Comment by TheLegace | Hacker News Reader

Comment by TheLegace | Hacker News Reader

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I've been through what you are talking about, but unfortunately I could not continue using those medications.

What worked for me was not forcing structures in the brain to function through chemicals but actually changing them through a breakthrough treatment called Neurofeedback. It is possible to physically and permanently alter the behavior of the brain and achieve far greater results than any drug could possibly do. Along with proper physical/mental training you can come out far ahead and still retain the "you" instead of some artificial version that may never go away.

The leading specialist in this field can be found on this website. You can find information about it here[1]. After significant research into the functioning of the brain. I realized that ADHD isn't a focusing problem. It's that the focus networks in your brain haven't been adequately trained and require the use of pharmaceuticals to temporarily induce this along with other negative side effects.

[1] http://addcentre.com/

Hey thank you. I’ll look into it. I did have excellent results with simply reducing my baseline stimulation, thereby making normal things more interesting. I stopped watching TV and playing video games for almost six months, didn’t listen to the radio in the car, tried to have quiet as much as possible.

But it was also difficult because it was easy to slide back into old habits, and the ADHD would come back. For me it definitely seems to be a sensitization issue, the more generally stimulated I am the more difficult it is to do much of anything aside from the absolute most stimulating things.

I also have diminishing returns and consequences from the medications that enable me to be gainfully employed. I'm very interested in this.

The website wasn't super clear on what Neurofeedback was after a cursory glance. Here's the summary from wikipedia[1] for anyone that is curious.

> Neurofeedback (NFB), also called neurotherapy or neurobiofeedback, is a type of biofeedback that uses real-time displays of brain activity—most commonly electroencephalography (EEG)—in an attempt to teach self-regulation of brain function. Typically, sensors are placed on the scalp to measure electrical activity, with measurements displayed using video displays or sound.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurofeedback

Unfortunately it is difficult to understand without experience and "learning" it. It was completely different from what I expected, but I was going to try anything. Basically by mounting a few EEG electrodes on your head it can measure 3 types of frequencies(Delta, Gamma and Alpha, although don't quote me on this). These frequencies relate to the "focus", "relaxation" and "cross-talk" functions of the brain that primarily are controlled by the Sensory-Motor Cortex. Most people who have trouble concentrating and functioning probably have difficulty in all these areas.

Once you are hooked up you are expected look at a screen and listen to some music(usually classical), and try to get your frequency responses below some baseline. Basically strengthening them like a muscle. You actually train yourself based on the feedback the sensors are giving you.

I managed to do some reverse engineering and figure out how the brain works to blow the numbers out of the water. Going from far below average to way above in a matter of months changed my life. I even figured out some things the center never tried before. Like significantly increasing the time I try to maintain the baseline, which allowed me get above average results. There was a lot more I figured out, but far to much for a HN post. Feel free to email for more info. I might make a post on it one day.

You don't have an email in your profile. I'm very interested in learning more. This sounds like something an enterprising hacker could set up in the comfort of his own home.

I updated my profile before the post with my email, not sure why you can't see it. I added in the description in case you still want to contact.

I also thought about doing this at home, but the risks are just too great to mess with something as deep as the Sensory-Motor function. I was happy to work with trained experts who monitor and correct problems. There is actually a lot to it, but the treatment is only a few months and you never really need think about it ever again. Since you can focus on doing things instead of endlessly trying improving brain function.

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