Advice needed on bioexplorer

[Guest guest]

So I finally got my equipment and BE loaded and talking to my Pocket

A3 and nIR headset. Could someone advise me on training materials? I

saw a manual on BE, the BE quickstart package, and a nIR module for BE

from itallis- What would you recommend for a newbie? Thanks,

[Guest guest]

Thanks for your prompt response- It is somewhat overwhelming to get in

to bioexplorer- so I'm glad to hear someone say that I can probably

figure it out. I will take your advice and get the module. Thanks

again.

[Guest guest]

So there are options for getting started without training?

Can someone give me a ball park figure for costs for the computer/software

without training?

[Guest guest]

,

There are two major technologies involved in brain training: hemo-encephalography (training metabolic activity in the prefrontal area) and electro-encephalography (training electrical activity pretty much anywhere and of any description in the brain.

HEG has almost no learning curve at all. We help you set up the hardware and software (about $1420 plus shipping) as a part of our service. You can use it with most anyone, without doing an assessment, and you don't have to learn things like how to find sites, how to place electrodes to get a good signal, how to tell if you have artifact, etc. It's helpful for issues related to executive function, attention and sometimes with migraines. Might help some with anxiety, depression, etc., but it would not be my first choice.

EEG costs about $1130 to get started, and it has a lot more training options and can work with many more issues. For a few hundred dollars you could get up to speed on the basic skills (mentioned in the previous paragraph) and get a training plan based on an actual assessment of the brain you want to work with.

You could just buy the equipment and just put on the electrodes without having any very accurate idea where they are supposed to go and just plug them into the amplifier without knowing whether you were training the brain or a fluorescent light or cell phone somewhere. You could just pick out a protocol at random or based on an e-mail you read, and you might get some benefits from it--or you might get nothing, or you might get a negative response.

When I started in NF in 1992, it cost us nearly $4000 (and those were dollars you could use to buy about a gallon and a half of gas) to get equipment that could do less than half of what we can do today. The training was a lot more expensive then as well. I certainly understand that $1,400-1,600 is a chunk of change, and the commitment of time and energy involved in getting started with NF is, for many folks, as big or bigger a hurdle. But this is the best time in history to be able to change your own brain's function in a lasting way, and the support that is available through groups like this and online training and consulting, etc. was only a dream 15 years ago.

The question I always ask people who are thinking of getting started on their own is this: If you decided you wanted to fix your own car, you could go out a spend some money on a set of tools and instruments. But would you then just pop the hood and start taking things apart without knowing anything about engines or without any kind of supervision? Not likely. And if you did, it's not likely you'd be driving that car again anytime soon. So why would you treat your brain with less awe and respect than you would your car engine?

If you--or anyone on the list--would care to speak more with me about your own specific issues, training goals, etc., just email me at pvdtlc@..., and send me a phone number (not just limited to the US, by the way) and good time for you to talk, and I'll be happy to call you and see if, when you understand a little more, you can either decide this isn't for you or that there IS a way you can move ahead.

Pete

So there are options for getting started without training? Can someone give me a ball park figure for costs for the computer/software without training?

..

-- Van Deusenpvdtlc@...http://www.brain-trainer.com305/433-3160The Learning Curve, Inc.

[Guest guest]

>

> So there are options for getting started without training? Can

someone give

> me a ball park figure for costs for the computer/software without

training?

>

>

>

>

Believe me, you don't want to start doing neurofeedback without any

training. I've had basic training and have also consulted with a very

experienced local neurofeedback practitioner " coach " for a couple of

years, and I still encounter problems all the time, especially with

new equipment, new protocols, knowing what to do when something goes

out of whack, etc. It's very tricky, and with all kinds of different

approaches and theories out there can be very, very involved

(coherences? forget about it -- still do not get that or how/when to

train it).

Maybe you'll take to it better than most people, but there's really

nothing " intuitive " about it in the least, aside from maybe something

like a better connection means a better signal. But there's nothing

practically intuitive when it comes to the actual training along the

lines of when you're thirsty, drink a glass of water, in other words

meaning if you feel a certain way, train XYZ site at 123 frequency. It

all has to be learned, and even then is often very counterintuitive.

I'm not trying to discourage you, just letting you know what you are

getting in to. A person starting neurofeedback on their own, in my

humble opinion, at the least should have basic training to know how to

place electrodes, what a good signal looks like, where the sites on

the scalp are, " bipolar " vs. " monopolar, " and other fundamental topics

like left side vs. right side characteristics, etc. Otherwise, unless

you get really lucky, you are just setting yourself up for frustration

in the least, if not possibly some actual harm. If you're going to

invest in NF, also invest in some basic training. It will pay

dividends in the future, if nothing else than to avoid getting bad

habits from the start, and can end up saving you a lot of headaches

(maybe literally :-o).

just my opinion,

JW