For people doing neurofeedback

[Kizzie]

How are you doing now 89?  I had a few EFs a few weeks back as I wrote about, but found it hard to tell if it was the NF or life stresses piling up or what (there were several things happening at the time).  I do know I got through things much more quickly and less intensely than when I would have EFs in the past, as though there was more of me working away on getting through it.

If the floodgates have opened for you hopefully the NF will help you to tap into areas that weren't responding and avoid getting stuck in areas that were switched on high because of the trauma. 

[89abc123]

Session 12

I seem to be having negative reactions to the training. I am irritable and tearful, and my social anxiety and performance anxiety have increased which is the complete opposite of what I wanted to happen. I get home and just want to isolate, I don't want to be around people. I feel like the isolation comes from me starting to question my friendships. I'm getting a lot of anger as well. I feel really down but on a positive note I'm not depressed.

Some benefits - I'm concentrating better at work, getting better sleeps, not feeling depressed, and I had a comment from a work colleague that my memory was really good (my memory has been shocking for about 4 years).

There are benefits, hopefully the negative side effects will fade away.

[89abc123]

How are you doing now 89?  I had a few EFs a few weeks back as I wrote about, but found it hard to tell if it was the NF or life stresses piling up or what (there were several things happening at the time).  I do know I got through things much more quickly and less intensely than when I would have EFs in the past, as though there was more of me working away on getting through it.

If the floodgates have opened for you hopefully the NF will help you to tap into areas that weren't responding and avoid getting stuck in areas that were switched on high because of the trauma

Sorry I didn't see this kizzie before I posted last!

So I let my Nf practitioner know about the difficulties I'm having and he said it was because I am training the limbic system which is the emotional part of the brain so it makes sense I had an emotional reaction.

He changed the protocol though, and after today's session I did not feel any of the negative effects I felt over the last week.

It's made me really respect and trust that he knows what he is doing.

Have the positive effects you experienced still continuing even though you have stopped neurofeedback kizzie? Did you ever experience any negative effects?

[Kizzie]

Sorry, I was away so am just getting caught up.  I do think the effects are continuing although it's  subtle.  I feel like I don't have to wrangle with myself as much, like there is more of me involved in dealing with things and less energy spent on pushing things down or away. 

[89abc123]

So I've done my 20 sessions of NF and I can't believe the change in me.vi finished about 2 weeks ago and still feel great. The benefits have been:

- Not dipping into the really deep lows of depression. My mood lifted within the first few sessions and has not dropped since.

- rumination GONE

- my relationship with my parents has improved

- not getting as offended by what people say

- ability to voice my opinion without feeling ashamed or guilty

- a nice but strange effect is that when I visualise my past it seems a lot further away than it used to

- I don't worry as much about having cptsd

I am going to continue to do NF until my brain can not possibly improve any more.

One negative side effect tho...
I'm finding therapy a bit harder because I feel so good at the moment I can't connect with some of the feelings I need to recognise and process in order to be able to move forward and grow, so my talk therapy has stalled a little.

Thanks for reading!

[Kizzie]

Just have a sec here but wanted to say congrats!!  I really related to the improvements you noticed, especially when you said "when I visualise my past it seems a lot further away than it used to." That is what I feel like as well as I mentioned in my last post.  Interesting!  Keep on posting 

[89abc123]

I haven't been on this site for a while so I thought I'd update on the neurofeedback.

I ended up doing 40 sessions.

It was extremely helpful but it still didn't even scratch the surface of my problems.

For the price tag, an anti depressant is just as effective.

I am glad I did it, but the changes have not been that profound.

[Kizzie]

Good to know 89abc123, but sorry to hear this.  I wonder if over time you will notice other or sustained changes?  The main one I noticed as I mentioned in an earlier post was some distance between me and the trauma, as though it has been better integrated  or something. 

[89abc123]

It really worked wonders for my impulse control issues. I no longer drink during the week and I've lost about 7-8kgs because I'm not reaching for food. Even when I do go for a binge session I don't eat whole packets of anything anymore...and junk food lasts longer in the fridge without me needing to eat it straight away. I think this was a mixture of neurofeedback and reading a book called brain over binge, I did put a lot of therapy work into my self control problems over the last year.

Aside from that my generalised anxiety is through the roof, I still can't concentrate, I'm very forgetful, and I suffer social anxiety which did not improve in the slightest. I can't handle stress and I feel very very emotional, very up and down. Of course, romantic relationships are non existant. None of these are new problems, I was just hoping the nf would settle them down a bit.

Did you end up getting any more neurofeedback Kizzie?