Amazing Brains

Amazing Brains – 015 – John Peralta

In this episode, Micah sits down with Massage Therapist and Personal Trainer, John Peralta. In the show they cover concepts of flow, biohacking, prehab, and using play as a form of fitness. 

Show Notes

About John

John met Micah at The Space, a venue in Colorado where a person can come and receive different health services like movement, music and more.

They talked a lot about ‘prehab’ a concept that combines the ideas of preventative medicine and rehabilitation

“If you’re looking to get out of pain, the best things to do are mobilize and stabilize” – John

John uses slacklining to build strength, stability and balance

Not everyone begins on the slackline, there is a progression that can lead up to being able to practice on and use a slackline

Standing on one leg, walking in a straight line, hop on a straight line, and lunging are all ways to build stability for slacklining without actually doing in

“It should feel fun, if it doesn’t feel like fun, you probably aren’t going to stick with it” – John

Flow

Prehab is the prevention of future injury

This all started from a desire to play as hard as he could without dying

He was learning to seek play in his workout, and stumbled upon flow states

If you are so engaged in an activity that you lose sense of self, time, etc, then that is play, that is flow

“There is no distinction between play and flow, they are the same” – John

Flow is what he was experiencing in his ‘play’, so he wanted to find a way to bring that into his workout

Play

Bringing in the experimental process has been huge to adding more flow into his workouts

He believes that doing it that way, provides the most range of movement to apply to his ‘play’

John encourages listeners to get creative, you don’t need any expensive tools to get active

“The key word that makes play, productive, is adaptability” – John

Movement is such a key component

Play allows you to not take it so seriously, it gives you that sense of childlike wonder

If you’re struggling because your skill doesn’t meet the challenge, then begin with play

The moment you get out of your head, is the moment you drop into flow state

Movement as Medicine

“We create a level of unworthiness when we experience trauma” – John

Movement is finding the connection between healing trauma and hacking flow

Medicine can be anything that you put in your mouth

Medicine can look like sustenance, supplements or substances

Final Thoughts

This crazy life that we are living right now, is supposed to be fun

“If you can find a way t

Amazing Brains – 014 – Dr. Marvin Berman

In this episode, Micah sits down with Dr. Marvin Berman, Founder and Director of the Quiet Mind Foundation. In the show they discuss body-mind therapy and breathing techniques. 

Show Notes

About Marvin

PhD in Psychoeducational Processes from Temple University

Marvin brings a multimodal and philosophical approach to human optimization, wellness and neuro-degenerative disease

Reasons for Therapy

There are two reasons people want to get help from Marvin, they are unhappy and want to be happy, or they are happy and want to be happier.

“Where does the line cross between feeling good and dealing with all of your issues?” – Marvin

Marvin says that the brain can have a direct relationship with so many other parts of the body like the lungs, the gut, etc

Isomorphic means you can observe a specific principle, operating at a certain level of extraction

When someone has neurosis, they have an inability to express themselves in a certain way

“Flow states can be operationally defined as states in which there is a higher level of capacity to more finely discriminate between similarities and differences.” – Marvin

Breath

Marvin likes to teach people how to breathe normally first, instead of just jumping into learning the 400+ styles of pranayama and breathing

He suggests learning the basic mechanics of functional breath

Checking out the Quiet Mind foundation is a good place to start

There are low cost ways to do neurofeedback at home

Bioenergetic therapy is the breathwork that Marvin approves and supports, which is achieving normal respiration

Links

Website

Quiet Mind Foundation

About Dr. Marvin Berman

Marvin Berman earned his Master’s and PhD

Amazing Brains – 013 – Uri Carlson

In this episode, Micah sits down with Uri Carlson, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Founder of Inner Wild Nutrition. Uri is a Breckenridge, CO local but helps clients all over the world. In the show, they talk about her focus on individual lifestyle factors and how she incorporates nutrition strategies that optimize performance, body composition, energy, and overall health, once and for all.

Show Notes

About Uri

Uri lives in Breckenridge, CO

She grew up on an organic farm in Vermont

She came to Colorado and looked for schools to study nutrition

She was becoming an athlete and looking into nutrition for herself

She was her own test subject for learning, now able to provide her expertise to everyone

Individualized Nutrition

There is no one question that applies to everyone, nutrition recommendations are individual

She has everyone log their food intake for 5-7 days to see their starting point

She has her clients use the app, My Fitness Pal

The goal is to incorporate healthy eating habits using TPAs (top priority actionables)

“Recovery is super important but often overlooked” – Uri

Stress

Stress is the most dangerous component

You can be doing everything right but if you’re stressed, it can set you back

Besides the stresses that we deal with as humans, there are also foods that put stress on our bodies

There are non-food ingredients that we eat that aren’t real foods, like artificial, dyed, ingredients

When we ingest those ingredients, our bodies provide a stress response

Diet

Instead of looking at macros in a percentage, Uri says the first thing to look at is protein, then vegetables (3 different kinds a meal), then healthy fat, and then what is the complex carbohydrate

Fats are incredibly important because our brains are around 60% fat

Fat isn’t going to necessarily make you fat, its essential for optimal brain function

Oils, eggs, nuts and other healthy fats should be included in the diet

Uri says she sees Keto work well for people, but it’s a significant lifestyle change

She says she sees people start with Keto, and then they transition into a more long term healthy eating plan that isn’t necessarily Keto

Uri says that her ‘cleanse’ looks like eliminating her added sugar intake for a month

She also says that the key is setting up the environment to make the right meals, buying the healthy foods so that you have them on hand to go to and choose and taking the bad foods out of the picture

Links

Website

Instagram

Amazing Brains – 012 – Noel Ford

In this episode, Micah sits down with Noel Ford, CEO of Versus, a mobile, dry sensor EEG headset system. Noel is also a consultant at Tailored Intentions, which is an opportunity for her to expand how she helps people. In the show they talk about how the Versus mobile EEG system uses principles of neuroscience to help the user’s brain learn new skills. They cover many other topics on Neurofeedback, building awareness, healthy choices and more.

Show Notes

Versus

She started as a research assistant and worked her way to leading the company as CEO

Micah says “if you’re not testing you are guessing”

Versus is built to be an out of the box assessment

Neurofeedback

The concept of neurofeedback is measuring brain activity

The Versus uses a process called operant conditioning, the concept of what you get rewarded for you will be more likely to continue

It simultaneously will notify the person through sound, of the state that their brain is in

The Versus EEG headset down-regulates brain activity

“The more that you practice, and the more instant feedback you have about how you’re doing in that practice, the sooner you’re going to see the effects of that practice” – Noel

The Headset

Micah says he likes the Versus device based simply on where the sensors are placed

The headset has 19 channel QEEGs, 19 placements on the scalp

They looked at the protocols that they recommend to clients based on what they were finding in sessions

They took that info and reduced the sensor sites down to 5 main sensors, making the device easy to use from home

“The stories that you tell yourself throughout the day, really truly matter” – Noel

Our thoughts impact our physiology

A device like the Versus headset is a great way to build awareness

Food Choices

Eat the things that are going to make your body feel good

Cheeses in general are inflammatory foods, so yes, they may make you feel inflamed

Links

Tailored Intentions Website

Versus Website

About Noel Ford

In Noel’s “day job” she gets to lead a company that is trying to bring

Amazing Brains – 011 – Pierre Bouchard

In this episode, Micah sits down with Pierre Bouchard. In the show they talk about how to embody self and self actualization. Pierre and Micah discuss different exercises on practicing awareness, how to self actualize, paying attention to feelings that arise in our moments of reaction, and where our reactions stem from.

Show Notes

Reactions

“What we don’t know about ourselves ends up running our lives” – Pierre

We have to look at the places in our lives that are causing a reaction in us

Most of our reactions are caused by an emotional and nervous system signature that are set up within us since we were 4 years old

There are so many ways of healing our own psyche and nervous systems

There is acting out (reacting toward a partner) and acting in (saying hateful things about yourself to yourself)

The tightness in your stomach that you might feel arise when something triggers you, can act as a road back to childhood trauma, or whatever is at the root of the problem

Awareness

We are trained and conditioned to think of ourselves as a brain being carried around

Pierre asks listeners to bring awareness away from your head and your eyes, and bringing your sight to your feet

Most of the time, our sense of awareness goes forward

Pierre says try the exercise of bringing awareness to the backside of you, back of your head, maybe your seat, behind you

Whatever we focus on we get more of

In these practices we are learning a stance of productivity

The absence of sensation is a sensation

There are some people that don’t sense anything when other people may

Micah says to be gentle with yourself when ‘numbing the thaw’

“Every moment you spend mindfully attending to a sensation, you are helping to neurally map it” – Pierre

Final Thoughts

As we start to tune in more into what is unfolding in our lives, we find out so much about what is good for us

Links

Website

About Pierre Bouchard

Amazing Brains – 009 – Invictus

In this episode, Micah sits down with Sam Peterson and Jeffrey Haughland, Co-Founders of Invictus Project. In the show they talk about the Invictus Project, a mission to empower veterans to live more fulfilled lives by treating the root causes of traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.

Show Notes

About

They both received traumatic blasts while serving terms as bomb technicians in Afghanistan

When they got back they were told to get used to their new normal

Their symptoms kept getting worse and they were only given more pills, which led them to become suicidal

They started researching neurochemistry and neurobiology to find the root cause of their problems

Their goal is to make these treatments the standard of care

“The biggest problem in mental health is that nobody is examining the organ they treat prior to treating, they rely solely on patient reporting” – Jeffrey

Self-Testing

They used their own treatments and therapy model on themselves first

They did Ketamine infusion therapy right at the start

They used TBI Therapy

They mention Wavi Med, a company that made a device they used to scan the brain

They then used hyperbaric oxygen therapy

They also used a nasal, stem cell platelet rich plasma and insulin regimen

Jeff was tested before the stem cell treatment, and then tested again a month after

Voltage output in the brain was increased by 30%

Clarity, focus, emotional regulation were all improved

What they are really trying to do is to bring quality of life to their patients

Invictus Mission

They are looking to have a giant health and wellness facility with Invictus in the back

Healthy eating cafe, sensory deprivation float tanks, yoga facility

The goal is to bring people in the door who have broken brains, fix their brains on a cellular level, get them back to a healthy baseline, and input them directly into programmatic lifestyle modifications and a community of people that are trying to create better versions of themselves

Support

They are always accepting donations

7 states have already approved hyperbaric use for veterans

They recommend that if anyone is feeling suicidal, to check out the Ketamine Wellness Center in Littleton, CO

Ketamine is the best method for treating suicidal ideation

“We are truly a product out of our environment, and we can modify our environment. Our environment does not have to dictate how we feel” – J

Amazing Brains –

008 – Dr. Tiffany Thompson

In this episode, Micah sits down with Dr. Tiffany Thompson, a Therapist blending neuroscience technology with the art of psychotherapy. In the show they cover the brain wave frequencies and what they represent.

Show Notes

Self-Actualization

Dr. Thompson says she expects to foresee the issue, but sometimes people’s issues are emotional in nature

Psychodynamic EEG says that there is more than what meets the eye

We are all familiar with the ego, the ‘me’

There is the personal consciousness, and then there is a collective unconscious

Brain Waves

Delta

When you see delta in the EEG, it’s commonly in individuals who deal with grief

It’s also found in individuals who are clairvoyant, a signature of the ‘wounded healer’

Delta is the slowest frequency

As a baby, we are constantly producing delta

As adults, we produce it in deep sleep

Flow is also called ‘waking delta’ or ‘waking theta’

Theta

We produce theta when the brain is in a state of magic or fantasy

Theta fuels neuro-genesis, new synaptic connections, etc

It’s a frequency that dominates our childhood

Alpha

Alpha is the first frequency of consciousness, being present, being in the flow

“Alpha is the lining of the realms of un-consciousness and realms of egoic, conscious state.” – Tiffany

With enough of alpha, we are able to pull layers from our consciousness and put meaning to it

Beta

Beta is the ego, in terms of identity

In our lives in general, things are okay

“The what if’s’ are what drive a lot of psychological issues, and that’s an ego problem. It’s a glitch in the system, nature doesn’t throw away what works” – Tiffany

Moving into gamma is a way of going beyond the ‘what if’ that plagues us

Gamma

When the brain creates gamma, its production is the expression of an individuated experience

The individuation process is one where your brain comes to realization

It may look like a moment of processing and integrating trauma to where it doesn’t traumatize you anymore

Final Thoughts

The wisdom lives within our DNA

“The god that you seek is your own heart” – Tiffany

Links

www.neurofieldneurotherapy.com

About Dr. Tiffany Thompson

Amazing Brains – 007 – Dr. Jeff Tarrant

In this episode, Micah interviews Dr. Jeff Tarrant, Doctor of the Neuromeditation Institute. In the show they go into detail on four types of meditation, neurofeedback, practice and more.

Show Notes

Meditation

Meditation is mental training

It doesn’t have to be connected to a religious system

It changes the way you perceive things in the world

We can all benefit from meditation

It’s a practice toward shifting your consciousness, a ‘no mind’ state

“If you engage in a practice that is not a good match for your brain, that can be a problem” – Jeff

There is no meditation that is perfect for everybody

There are multiple different styles of meditation, some are more of a mantra practice, and some are more of a quiet mind style

4 Styles of Meditation

Focus – the one that most people understand most easily

Mindfulness – it’s paying attention in a gentle, soft way, paying attention to what’s happening in the current moment, but not attaching to it

Open Heart – loving, kindness and compassion practice, intentionally activating a positive emotional state

Quiet Mind – it’s the stereotypical meditation state, where you’re not doing or thinking about anything

In the Focus style, the frontal lobes in the brain are very engaged

An increase of Gamma is usually associated with an increase in blood flow

The default mode network gets a lot of attention in meditation

It’s primary job is self referencing

With TM (Transcendental Meditation) you’re focusing on a mantra

Teaching with Neuro Meditation

Jeff comments on teaching meditation to kids and making it more popular in the culture we live in, “We can still teach the skills, but we may need new tools”

“It’s about teaching people to increase their sensitivity to their internal state” – Jeff

The hardest part about meditation is sticking to the routine

Jeff says he works hard on making sure people have a routine, and know the ‘why’

Micah says meditation is simple, but not easy

Links

NeuroMeditation Institute

Email – [email protected]

About Dr. Jeff Tarrant

Dr. Tarrant is the founder and Director of the NeuroMeditation Institute and author of the book, “Meditation Interventions to Rewire the Brain.” Dr. Tarrant received his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Missouri in 1997. He is a licensed psychologist and board certified in neurofeedback. Dr. Tarrant has devoted much of his professional career to working with technology-based interventions such as quantitative EEG, neurofeedback, biofeedback, and audio visual entrainment (AVE). He has also trained extensively in a variety of spiritual and meditative practices, including Zen, Vipassana, Ta

Amazing Brains – 006 –

Dr. Richard Soutar

In today’s episode, Micah sits down with Dr. Richard Soutar, well published author. He is a thought leader, pioneer in the neurofeedback field, and CEO and founder of New Mind Technology.

Show Notes

During COVID, New Mind has been shifting office practices to in-home practices

Richard says that it took a while to get government and agencies to get it to work

New Mind is doing Neurofeedback training for self improvement, for meditation, for relaxation, etc

The way has been paved by all different pioneers

Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback is awesome because there is a re-wiring, and a real change

There is a new level of optimal functioning, new socio-emotional levels, just documentable changes

Richard says that his patients say that “what feels really good, is feeling really good, and being able to make things happen in my life. It feels empowering”

“Enhancing people’s quality of life is the real goal” – Richard

After a couple responses, you find ones that are better than the old ones

And you find the liberty in responding differently, to change your life

Musicians, visual artists, business people, they all find a new form of creativity

Benefits

There is one girl who was going to commit suicide, but she changed her lifestyle, her friends, where she lived, her jobs, etc

Getting into a new space is a shock for some, when they are used to suffering

With a transcendental state that you can get to on psychedelics, you can only be in that state for so long

With neurofeedback, you find that space inside of you, and once you learn it and recognize it, you can revisit it often

People are capable of reaching these ‘high’ states, and it’s learning to recognize where those states ‘begin’ and where they ‘end’ to move within them

The fear of the pain, makes us cling more tightly to it

“You can’t break through (pain) by an act of will, you break through it by letting go” – Richard

Frequency and Waves

Most decisions are made in the feeling brain, not the thinking brain

There is a fibonacci sequence in the brain waves, and it starts with the heart

Theta is a great frequency to use to help tap in

The ‘aha’ moments that people get are little worlds you can actually train yourself to access

When you grasp for it, you lose it, the flow comes upon you

Final Thoughts

Micah says that Dr. Soutar’s YouTube channel is a wonderful resource

Micah says that he can make someone feel be

Amazing Brains – 005 –

Dr. Dale Schusterman

In this episode, Micah sits down with Dr. Dale Schusterman. They talk about a breathing exercise that balances the hemispheres in your brain and balancing the body through frequency.

Show Notes

Frequency

Dr. June Wieder, a chiropractor in California did a lot of research on using tuning forks on the spine

She found 12 frequencies, and each frequency resonates with 2 vertebrae

“Frequency is medicine” – Dr. Dale

Looking at heart frequency, brain frequency, gut behavior, it’s all so aligned

Tuning forks are readily available for people to try at home

Dr. Dale says that when he muscle tests people, you could bring up trauma from 9 years ago

Everyone needs to get reset from time to time, a good massage helps, the neuro-field is great

Breathing Technique

Alternate Nostril Breathing

Use the thumb for the right nostril, and the ring/middle finger to cover the left nostril

You breathe back and forth, holding one nostril (left) and breathing in, and then exhaling out of the left nostril while  holding the other (right)

Then you rotate that pattern

It balances the heart to the brain, it’s a good way of centering and calming

Holotropic breathwork can arise emotions very quickly

Guides and sitters are recommended for Holotropic breathwork

Healing

When asking the body what is wrong, you have to be specific to produce healing

People are a lot more open to suggestion when they aren’t in pain

Parasympathetic Protocol

Dr. Dale uses it for chilling people out or helping people sleep

Flow has a lot to do with the parasympathetic system

‘Rest and Digest’ is very parasympathetic

A lot of people are in a loop of not knowing an answer of when they will feel safe again, and using the parasympathetic protocol is super helpful

“When you start bringing balance in the body, then it frees the mind” – Dr. Dale

Final Thoughts

International College of Applied Kinesiology

P-DTR (proprioceptive deep tendon reflex)

A neurological way of balancing the body