These beliefs are located in our higher brain, the cortex, which is the seat of judgment and executive functioning. Many of our beliefs were formed so early in childhood that they seem like facts that are a part of who we are. Others were adopted later through cultural influences. Challenging or changing these beliefs may bring up more fears and resistance. We are familiar with the way we think and experience and do not know what our world would be like if we changed our beliefs. We can ask ourselves, “Would I rather be right about my way of thinking and collect evidence to prove and validate my beliefs? Or am I willing to challenge my beliefs in a way that would allow me to be happier?”

Anxiety and stress can take a toll on our mental and physical health. At the same time, they can serve us. If we view stress as bad and try to get rid of it, it has a more negative effect. But if we understand it as serving us, the detrimental effects are negated. The degree of fear, stress, or anxiety, and the effect on us, has to do with our beliefs about it. If you’re about to step on stage in front of a few thousand people, do you experience exhilaration, terror, or panic? How you define the event and what you say to yourself about it will determine your stress or relaxation level. Being a little scared but having a lot more excitement may be the best combination for peak performance.

Worry is frequently based on irrational or unreasonable expectations about the future. You may worry about not having enough money. Or you may worry about not being liked, saying or doing the wrong thing, or doubting that you are worthy and valuable. Specific fears or phobias—for example, snakes, bugs, and storms—may also worry you. All of these can haunt you until you find a way to release them. Notice how much you say to yourself, “What if (fill in the blank)?”

Ask yourself, “Do my beliefs protect me or just cause me to feel miserable? Are they beliefs I have chosen or ones I have taken on because that is what others have told me?” Since you decide what to believe, you also decide what not to believe. It is your choice.

Make a list of the things you think you are afraid of or worry about and challenge them. Ask if these are beliefs you chose or ones you just grew up believing because your parents, teachers, church, peers, or media told you it’s what you should think.

Be honest with yourself. It is the only way you are going to get to having more rational, reasonable expectations that bring you more peace and happiness.

There’s a good reason why more than 16 million people have viewed Harvard professor Amy J. Cuddy’s TED Talk: “Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are.” In it, Dr. Cuddy describes findings that seem to be both commonsensical and revolutionary all at once; even two minutes of adopting a powerful stance can change both one’s physiology and behavior. Over time, acting as if one is confident and powerful can positively impact self-concept, or the way we view ourselves.

Other research has shown that people who feel powerful tend to have a greater sense of agency, better cognitive function, adopt more expansive body language, and are more willing to take action than those who feel less powerful. People who feel disempowered tend to adopt more contractive or protective postures. During her talk, Cuddy shows photographs of the iconic Wonder Woman stance (i.e., hands on hips, feet apart, head erect, and gaze confident) as one example of a power pose. She contrasts this with images of protective postures (i.e., limbs in toward body or crossed, shoulders forward, chin tucked). In effect, feeling powerful leads one to take up more space, both literally and psychologically. Furthermore, powerful people tend to have higher baseline levels of testosterone, lower baseline levels of cortisol (a stress hormone), and reduced cortisol reactivity to stressors.

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In their study, Dr. Cuddy and colleagues hypothesized that adopting high-power poses would lead to increased testosterone, decreased cortisol, and higher risk tolerance. They randomized 42 men and women into two groups, where they would be posed in either high or low power positions by an experimenter for a total of two minutes. Power poses were characterized by expansiveness (taking up more space) and openness (limbs open versus closed or crossed; the specific poses used can be viewed in their article).

Cortisol and testosterone levels were measured before and after the poses. Participants’ willingness to engage in risk taking was measured via a gambling task, and subjective feelings of power were measured by self-report.

The team found that their hypotheses were confirmed: Just two minutes of high-power posing was associated with a statistically significant increase in testosterone and decrease in cortisol. High-power posers also reported feeling more powerful and “in charge” than low-power posers. Furthermore, they were more likely to view a game of risk as an opportunity to win rather than to lose. In contrast, those who had adopted low-power poses for two minutes had significant decreases in testosterone, increases in cortisol, reported feeling less powerful, and were more likely to avoid risk, viewing it as an opportunity to lose.

Why is this important?

Aside from the subject distress associated with feeling powerless, persistently elevated stress hormone levels are linked to increased incidence of stress-related illnesses, including immune issues and hypertension. In addition, if we feel chronically at a disadvantage, we are likely to act in accordance with this belief, avoiding situations because we view ourselves as less likely to navigate them successfully.

In her talk, Dr. Cuddy equated personal power with feeling more confident in one’s ability to “win,” and thus, greater willingness to take chances that may result in some reward. She also noted the difference between male and female business students’ body language and levels of class participation (men tend to participate more, and adopt power poses more frequently; women as a group participate less often, despite the fact their grades depend on participation). Cuddy attributed this difference at least in part to the fact women are socialized differently from men; my interpretation of this is that, in general, women are encouraged to be nice, and discouraged from taking up too much space, physically or otherwise.

It is intriguing to wonder what the long-term benefits could be of consciously adopting more powerful, self-confident body language, particularly if one feels stressed, discouraged, or down. It certainly seems worth trying. If you do this, please let me know what you think.

Be well!

“That’s so Zen,” people say, meaning peaceful, accepting, and soothing. But what is Zen, exactly? You might picture a room filled with fluffy pillows decorated in blues and grays, lavender incense, and synthesizer sound waves punctuated by gongs. I’d probably like hanging out on those pillows, but Zen is much more than relaxation. It’s a way of life emphasizing the value of meditation and intuition, and realizing one’s true nature—the purpose of Zen.

We complain about stress, about losing ourselves in the hectic din of constant activity, always on the go, busy, and in touch. We even sleep with our phones kept handy on the nightstand, so we can be available 24/7. That is too much stress, but stress is not only a bad guy, it’s a good guy, too, often supporting growth.

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Think of how stress helps in the gym. Muscles get bigger with resistance training—which is a form of stress (on the muscles). “No strain, no gain” and “use it or lose it” are popular refrains, but we have to find the optimal amount of strain that promotes growth. We need to work those biceps with the proper weight. Too much will tear our muscles, and too little will leave us with spaghetti arms. This is where a trainer in the gym, or a meditation teacher, a spiritual leader, or a psychotherapist, can come in handy, making sure that the stress you’re experiencing is optimal, be it physical, cognitive, spiritual, or emotional. We need to balance stress and relaxation.

Zen practitioners develop a sense of balance, as well as simplicity, order, and harmony. Right diet, regular exercise, enough sleep, right livelihood, and mindfulness activities such as meditation, yoga, prayer, and other techniques help us recover from too much stress. When we quiet the mind and the body, we have a better chance of finding the true self. That’s the goal of Zen—finding the deep self, who you really are, a key to a more rewarding life, and why psychotherapists often include meditation techniques as part of their treatment plan, although it is not a replacement for psychotherapy.

Zen is a peaceful way of life which avoids killing or harming another living thing, shuns stealing, promotes sexual responsibility, and practices truthful speech that does not hurt anyone. Drinking and drugging, anything that diminishes consciousness, is to be avoided. The Shakyamuni Buddha simplified what a Zen life looks like when he said that Zen means “to do no evil, to cultivate the good, and to purify one’s mind.” These are down-to-earth principles which help us live the good life, without too much stress.

A central aspect of Zen is meditation. Often it’s wise to start a meditation practice by resolving to meditate every day, at the same time if possible, and for a period of perhaps five minutes, so when your meditation time is over you want more and you’re ready to start again the next day. You can use a timer, if you wish; just choose a sound that you like. There are some really good apps for that! You can gradually lengthen the time spent meditating.

Meditation practice is simply sitting quietly while maintaining good posture and focusing on one thing, often the breath. Watching the outbreath is emphasized because the outbreath is a relaxing breath by its nature. We breathe out, let go, and then wait through the pause and on to the next breath, a bead in the necklace of your life’s breaths.

While you meditate and focus on the breath, you try not to get caught in the endless thoughts, stories, and fantasies that our brains are constantly spinning. Each time you catch sight of your thoughts, you simply say “thinking without judgment,” and then you return your attention to the breath. The “without judgment” part? I say it twice; it’s that important. NO JUDGMENT. Meditation is not a self-improvement program. It is a getting-to-know-and-accept-yourself program, after which you can get to know and accept other people, too.

People often get angry with themselves when they catch themselves thinking instead of meditating. They might feel like failures, but it’s exactly the opposite. Catching yourself thinking is the sweet spot. You didn’t do something bad, but just the reverse—you noticed, you woke up and were aware; this is the essence of meditation, the gentle road to mindfulness which leads inside to your true nature. Mindfulness is an extended awareness, throughout the day, noticing, not simply reacting.

Meditation reduces stress by increasing positive feelings and decreasing anxiety. As you get to know yourself better and learn to treat yourself and others with greater kindness, your ability to navigate your emotional reactions with more skillfulness also leads to a greater ability to get along with yourself and with others. Self-acceptance, again, is key.

There have been many scientific investigations into the benefits of mindfulness. An early one was the relaxation response developed by Dr. Herbert Benson, who founded the Mind-Body Institute, affiliated with Harvard University. He reports that meditation produces healthful changes in metabolism, heart rate, respiration, blood pressure, and brain chemistry. The National Institutes of Health concur. Other findings reveal that long-term meditators have increased grey matter in their brains, and an increase in alpha-wave activity.

Meditation can be an important part of your daily life. With patience, you will reap great benefits of consciousness and emotional development. Following basic Zen principles of compassion and nonviolence, and establishing a regular meditation practice, makes for a satisfying life with less stress—and provides the tools to handle stress when you need to. A Zen mind-set can go a long way toward teaching us to deal with stress. You don’t have to make a huge change to gain its benefits.

Recommended reading:

• The Wisdom of No Escape by Pema Chodron
• The Trauma of Everyday Life: A Guide to Inner Peace by Mark Epstein
• Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life by Thich Nhat Hanh, Arnold Kotler, and H. H. the Dalai Lama 
• Mind and Life: Discussions with the Dalai Lama on the Nature of Reality by Pier Luigi Luisi with Zara Houshmand

So, if you’re stressed about something in life—whether it’s an upcoming presentation or performance, or a trip to an unfamiliar territory, or a big party you’re responsible for planning—it may bring you significant relief to, you know, talk about it with someone who has either been there or is going through it with you.

This may seem like a given—like something that doesn’t necessarily require research to confirm. But in the moments when stress and anxiety creep in and become all-consuming, it can be difficult to remember what helps to alleviate them.

According to a study led by Sarah Townsend, an assistant professor at USC Marshall School of Business, it is the specific interaction with a person who genuinely understands your emotion and response, and ideally is also experiencing it at the same time, that will provide measurable relief from stress.

For the study, Townsend and colleagues paired up participants who displayed “emotional similarity” and instructed them to deliver a speech while being videotaped. Each pair was told to discuss their feelings leading up to the presentation with one another, and as this was all happening, their cortisol levels were measured and documented.

They found that within these pairs, the simple act of talking with one another acted as a buffer from experiencing the high levels of stress typically associated with preparing for a speech. The results, which were published in Social Psychological and Personality Science, send the message that finding an emotionally “similar” partner may be key to keeping calm and carrying on when faced with potentially stressful situations.

References:

1. Townsend, S. S. M., Kim, H. S., and Mesquita, B. (2013, December). Are you feeling what I’m feeling? Emotional similarity buffers stress. Social Psychological and Personality Science. doi: 10.1177/1948550613511499. Abstract retrieved from http://spp.sagepub.com/content/early/2013/12/16/1948550613511499.abstract
2. USC Marshall School of Business. (2014, January 29). Two stressed people equals less stress. Press Release. Retrieved from http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-01/umso-tsp012914.php

It is not uncommon for a man with high-functioning autism/Asperger’s to have a child who also has it, because there are genetic components to this brain structure variance that manifests as what we call HFA. These differences are in the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala.

High-functioning autism is not a mental illness. It is not a personality disorder. It is not ADHD, ADD, or oppositional defiance disorder. It is a physiologic difference in the brain with a spectrum of possible manifestations. A father passes on his genetic material to his son. Some of this material can contain the code for HFA.

In my practice, I often see neurotypical women in such a triad. Usually, the pathway for the wife is difficult, as she feels as if she is the outsider as she struggles to be understood and to feel that she is valued in her family.

It is a difficult challenge for a neurotypical woman to put herself in the mindset of the HFA husband or son. She can understand the differences intellectually, but when it comes to feelings, she inadvertently defaults to her neurotypical frame of reference. She tells me she can’t help it. She tells me it is exhausting and, most often, fruitless.

I tell her that I understand her position. We talk about feeling alone and alienated. But I also try to bring her to a place of being able to see what it might be like for her if she were in her husband’s or son’s position as individuals with HFA trying to make their way in a neurotypical world.

They are often exhausted, confused, and frustrated. They feel intense anxiety and fears about missing social cues, misunderstanding subtexts in conversations, and taking everything literally, missing the nonverbal aspects of communication.

When I see women married to HFA husbands whose children also carry the diagnosis, we work together on several things: the grief that attends the loss of her dreams and hopes, the reconstruction of her sense of self and the reinvigoration of her personal goals, and ways in which she can retain her newly-regained confidence. We also work on methods she can use so that she can communicate with her husband and son in such a way that they understand cognitively what she is explaining about her emotions.

It is not easy. But with support, the wife in such a situation can learn techniques and strategies for getting her point across that may not seem comfortable to her at first. Once she begins to see that they work, however, they can become second nature to her.

They will never be her first nature, however. Good support along her journey of discovery is of extreme importance for her well-being and for reinforcement that she is doing the best she can. She will also need help decoding things she does not understand and things she has tried which have not worked, or which have backfired. A good therapist who understands the unique position of the woman in this family is an ally in this journey.

The family dynamics are challenging, but they can be managed with care and with the intent to hold the family together.

The holiday season is rife with the spoils of consumer culture as people flood malls and shopping centers searching for gifts, decorations, and foods to be purchased and shared at parties and gatherings. Vehicle traffic and stress levels go up while checking account balances go down, and some are left feeling drained and depleted. Others revel in the simple pleasure of buying presents and showing love in the form of gifts and other trinkets and treasures. And there is a beauty to it all—in the giving and receiving, the passing of plates, and the many buildings and homes decorated with strings of lights and holiday wreaths and other displays.

But at the core of these widely shared forms of celebration is a thread that runs through the masses, tying people together in the first-world dilemma known as materialism. Many are familiar with the dreaded sense of buyer’s remorse that often kicks in regarding an impulse purchase, which differs dramatically from the joy and relief experienced when finding that perfect present for a loved one. In the wake of an unnecessary and financially unwise purchase, a person may feel a range of negative emotions: guilt, shame, and self-loathing being a few examples.

Recent research suggests that, aside from its established negative effects on well-being, the impact of materialism extends to a person’s ability to process negative or traumatic events in life (Ruvio, Somer, and Rindfleisch, 2013). Basically, the researchers found that those who place great emphasis and importance on material wealth and possessions will respond to the mere threat of a crisis situation with unhealthy and materialistic coping mechanisms.

The research team, made up of professors from the University of Illinois, Michigan State University, and the University of Haifa, drew their conclusions by conducting a field study in Israel and a national survey in the United States. The information they gathered examined the experience of trauma-related stress and how it affects people’s consumerist habits of buying and spending.

“Materialistic people cope with bad events through materialistic mechanisms,” said Aric Rindfleisch, one of the researchers and a marketing professor in the University of Illinois’ College of Business. “When there’s a terrorist attack in Israel, people who are materialistic suffer higher levels of distress and are more likely to compensate for that through higher levels of compulsive and impulsive purchasing.”

The U.S. results showed that those who experienced large amounts of anxiety surrounding death mirrored the habits of those who lived in fear of terrorist attacks in Israel, and that both groups were prone to dealing with that stress through compulsive spending.

In a report on the study published in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Rindfleisch described materialism as a response to personal insecurities. He also discussed the comfort people experience through the simple act of shopping. “Retail therapy,” as he calls it, offers a “short-term fix” to largely unsolvable problems that are out of our immediate control.

If nothing else, it may be helpful for those in consumer-rich societies to be aware of this tendency as they move through the endless aisles of material goods and contemplate purchases during and after the holiday season.

 References:

1. Medical News Today. (2013, November 28). Materialism makes bad events even worse. Retrieved from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/269379.php
2. Ruvio, A., Somer, E., and Rindfleisch, A. (2013, July). When bad gets worse: the amplifying effect of materialism on traumatic stress and maladaptive consumption. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. Abstract retrieved from http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11747-013-0345-6

Financial abundance is largely lauded as a good thing, especially in today’s celebrity- and financial-guru-worshiping society. More money means more security, more possessions, more opportunities, and more success, right?

On the contrary—recent research reveals that money may, in fact, mean more problems for the offspring of wealthy parents. The research, published in the Journal of Development and Psychopathology, found that young people whose parents earn a combined income of $160,000 per year or more experience twice the standard national rate of depression and anxiety than those from less well-to-do families.

Professor Suniya Luthar of Arizona State University, the psychologist responsible for the studies, has spent the past decade researching this subject. In her work with financially privileged children, she has seen firsthand that they are under enormous amounts of pressure to succeed. Unfortunately, the impact of this pressure triggers a significant amount of psychological distress, leading to depression, anxiety, stress, eating and food issues, substance abuse, and other self-harming behaviors.

The pressures faced by children and adolescents who fall into this household income range primarily revolve around academic achievements and extracurricular activities and accomplishments. After-school activities like sports, music, and the arts are meant to be enjoyable and fun. Exercise and creativity are known to be excellent stress relievers and healthy emotional outlets, and when the pressure to excel carries over into these otherwise relaxed areas of life, it follows that young people struggle to maintain a sense of well-being.

On top of high expectations in school and extracurriculars, many of them also face significant social pressure. Though teachers, coaches, instructors, and peers play a part in influencing these overwhelming demands, researchers believe that the driving force behind all the stress is overbearing parents with unreasonable expectations.

Luthar, who has also studied the psychological effects of growing up in impoverished families, stresses in her report that children and teenagers who grow up in low-income households remain at the highest risk for developing serious mental health conditions. However, her hope in publishing these most recent findings is to encourage parents in affluent families to back off a bit where their children’s achievements are concerned.

References:

1. Del Pozo, M. (2013, November 11). ‘Golden press:’ Teenage mental illness soars in wealthy US, UK families. Reuters. Retrieved from http://rt.com/news/rich-uk-children-psychology-545/
2. Narain, J. (2013, November 10). Children from privileged families are more likely to develop mental health problems, reveals new study. DailyMail. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2497692/Revealed-How-pushy-parents-driving-privileged-children-crime-drug-abuse-relentless-pressure-succeed.html

Freshman year of college was a difficult time for me. Many things had changed, I was away from home for the first time, I was not among close friends, and my course load was semi-difficult for me to adjust to. With all that going on, there was a noticeable change to my appearance that I couldn’t identify with. There was a round reddish raised sore on my left cheek. I tried to recall in my mind if I had done something to myself to cause this, but nothing came to mind.

Combing my hair in the mirror also became unnerving, because it had begun to fall out more than that average 100 strands a day. My scalp was visible. I figured out where the hair was disappearing from; I was balding on a section of my scalp.

I knew I had been stressing from school and being homesick, but I couldn’t figure out why my skin and scalp were being affected by my stress. That’s when I really began to panic. My mother suggested I come home so my grandmother, who was a registered nurse, could take a look and see what was happening. I was on the next thing smoking going home.

As my grandmother examined my face and scalp, she was clueless about my condition. She concluded that I needed to see a dermatologist. A couple of days later, I was in the doctor’s office being poked and prodded as if I were a science project.

The diagnosis: discoid lupus. It was determined that I didn’t have systemic lupus—there were traits, but I definitely had discoid. I didn’t understand what discoid lupus was, so my reaction was nothing more than a head nod and wondering, “Now what?”

My dermatologist did not have a sound of urgency or true concern in his voice, so I made myself believe that this wasn’t very serious and I would be just fine. The information that I gained from that appointment was:

• There is no certain cause for this disease.
• This disease is more prevalent in African-American women than Caucasians.
• It can affect my face and scalp.

I was handed some cream for my face and told my hair would grow back. That was the end of the appointment. I never saw that dermatologist again, and I put the thought of lupus out of my mind.

Almost twenty years passed; my life was moving along. Planning a wedding brought on demanding pressures that I had not anticipated. Day by day, my face began to show signs of redness, and hair was falling out. I believed that I was having an acne breakout and needed to wash my hair because it was falling out.

I had not thought about symptoms of discoid lupus, so in my mind that was not a possibility. Dismissing all the signs, I went on with my wedding and honeymoon, which happened without a hitch. Coming back to reality, I decided it was time to see a dermatologist.

What I feared became true: my discoid lupus had awakened from its 20-year nap. This time it came with a vengeance. Instead of one lesion, I had several on my face and ears, and my scalp was bald in more than one area. Depression began to set in because I couldn’t understand why it came back ten times worse than before.

If I could identify two things I overlooked during both of my episodes, they would be my high stress level and the symptoms I was experiencing at the time. Looking back, I was under some unbelievable stress both times, and I dismissed the rashes and hair falling out as just a natural aspect of my life.

I have discoid lupus, which, whether active or dormant, is for life. I must pay attention to those little things—stress, fatigue, rashes, hair falling out, etc—in order to gain control of this outbreak, which will limit the hair loss and skin abrasions.

As an African-American female diagnosed with a form of lupus, I have pointed out some important factors that I feel everyone should remember:

1. Know your family history. If someone in your family has a form a lupus, being tested may be wise for you.
2. Get informed. Asking a professional the 5 W’s is a great way to start to learn as much as you can about lupus:
   Who can get lupus?
   What is lupus?
   When does lupus flare up?
   Where on/in your body does lupus affect?
   Why is there not a cure for lupus?
   The more you know, the better prepared you are for your flare ups.
3. Pay attention to symptoms you may have and the various changes that may take place with your body.
4. Be sure to take your medication and visit your physician(s) regularly. Don’t be afraid to ask as many questions as you can.
5. If you have to be out in the sun, make sure you wear sunscreen or a hat, or use an umbrella to keep yourself protected.
6. Make sure your family is educated, as well. You should not have to live with lupus by yourself.
7. Try to make your life as stress-free as possible.

Today, I am happy to report that my discoid lupus is under control. It hasn’t taken a nap, but it’s not wide awake, either. I see my rheumatologist and dermatologist regularly and I am sure to take my medication and stay out of the sun. Although my face has cleared, and my hair is growing back slowly and finely, I still live with caution.

But I feel blessed that I have my life. As an educator, I have taken on the topic of lupus as if it were a thesis paper for me. Research is the main focus to gain a greater understanding. A great place to obtain information about lupus and its various forms is the Lupus Foundation of America.

Genesa Page is a high school business education teacher at Mirabeau B. Lamar High School, an International Baccalaureate World School in Houston, TX. She has been teaching since 2005.

Many people have problems with daily life that begin in the brain. There are many ways this can occur. High levels of stress over time can cause problems with sleep, energy, and mood. A mild traumatic brain injury from a car accident or sports injury may cause difficulty with memory and attention span, and may induce depression. Exposure to chemicals such as those used in chemotherapy can cause problems with mental clarity, leading to a condition referred to as “chemo brain.” Problems with focus, concentration, and attention can be related to a variety of psychiatric diagnoses or sleep deprivation. Is taking medication always the answer?

The Low Energy Neurofeedback System (LENS) was developed in the early 1990s by Len Ochs, PhD, a northern California psychologist. LENS was created as an alternative to medication for brain-based problems and is often used along with psychotherapy. LENS is a computer-based software program that is connected to an EEG box, which measures brainwaves. LENS directly stimulates biochemical changes that are thought to help the brain regulate itself.

The brain is both a biochemical and a bioelectrical system. Medication works on the chemical system, while LENS works on the electrical system. We might think of LENS helping the brain to reboot, like a computer that is no longer functioning optimally. LENS is just as safe and effective as traditional neurofeedback, and works much more quickly, saving both time and money.

Process of Treatment

The treatment itself consists of sitting quietly in a comfortable chair with your eyes gently closed, while the neurofeedback practitioner applies a tiny electrode with conductive paste to your scalp to both measure the brainwave activity and to deliver treatment. It is a completely painless and noninvasive procedure and most find it very relaxing.

Treatment consists of invisible radio frequency waves that are 4,000 times weaker than what your brain is exposed to each time you hold a cellular phone to your head. Not only is the feedback signal incredibly weak, but the length of exposure to it is extremely short. The duration of actual feedback during a typical LENS session is from one second to one minute per site on the head. It might seem impossible that a signal so weak could do anything at all, but it is effective because the brain can respond to the low-energy signal, whereas it would react and defend against a stronger one.

Neurofeedback clinicians have noticed a strong connection between excessive activity in the EEG, particularly in the slower brainwaves, and difficulties with mood, energy, focus, and mental clarity. Trauma and stress tend to cause EEG suppression, in which the brain protects itself from overload and seizure activity by reducing activity, which in turn limits functioning. In this case, the person doesn’t have the full range of emotions, thoughts and abilities they once had. LENS helps to normalize both excess activity and suppression in the EEG, and people feel better and are able to do more of what they want. Most people who receive LENS treatment report feeling more calm, relaxed, and in control of themselves.

Who Can Benefit from LENS?

We all know individuals who are rigid and inflexible, who are stuck in patterns of thinking and feeling that make them miserable, and yet they just can’t seem to change. Some people struggle because they seem to be perpetually stuck in overdrive — unable to wind down at the end of the day, or even to sit still for very long without excessive fidgeting, foot tapping, knuckle cracking, or frequent smoking breaks. Other people seem to be perpetually shut down emotionally and physically, with a sad, downcast appearance, low energy, and minimal interaction with others.

These patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving are both psychological and physiological. Releasing suppression and reducing excess activity in the brain allows the person to begin to feel that change is possible, so they can begin to make new choices and form new habits. Psychotherapy combined with LENS neurofeedback treatment is optimal in these cases. LENS helps make the brain more flexible and therapy provides the support and coaching for how to make changes and develop new patterns in how we deal with our thoughts and emotions.

One woman I worked with, “Linda,” a middle-aged attorney, had suffered a mild traumatic brain injury ten years ago during a car accident. Her doctors told her, “this is as good as it’s going to get” when she complained of memory problems, headaches, insomnia, and the feeling that her brain “just didn’t work right anymore.” Since then, she was forced to give up her law practice because of these limitations. Her self-esteem and relationships suffered, leading to depression and a feeling of hopelessness about the future.

Linda began to respond to LENS within four or five sessions. Over the course of the four months I worked with her, I saw her twice weekly and each time we met, I noted and she reported improvements. She became giddy when she suddenly realized she could remember words that she had not been able to think of in over a decade without effort. As her limitations were eliminated, her mood brightened as well.

When I first met Linda she presented as someone who had given up and was just going through the motions, appearing disheveled, with dirty hair and stained and wrinkled clothing. She arrived smiling on the day of our final LENS session, her hair and nails freshly done, wearing a bright and flattering dress. As she left, she tearfully thanked me for “giving me my life back.” She had already announced to friends and family she was reopening her law practice and was open for new referrals.

Experiencing such discomfort when there is seemingly no reason for the discomfort can be confusing, and even a little scary. You may be comforted to know that it is also quite common. We all have vague feelings of unrest at times, and they often pass just as quickly and mysteriously as they arrived. However, it sounds like this is something that you have been struggling with for a while now, and perhaps it is even intensifying. When these feelings persist, I believe it is a cue that it is time to enlist some support in sorting things out. Partnering with a therapist can provide the supportive relationship and the dedicated time and space to explore this.

Over the years, I’ve had many people come in for therapy with much the same scenario you presented—committed relationship, good job, and stable finances, but unhappy, perpetually anxious, or, as you say, unable to relax. It typically doesn’t take too much probing before we are able to identify one or more areas in someone’s life where there is dissatisfaction. Thoroughly exploring these areas creates an opportunity to develop insight into the source of the unrest. Once there is a deeper understanding of what is actually happening, concrete steps can be taken to address it. Sometimes the solution is less concrete, however. For some, the dilemma is more existential in nature—they are seeking answers to questions about the meaning and purpose of life. In these cases, therapy provides an opportunity to explore these questions while providing the support that may be needed when no definitive answers materialize.

Though I can’t be sure what exactly is causing your unrest, I sense that you have reached a level of frustration that is pushing you to address it. You took the brave step of writing in with your question. I encourage you to continue taking brave steps and find a therapist who can help you sort through what you are experiencing. It might be scary and even painful, but in the end, you just might find yourself able to relax.

Sincerely,
Sarah

Prospective memory describes the ability to remember to do something in the future, like go to a doctor’s appointment or attend a meeting. Research on attention deficit hyperactivity (ADHD) in children has shown that deficits exist in numerous areas of cognitive functioning and behavior control. In fact, behavioral and cognitive difficulties appear to be equally pervasive in children with ADHD. However, as children mature, they overcome the challenges they face with behavioral issues, but cognitive obstacles still exist. Adult ADHD is thought to affect cognitive tasks such as planning, shifting attention, and other executive functions. But the influence of ADHD on prospective memory in adults is still unknown.

Anselm B. M. Fuermaier of the Department of Clinical and Developmental Neuropsychology at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands recently led a study that looked at which prospective memory deficits were present in a sample of 45 adults with ADHD. The participants, who were not on medication for ADHD, were presented with a paradigm that required they plan for, initiate action toward and execute an act in the future. Fuermaier compared the performance of the participants with ADHD to that of 45 non-ADHD adults throughout the process and found several differences.

The biggest deficit that appeared in the ADHD participants was in the area of planning. They made less detailed plans and planned less for multiple future events than the control participants. Initiation of the plan was another area in which the two groups differed significantly. Although both groups were able to recall an impending event, the ADHD participants had difficulty initiating their action plans. “Prospective memory is crucial for everyday occupational and social functioning,” said Fuermaier.  Not only is it essential in order to complete most activities related to work, family, and social interactions, it is also critical to treatment. Clients who cannot remember to attend therapy appointments or who forget to take their medications at designated times are at risk of experiencing worsening symptoms. This can result in negative outcomes such as physical illness, job loss, and relationship conflict that can ultimately increase stress. Overall, this research shows that prospective memory deficits exist in adults with ADHD and addressing this should be part of any treatment program.

Reference:
Fuermaier, A.B.M., Tucha, L., Koerts, J., Aschenbrenner, S., Westermann, C., et al. (2013). Complex prospective memory in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. PLoS ONE 8(3): e58338. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0058338

Negative and positive affect have been studied at length with respect to depression and anxiety. Although negative affect presents similarly in people with both mood states, positive affect does not. Specifically, people with anxiety experience both positive and negative affect, and increases in positive affect do not cause decreases in negative affect. However, people with depression do see symptom improvements when they have increases in positive affect. In fact, research has suggested that high trait positive affect or increases in positive affect can act as buffers against relapse in depression. Major life events have also been considered as influential on depressive and anxious symptoms. But they have not been examined as positive or negative life events, or in relation to affect. Therefore, John H. Riskind of the Department Psychology at George Mason University in Virginia recently conducted a study to illuminate this aspect of depression.

Using two separate experiments, Riskind looked at whether or not positive affect provided a protective effect against negative affect in college students with depression, and also how negative and positive life events affected mood. He found that unlike symptoms of anxiety, symptoms of depression were directly impacted by positive affect. The participants with depression and low baseline positive affect had higher levels of symptomology than those with high positive affect, regardless of their level of negative affect. This supports the theory that positive affect does directly influence symptoms of depression.

When Riskind looked at life events however, he found quite a different outcome. “Individuals who had few negative events and the most positive events seemed to be at far greater (rather than lower) risk for increased depression.” This result was quite unexpected, but Riskind believes can be explained in several ways. First, individuals who experience a spike in mood due to a positive event often quickly return to their previous mood state. For the participants here, the sudden spike and then decline could exacerbate stress and increase symptoms of depression. Second, the experience of a positive event, such as getting married or taking on a new job, can also cause anxiety, tension, and psychological stress. These emotions, even though borne out of a positive event, can increase negative symptoms. Finally, positive events often mean change, which can be very unsettling to some people, further increasing the risk of depressive symptoms. The results presented in this study provide a unique look into the relationship between positive events and depression, but are limited to some degree. Future work should expand upon these findings by using a broader demographic base of participants and by assessing the influence of other psychological conditions.

Reference:
Riskind, John H., Evan M. Kleiman, and Karen E. Schafer. (2013). “Undoing” effects of positive affect: Does it buffer the effects of negative affect in predicting changes in depression? Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology 32.4 (2013): 363-80.ProQuest. Web.