Alpha Theta Crossover Questions

[Guest guest]

Hello all,

I have a ton of questions about alpha/theta crossover, and I was

hoping some here might be able to provide some insight.

1. What are the best sites at which to use this protocol? PZ?

2. In my limited experience I've come to view " alpha up " as good and

" theta up " as bad, in a very general sense. Alpha Theta crossover

seems to go against the grain in this regard. Can anyone address this?

Should I train up alpha at the site in advance of a/t crossover?

3. Can it be done alone? I've read a bit about adjustments needing to

be made during the session to keep the client awake, and about guided

imagery scripts being read prior to training.

4. Are there " canned " scripts out there that can be adjusted for the

client? (addiciton, repressed memories, etc.)

5. The more I learn about how the brain works, the more important

alpha theta crossover seems to be. Since there are memories stored at

the sub-cortical level (some that don't need to be there)that drive

our behavior, wouldn't bringing them to the surface via alpha theta

crossover be essential in dealing with tone issues? e.g an over-active

amygdala.

Thank you

- Steve

[Guest guest]

Dear Steve,

            I’m no expert in Alpha

Theta, but have employed it successfully in my practice for several clients.  I

was taught to use Cz, A1 A2, as it is a single-channel protocol. 

            The point of Alpha Theta is

not to train either one up or down, but to encourage the brain to develop the

ability to slip into a state where theta temporarily exceeds alpha in

amplitude.  This hypnagogic state which results enables the client to catch insights

shown usually in imagery, which the client can discuss later with another

person (e.g. therapist) and work out the symbolism, much as dream work is

done.  The images can disappear quickly if one does not have the opportunity to

identify and discuss them soon after training.

            That said, some people swear

that they get benefit from A-T but either don’t get images or refuse to

share them.  Either way, they seem to feel better for having done it.

            I’ve done some

alpha-theta on the advice of my mentor for a person who continually fell asleep

during training, no matter how high or low her rewarded frequency band was.  Her

problem was – you guessed it – insomnia!  My mentor’s

approach was “well, if the person wants to go to sleep, let her and do

alpha theta!”  The alarms which go off if the person begins eye-rolling

or having hi delta enable the mind to get rest without actually falling into

deep sleep.  My client likes it, it seems to break a bad run of sleep-onset

insomnia at bedtime.  It also enables her to do “power napping” (not

in my office, thank you!) during the day when she has time. 

            Good luck, and I hope many

other people write in with more experience and knowledge than I have!

Jill 

From: braintrainer [mailto:braintrainer ] On Behalf Of Steve Michener

Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2007

12:21 PM

To: braintrainer

Subject: Alpha

Theta Crossover Questions

Hello all,

I have a ton of questions about alpha/theta crossover, and I was

hoping some here might be able to provide some insight.

1. What are the best sites at which to use this protocol? PZ?

2. In my limited experience I've come to view " alpha up " as good and

" theta up " as bad, in a very general sense. Alpha Theta crossover

seems to go against the grain in this regard. Can anyone address this?

Should I train up alpha at the site in advance of a/t crossover?

3. Can it be done alone? I've read a bit about adjustments needing to

be made during the session to keep the client awake, and about guided

imagery scripts being read prior to training.

4. Are there " canned " scripts out there that can be adjusted for the

client? (addiciton, repressed memories, etc.)

5. The more I learn about how the brain works, the more important

alpha theta crossover seems to be. Since there are memories stored at

the sub-cortical level (some that don't need to be there)that drive

our behavior, wouldn't bringing them to the surface via alpha theta

crossover be essential in dealing with tone issues? e.g an over-active

amygdala.

Thank you

- Steve

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[Guest guest]

Steve,

There are many sites where A/T is trained, some as far back as the occipitals, some as far forward as the central strip. I like O1 (for visual imagery) and P4 (for logistical ease), but Pz is also commonly used. Any good solid alpha site is okay.

It's important to remember that alpha/theta is not so much a " motivational " protocol (like theta down/beta up) as an " informational " protocol, telling your brain what is happening rather than asking it to make something happen. You aren't training theta up. You are telling the brain when it is producing a large amount of 7 Hz hippocampal theta.

Lots and lots of people do alpha/theta alone. In fact, having somebody sitting beside you fiddling with thresholds (at least when I've been the client) actually kind of interferes in the process. The TLC alpha theta design has a filter to pick up 3 Hz activity, which should start to surge when you are going to sleep, and it makes a distant knocking sound that tends to bring people back up without bringing them completely out of the state. You can have someone lead you through a guided imagery (but please make sure it is someone who understands hypnotic induction; here again a person who doesn't really know what he/she is doing can make a pretty irritating mess of it.) Or you can simply produce your own visualization and when you are clearly in alpha, begin visualizing until whatever the brain brings up takes over.

The more you try to control in alpha theta, the further you will be from ever actually experiencing it. It's like trying to MAKE yourself get into a zen state. You LET it happen.

The big thing to understand here is that you get into alpha first. A good alpha state is an observer state: I don't think, I don't try, I just watch my thoughts. Then you may choose to begin to visualize, or it might just happen as you listen to the feedback. Visualization is a 7 Hz activity. Recalling things from memory is a 7 Hz activity. So you take your observer state down to the rim of your own subconscious mind, sit by the well and watch for reflections on the surface. What comes comes. You can set intentions in advance (

e.g. I'd like to know more about why I feel so angry about " X " ), but you will go where your brain takes you. In most cases, if you don't have anyone pushing you, the brain won't bring you anything you can't handle. You might often end up feeling just nicely rested--like after a power nap. Sometimes you might hit a vein of something and open up a new level of awareness or contact a memory long lost.

In closing--and there are surely a hundred other opinions on this--I would say that A/T is kind of a Nike protocol: Just do it. (But do it after you've done some other training, and after you can produce good alpha states in the back of the head.)

Pete

Hello all,I have a ton of questions about alpha/theta crossover, and I washoping some here might be able to provide some insight.1. What are the best sites at which to use this protocol? PZ?

2. In my limited experience I've come to view " alpha up " as good and " theta up " as bad, in a very general sense. Alpha Theta crossoverseems to go against the grain in this regard. Can anyone address this?

Should I train up alpha at the site in advance of a/t crossover?3. Can it be done alone? I've read a bit about adjustments needing tobe made during the session to keep the client awake, and about guided

imagery scripts being read prior to training.4. Are there " canned " scripts out there that can be adjusted for theclient? (addiciton, repressed memories, etc.)5. The more I learn about how the brain works, the more important

alpha theta crossover seems to be. Since there are memories stored atthe sub-cortical level (some that don't need to be there)that driveour behavior, wouldn't bringing them to the surface via alpha theta

crossover be essential in dealing with tone issues? e.g an over-activeamygdala.Thank you- Steve -- Van Deusen

pvdtlc@...http://www.brain-trainer.com305/433-3160The Learning Curve, Inc.

[Guest guest]

Jill & Pete,

Thanks a lot for your replies. When I get to the point when I'm ready

to try this, it'll be nice to be able to refer back to this thread.

- Steve

> >

> > Hello all,

> >

> > I have a ton of questions about alpha/theta crossover, and I was

> > hoping some here might be able to provide some insight.

> >

> > 1. What are the best sites at which to use this protocol? PZ?

> >

> > 2. In my limited experience I've come to view " alpha up " as good and

> > " theta up " as bad, in a very general sense. Alpha Theta crossover

> > seems to go against the grain in this regard. Can anyone address this?

> > Should I train up alpha at the site in advance of a/t crossover?

> >

> > 3. Can it be done alone? I've read a bit about adjustments needing to

> > be made during the session to keep the client awake, and about guided

> > imagery scripts being read prior to training.

> >

> > 4. Are there " canned " scripts out there that can be adjusted for the

> > client? (addiciton, repressed memories, etc.)

> >

> > 5. The more I learn about how the brain works, the more important

> > alpha theta crossover seems to be. Since there are memories stored at

> > the sub-cortical level (some that don't need to be there)that drive

> > our behavior, wouldn't bringing them to the surface via alpha theta

> > crossover be essential in dealing with tone issues? e.g an over-active

> > amygdala.

> >

> > Thank you

> >

> > - Steve

> >

> >

> >

>

>

>

> --

> Van Deusen

> pvdtlc@...

> http://www.brain-trainer.com

> 305/433-3160

> The Learning Curve, Inc.

>