Does a Monk use Neurofeedback?

A laser-like focus. Increased cognitive abilities. Altering the state of your mind at will. Sounds good?

I first came across technology for changing brain states twenty year ago or so. At first, it was psychoacoustics - sounds that used the entrainment effect to affect brainwaves. The Monroe Institute was one of the first I had the pleasure of listening to.

The most common of these sound-therapy tools are binaural beats, where the frequency difference between two stereo channels create a frequency following response in the brain.

I moved on to light-and sound-machines, that uses blinking lights synced to the binaural beats. Then, EEG - most notably, the IBVA, which is a two channel system that connects with a Mac, and which created lovely graphs of your dominant brain frequencies.

What is neurofeedback? It is the idea that awareness creates change. That if you know how your body feels when you are in high beta, for example, you can intentionally change your brain state,

My current setup includes Muse, which uses EEG. It is a cool system, and their audios are very well designed - lovely meditations and soundscapes. You get a $30 rebate if you buy it using this link (and I get $30 in Muse Credit ;)). If you are looking to explore mindfulness and meditation - there are 500 available in the app - you owe it to yourself to check it out.

Mendi uses a different technique than Muse to read the signals of your brain, something called fNIRS (functional near-infrared spectroscopy), which means that it measures the blood-flow and oxygenation of your prefrontal cortex. The accompanying app features a simple game, where a ball rolls over your screen, collecting stars.

For those who are looking for the tech behind Mendi, you can read a report here.

The stars only show when you are focused. You get the first one for three seconds of focus, then one every second. My current record is 30 seconds of focus ... and let me tell you, that was far from easy. And surprisingly fun!

I am exploring various activities and meditations to facilitate focus. Using Mendi in stores, while walking my dog, and while talking with people.

If you need to improve your focus - you know what link to click. What are you waiting for?

You may be unsure which system to get. If you are the type that enjoys meditation, and wish to explore it further, Muse is probably your best bet.

Mendi is simpler to use, as EEG technology is more sensitive to variables in skin conductivity and such-like. So, if you want something that is very plug-and-play, go for the Mendi.Also, unlike Muse, you don't have to subscribe to all of the content.

A tip for you if you get the Muse: they often have sales on their content. I got a full subscription for 90% off.

Happy brain-surfing!

I am about to start inviting people to my school. It will be a personal development and school, especially aimed at light workers, healers and creatives. Send me a message if you are interested, and we can set up a discovery call.