Re: Looking for some guidance

The traditional route for neurofeedback is analyzing the FFT and EEG charting analysis in realtime during an EEG acquisition session, to achieve the desired mental state.

More recent generation EEG headsets include software that can facilitate this process via neurfeedback, by using visual imagery, video game controls etc.

Binaural beats and isochronic tones are useful for relaxation, but are very limited in compelling EEG entrainment.

By far the most effective method for achieving a target brainwave state is via photic stimulation, using LED glasses with a light and sound machine.  The effects are very pronounced on the EEG charting output, and you can modify the desired brainwave state depending on the LS session that you choose.  LS machines combine photic stimulation with binaural beats, and usually include an Audiostrobe decoder for AS-encoded CDs.

The MindPlace Procyon is a great product, as is the Laxman LS device.  There is also a new system just released on the market that accomplishes entrainment via photic stimulation in an eyes open setting, the MindLights.

This fellow probably has the most comprehensive blog out there on this subject, with comprehensive reviews of various LS devices on the market that are used for photic stimulation:

Mindplace Procyon:
http://tinyurl.com/cyzdesv

Laxman:
http://tinyurl.com/d7dqohh

MindLights:
https://craigtavs.wordpress.com/2012/08/12/mindlights/

I personally use a Procyon, it's a great device and includes a very capable session editor.  The Laxman gets good reviews as well, it's a German LS system that has a bit more packaging polish than the Procyon, but they all accomplish the same goal.  The MindLights is getting good reviews, but I don't think it's very portable.  From what I understand it requires a host PC for the control sessions.
  
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From: John Lyon [[email protected]]
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2012 7:03 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [Openeeg-list] Looking for some guidance

Hello everyone,

I'm a newcomer to openEEG. I purchased an Olimex EEG-SMT and a set of active electrodes (plus the passive ground electrode). I've built myself a simple headband for mounting the electrodes. I've tested the unit with BrainBay, Electric Guru, and BioExplorer.  It seems to produce satisfactory test results with all three pieces of software.

My main purpose in buying this unit is to explore neurofeedback,as a way to learn to change mental states.  I am reading 'ADD The 20-Hour Solution' and learning about how neurofeedback can be useful for treating ADD/ADHD.  I also read James Rowan's 'Primer of EEG With A Mini-Atlas", which provided a useful overview of how EEG analysis can help with diagnosing several medical conditions, including epilepsy.

But now I'm wondering how to use the software I have.  Where can I learn about using the different example setups provided in BioExploer and BrainBay, for example.  I am reading through the documentation that I've been able to find.

Here is a more specific question:  How can I use this software to practice changing brain wave patterns?  It would be nice to have the commercial software used with children, as described in "ADD: The 20-Hour Solution".  But since I don't have access to that, can anyone suggest ways to use the software I have to practice changing brain wave patters.

For now, I'm going to experiment with looking at youtube videos that use binaural beats to help change patterns, to see if that has any effect.  I'm also going to try some simple mediation techniques, which I have found useful in the past, such as following my breath.  I might also try some introductory Buddhist meditation techniques taught by Jack Kornfield, and see if they produce any measurable change in my brainwave patterns.

And finally, where can I lean more about which patterns I should be trying to induce?  I assume the lower the frewquency the better, but I'd like to read more about this subject.  I know there is a ton of reading on the OpenEEG web site, but I'm not sure where to start, and the list looks a bit overwhelming.  I'd like a nice overview of the subject to start with.

Any help would be much appreciated.   I expect I'll be around, and that I quickly build up enough expertise to help some other newbies who may follow me into the fascinating field of neurofeedback.

Cheers,

John

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