Stress and HPA Axis

Posted on August 30, 2015 by Joel

It probably seems like an oxymoron to title this post “stress and placebo healing.” Stress and healing seem at opposite ends of a continuum.  But the HPA axis generates both stress and healing. It is key to lowering stress and starting to heal. Continue reading →

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Dissolving Pain

Posted on August 9, 2015 by Joel

Standing in line at Disneyland, the child behind her screaming, she focused on the shrill voice, repeating to herself to focus on the sound of his voice until —until she couldn’t stand it another second. (Full disclosure: The woman in line is my daughter, Hiromi. She reads and edits my blog.)

screaming bad girl

My problem. I had not yet posted “Dissolving Pain.” To dissolve the pain of the child’s screaming, Hiromi would focus on surrounding space, without trying to block the screaming voice.

Let me back up a bit to my previous posts on attention-training and open focus. Continue reading →

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Life-Altering Elixir

Posted on July 29, 2015 by Joel

Life-Altering Elixir

I’ve been writing in this blog about Open Focus, Attention Training Therapy, Metacognitive Therapy ( MCT ), Ki Breathing, and life-altering ellixirs. Though I have a master’s degree in psychology, I am not posting as an academic, and certainly not from the point of view of a therapist. Continue reading →

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Ki Breathing Meditation

Posted on July 21, 2015 by Joel

Ki Breathing Meditation: Four Basic Principles to Unify Mind and Body

These four principles will facilitate both Attention Training Therapy and Ki Breathing Meditation.

  1. Relax Completely – The way to approach this is to relax your shoulders.

  2. Keep One Point –  As you relax your shoulders, let your weight fall naturally to a point low in your abdomen.

  3. Let Your Weight Fall Underside –  As you relax your shoulders and relax completely, your weight falls to a point low in your abdomen and to the underside of your arms. If you are sitting, your weight falls under your thighs, feet, and arms.

  4. Extend Ki – Rather than narrowly focusing inside your mind, breathe out, extending ki infinitely. Continue reading →

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Attention Training Therapy ( ATT ) and Ki Breathing

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Joel

Ki as defined by Koichi Tohei, founder of the Ki Society and aikido with mind and body, is “the infinite gatherings of infinitely small particles.” Everything in the universe is born of Ki.

Combining Attention Training Therapy with Ki Breathing calms the mind, strengthens the effectiveness of Attention training therapy, and leaves no space for ruminating about negative issues. The focus of Attention Training Therapy is mental fitness. The focus of Ki Breathing is mind and body coordination. They work together seamlessly.

The basic principles of Ki Breathing apply equally to attention training therapy.  Continue reading →

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Attention Training Therapy Metacognitive Therapy 3

Posted on July 5, 2015 by Joel

Attention Training Therapy

Attention training therapy (ATT) is a part of metacognitive therapy (MCT) developed by Adrian Wells, professor of clinical psychology, University of Manchester. The therapist tells the client that their disorder is maintained by dwelling on symptoms and other negative aspects of their lives. Continue reading →

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Attention Training Therapy

Posted on June 19, 2015 by Joel

Attention Training Therapy ( ATT )

Attention Training  Therapy (ATT) trains the mind to be flexible. ATT focuses on sounds within space and is a part of Metacognitive Therapy created and developed by Professor Adrian Wellls of University of Manchester. Continue reading →

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Attention Training Therapy ( ATT )

Posted on May 31, 2015 by Joel

Attention Training Therapy ( ATT )

I said in “Mindfulness Meditation While Jogging“, I hate to jog and I hate to meditate. So I practice Attention Training Therapy (ATT) while jogging.  ATT is Open-Focus meditation with both sounds and space. It is difficult to focus on open space while jogging, but the addition of sounds in ATT makes it so much easier. Continue reading →

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Placebo Mirrors Drug Effectiveness

Posted on May 19, 2015 by Joel

Placebo Effect Mirrors Drug Effectiveness

Stories we tell ourselves affect drugs we are taking. If you think you are taking aspirin, the placebo effect will be different than if you think you are taking morphine. In most cases, the placebo response is 55 to 60 percent as effective as the treatment. Continue reading →

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Neurofeedback and Virtual Reality Training

Posted on May 17, 2015 by Joel

ADD/ADHD Childen

Some of the first therapeutic work with neurofeedback training was done with ADD/ADHD children. Neurofeedback training is a type of biofeedback that commonly uses EKG real-time display of brain activity.

Initially when working with these children, sensors were placed on their head and they watched a monitor displaying their brain waves. They were instructed how to shift into a target brain wave. Not a captivating task, especially for kids with ADHD. Continue reading →

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