temporal lobe epilepsy and stress hormones

[morganomics]

It seems to be the case that many people here with focal epilepsy such as temporal and frontal aren't diagnosed with epilepsy until years and decades after they first sought treatment and were lumped into the psychiatric folder.
After many sleepless nights many of us have poured over books and the internet wanting to understand what was not right with both body and mind, until finally the slightly ambiguous diagnosis of temporal lobe epilepsy was made.

I feel many of us have an uncanny shared experience that cannot be denied. Especially concerning temporal lobe seizures as the experience is unmistakeable. So here I am, I feel like I'm on course to actually getting better for a few reasons, but one in particular. I discovered from epilepsy.com as well as from other reputable sources that peoples with temporal lobe epilepsy experience hormone disfunction, as stress hormones as well as melatonin secretion are altered in peoples with epilepsy. Ah ha! I knew it! I discussed endocrine problems with my therapist back in 2000, and she agreed it was a possibility. After being treated for depression, anxiety and serious sleep issues that have made me feel angry, frustrated, hopeless and of course physically exhausted seems to be the piece of the puzzle that makes sense.

The stress I feel is very intense, it feels like a sharp stinging fire in my head pushing my thoughts and exhausting my body to the degree my only coping skill is to sleep because I can escape for a little while. My memory is affected, especially short-term my mood is terrible and concentration is out the window. The feeling also makes my emotional experience very intense. Last night I watched a Paul McCartney concert dvd and couldn't help but weep out of its beauty, the same occurred while listening to chamber music which was on the radio. To stop my silly crying I had to just go to sleep, because everywhere music was hitting me right in the heart.
From my both academic and personal research I know that the hippocampus scar that causes epilepsy can be cause for stress disorders and sleep disorders in people with temporal lobe epilepsy. What do you guys think? Is there a medication or procedure that can turn off this stress feeling? I know caffeine, poor sleep add to the severity. I think I understand temporal lobe epilepsy a bit better, now I want to get better. My struggle has been like the common dream where you are to be somewhere or meet someone though things keep blocking your path and the hour gets later and later. So if you have any suggestions I'm ready to listen to your advice! Sorry for the long post I can be wordy

[jyearta]

Hi Morganomics.

I have been looking through this forum trying to find someone else with Temporal Lobe seizures.

I think that it was just before I married and went on birth control pills (at that time I had not know I had E.) anyway, I think that the hormones in them brought my E. on more so. - I hope I'm saying it right.

I had E. as a child, just was not diagnosised, it wasn't until after I married that my diagnoses came.

I am on dilantin 100mg 5 tablets a day and clonazepam (klonopin) 0.5 mg every 4 hours.

If you don't mind, can I ask you what med. you are on. and If they are working for you.

Jyearta

[elizzza811]

I'm the same way...and yes, I was told by the nurse that my seizures started in my temporal lobes and then spread. The neurologist hasn't confirmed this (I forgot to ask), but that's what the nurse told me over the phone when I asked.

Like you, songs can make me cry like a baby, especially sad songs...and when I'm angry, everybody knows it! I was voted shyest girl in HS, so my anger shocks even me at times.

I also have severe OCD, so thoughts, songs, emotions, etc... seem to get 'locked' in my brain until I get some sleep...but maybe I'm wrongly blaming my OCD for something related to epilepsy? I don't think it's any accident that I have epilepsy and OCD...they have to be linked somehow?

[morganomics]

Thank you for your recent posts! It means a lot a lot to know how other people experience epilepsy and mental illness. I emailed a research physician at Tufts University who is doing research on the correlation between stress hormone (hpa-axis) and epilepsy/depression. One of her main goals is to see, which comes first hormone dysfunction or epilpesy/depression. A lot of people that struggle with epilepsy also struggle with with depression/anxiety. I'm quite sure the anti-epileptic drug meds contribute, but as I first felt deep depression and exhaustion before I was diagnosed with epilepsy. The summer of 1993, which was a very happy summer for me was the first time I can recall having the deja vu feelings that have been now identified as seizures. It wasn't until October of 93' that I fell into a very deep and painful depression, also the OCD began as well. I agree with you that OCD and epilepsy have a strange neurological connection. I want to know more in hopes that I may recover. I sleep sooo much and it hurts, I feel like I'm a zombie and far away from normal functioning. I called into Loveline to ask Dr. Drew what he thought of all me symptoms, he simply said that they were strange and all he could do was give me a pep-talk. In a sense it was like going to the Wizard of Oz and realizing he's just as clueless as you as to how to get you back to Kansas. Money has been a problem as well as clarity of mind. I don't know who I can go to that will save my brain/mind and life. I feel angry often and sad almost constantly. I wanted to get the fix for my brain many many years ago, now I know there might not be one and I feel disillusioned with psychiatry, therapy and the whole bit. Now after college, I'm just struggling to get by and it sucks being stuck at your mom's house when you're 28. I want to be free and healthy but I don't know how or where to go or who to see.

[jyearta]

elizza811 and morganomics

thanks for the replys.


It is my prayer that all E. could start getting better and that they will find new medic. so that wwe can live a normal (somewhat) life.

Somedays I seems to spend hours and hours looking for where I put somthing. I thought OK J. you are just a litter older.

and I don't now many hours I spend in the dictionary trying to find to spell a word, so that I can write in this forum.

[NeuroNotes]

<snipped for emphasis>

It seems to be the case that many people here with focal epilepsy such as temporal and frontal aren't diagnosed with epilepsy until years and decades after they first sought treatment and were lumped into the psychiatric folder.

After many sleepless nights many of us have poured over books and the internet wanting to understand what was not right with both body and mind, until finally the slightly ambiguous diagnosis of temporal lobe epilepsy was made.

I feel many of us have an uncanny shared experience that cannot be denied. Especially concerning temporal lobe seizures as the experience is unmistakeable. So here I am, I feel like I'm on course to actually getting better for a few reasons, but one in particular. I discovered from epilepsy.com as well as from other reputable sources that peoples with temporal lobe epilepsy experience hormone disfunction, as stress hormones as well as melatonin secretion are altered in peoples with epilepsy.

My memory is affected, especially short-term my mood is terrible and concentration is out the window. The feeling also makes my emotional experience very intense. What do you guys think? Is there a medication or procedure that can turn off this stress feeling?

Hi Morganomics,

I could relate to your post on so many levels, and I must say that I really admire anyone who takes full responsibility for their health, when possible, and doesn't give up on their search for a better quality of life.

On my journey, I discovered that stress was a huge issue for me. I also discovered that I had a form of low latent inhibition. I've always been very creative, and I believe, intuitive. After a lot of research about latent inhibition, it occurred to me that ever since I can remember, I perceived stimuli in my environment that others clearly did not, or could easily ignore. I'm not talking about patterns, but rather, abnormal awareness of information experienced through all my senses. I would sometimes find myself getting annoyed at others for not seeing what I saw, and yet I would also envy people who never seemed to be affected by this environmental stimuli.

Low Latent Inhibition
"The study in the September issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology says the brains of creative people appear to be more open to incoming stimuli from the surrounding environment. Other people’s brains might shut out this same information through a process called “latent inhibition” – defined as an animal’s unconscious capacity to ignore stimuli that experience has shown are irrelevant to its needs. Through psychological testing, the researchers showed that creative individuals are much more likely to have low levels of latent inhibition.

“This means that creative individuals remain in contact with the extra information constantly streaming in from the environment,” says co-author and U of T psychology professor Jordan Peterson. “The normal person classifies an object, and then forgets about it, even though that object is much more complex and interesting than he or she thinks. The creative person, by contrast, is always open to new possibilities.” Source

It's no secret that people with epilepsy tend to be very creative, and intuitive?

Now what's interesting is that they also discovered that if low latent inhibition is not properly managed, it may lead to psychosis. Here was a major source of my stress, extra information constantly streaming in from my environment, and my brain and body was in a constant state of processing 'unnecessary' information, so to speak. I knew then that learning to manage this extra stimuli was absolutely necessary in stress management. Oddly enough, it was this very 'disorder', that afforded me the opportunity to see a bigger picture and begin to connect the dots.

To be cont next post

[NeuroNotes]

As a precautionary measure, this video (in the first few seconds mostly, may affect some who are photosensitive. I am photosensitive, but was not affected except for a little tummy sensation at the beginning. However, if you are extra sensitive, it's best to either close your eyes, or scroll down and listen.

This short video titled "Stress and Memory"

YouTube (Short URL)

YouTube (Short URL)

explains how scientists discovered how and why stress can profoundly affect our brains, from memory to the ability to make decisions.

Stress Management

Relaxation techniques - Mayo Clinic - Essential for reducing stress

Relaxation techniques are an essential part of your quest for stress management. Relaxation isn't just about peace of mind or enjoying a hobby. Relaxation is a process that decreases the wear and tear on your mind and body from the challenges and hassles of daily life.

Whether your stress is spiraling out of control or you've already got it tamed, you can benefit from learning relaxation techniques. Learning basic relaxation techniques is easy, often free or low cost, and poses little risk. Explore these simple relaxation techniques to get you started on de-stressing your life and improving your health.
The benefits of relaxation techniques

With so many things to do, relaxation techniques may take a back seat in your life. But that means you might miss out on the health benefits of relaxation.

Practicing relaxation techniques can reduce stress symptoms by:

Slowing your heart rate
Lowering blood pressure
Slowing your breathing rate
Increasing blood flow to major muscles
Reducing muscle tension and chronic pain
Improving concentration
Reducing anger and frustration
Boosting confidence to handle problems

Types of relaxation techniques

Health professionals such as complementary and alternative medicine practitioners, doctors and psychotherapists can teach various relaxation techniques. But if you prefer, you also can learn some relaxation techniques on your own.

In general, relaxation techniques involve refocusing your attention to something calming and increasing awareness of your body. It doesn't matter which relaxation technique you choose. What matters is that you try to practice relaxation regularly to reap the benefits.

There are several main types of relaxation techniques, including:

Autogenic relaxation. Autogenic means something that comes from within you. In this relaxation technique, you use both visual imagery and body awareness to reduce stress. You repeat words or suggestions in your mind to help you relax and reduce muscle tension. You may imagine a peaceful place and then focus on controlled, relaxing breathing, slowing your heart rate, or feeling different physical sensations, such as relaxing each arm or leg one by one.

Progressive muscle relaxation. In this relaxation technique, you focus on slowly tensing and then relaxing each muscle group. This helps you focus on the difference between muscle tension and relaxation. You become more aware of physical sensations. One method is to start by tensing and relaxing the muscles in your toes and progressively working your way up to your neck and head. Tense your muscles for at least five seconds and then relax for 30 seconds, and repeat.

Visualization. In this relaxation technique, you form mental images to take a visual journey to a peaceful, calming place or situation. During visualization, try to use as many senses as you can, including smell, sight, sound and touch. If you imagine relaxing at the ocean, for instance, think about such things as the smell of salt water, the sound of crashing waves and the warmth of the sun on your body. You may want to close your eyes, sit in a quiet spot and loosen any tight clothing.

Other common relaxation techniques include:

Yoga
Tai chi
Listening to music
Exercise
Meditation
Hypnosis
Massage

Relaxation techniques take practice

As you learn relaxation techniques, you'll become more aware of muscle tension and other physical sensations of stress. Once you know what the stress response feels like, you can make a conscious effort to practice a relaxation technique the moment you start to feel stress symptoms. This can prevent stress from spiraling out of control.

Remember that relaxation techniques are skills. And as with any skill, your ability to relax improves with practice. Be patient with yourself — don't let your effort to practice relaxation techniques become yet another stressor.

Also, bear in mind that some people, especially those with serious psychological issues and a history of abuse, may experience feelings of emotional discomfort during some relaxation techniques. Although this is rare, if you experience emotional discomfort during relaxation techniques, stop what you're doing and consider talking to your health care professional or mental health provider. Source

OK, so listening to 'moving' music may not be your best anti-stress method, unless you just need a good cry now and then, and feel a postive release. ;D

I'm going to address another one of your posts in here (another video) regarding OCD, but it also discusses PTSD, schizophrenia, etc. Very exciting discoveries with people actually recovering (high percentage, most patients w/PTSD 100%) from these disorders. We live in very exciting times. Be back shortly.

[NeuroNotes]

I am photosensitive, but did not experience problems watching this video. However, others may, so please view with caution, or just listen.

YouTube (Short URL)

YouTube (Short URL)

(Changing Your Mind)

This video is 45 minutes long, but it is well worth your time, and I can't emphasize that enough. It's from an episode that airs on CBS, titled "The Nature of Things", and is hosted by Dr. David Suzuki. The video discusses breakthrough research in neuroplasticity, or using the brain's ability to heal itself in cases where it was previously thought impossible, or where treatments are often as difficult and traumatic as the disorders themselves.

Simply astounding! Enjoy, and be encouraged.

*waves to elizzza* You're gonna love this!

[Nakamova]

I've seen the "Changing Your Mind" show, and it is indeed inspiring!

[elizzza811]

After watching this video, I actually wonder if I have PTSD, too, and not just OCD? My OCD did worsen during some highly stressful events. Even seizures and memory loss didn't erase these.

But I wish curing my OCD was this easy. My OCD is especially severe, and below are some OCD videos that demonstrate just how severe my OCD really is...videos of OCD behavior that either resembles mine or that I can relate to in some way.

OCD Book Organization: This little boy is me, only I would also have to 'OCD-clean' each book (and the bookcase, too) before organizing in order to proclaim this task 'completed'...

OCD Book Organization - YouTube

OCD Book Organization - YouTube

OCD Mailman: I'm ashamed to admit that this guy is me. I actually do crazy repetitive things like this while washing my hands, cleaning, ordering, arranging...

OCD Mailman - YouTube

OCD Mailman - YouTube

A Life with OCD: This resembles me, only I'd end up with a pile of paper towels, not toilet paper (like this guy) at the end...

A life with OCD - YouTube

A life with OCD - YouTube

OCD Cleaning of a Table: This one resembles me, but my fears are all about filth (and not just germs and mold, but also dust, grime, etc...)...and organizing things, even symmetry. Like this man, I have areas in my house that are 'finished' and other areas that I've yet to get to. And like this man, I now often avoid cleaning because of the severity of my OCD....

OCD - Cleaning of a Table. - YouTube

OCD - Cleaning of a Table. - YouTube

OCD-Related Clutter: These are all me, only my OCD is much more severe...it would take me an hour to clean one counter in that bathroom. Like this woman, I live with quite a bit of clutter, but I'm not a 'hoarder' per say. I just haven't gotten around to cleaning these things yet. In fact, I like throwing things out, because then I don't have to 'OCD-clean' them...

OCD Related Clutter. Giving you a view inside I wouldn't give to people I know. - YouTube

OCD Related Clutter. Giving you a view inside I wouldn't give to people I know. - YouTube

Clutter in my extra room. OCD related. 2/9/10 - YouTube

Clutter in my extra room. OCD related. 2/9/10 - YouTube

My OCD related clutter. Oppositie of OCD neatness most have. - YouTube

My OCD related clutter. Oppositie of OCD neatness most have. - YouTube

But back to 'Change Your Mind/Brain' video...the problem with my OCD, and why I don't think this therapy would work with me, is that I do realize when I'm OCD-ing and tell myself that this is my OCD (and not me), and sometimes I do walk away. But I can't really walk away every time because I have to clean and organize...everbody has to clean and organize. In fact my house, even though I have OCD, is actually dirtier and more disorganized than most people's because I often walk away from my OCD-ing to redirect my thoughts, because I often avoid cleaning in general so that I don't 'OCD'.

And when I do clean something, even though I've avoided OCD-ing that something for 6 months, my OCD is still there in spite of this...that's why I don't think this would work with me...because essentially, I've tried this already, and my brain somehow refuses to 'rewire'? Sometimes I even wonder if the purpose of my seizures was to correct something 'electrically' wrong with my OCD-brain, but now that I'm treating them I've no hope?

[morganomics]

Thanks guys. Yes stress reduction is a big factor, I think my brain is a light with stress like a sparkler burning bright, but only for a short period of time before I burn out. I sleep quite often to try to keep the stress feeling down. I thinking of beginning a ketone diet to see if that somehow acts on the stress HPA-Axis mechanism and cognitive/ mood problems. I do think there is a relationship between OCD- and epilepsy. There are many scientific abstracts that point to a positive correlation between epilepsy and OCD. I wish the state of IN knew how much depression and epilepsy affect me, I would really rather be working happily and moving forward with my life. It's really a stressful situation when one finds functioning and thinking difficult to do. It's hard to keep stress down, when I'm always scraping by. There is something almost bohemian about making every dollar count and living this nocturnal existence. Keep writing ideas and thoughts it helps out thank you!

[elizzza811]

I do think there is a relationship between OCD- and epilepsy. There are many scientific abstracts that point to a positive correlation between epilepsy and OCD.

But why does it seem that I'm the only one on this forum diagnosed with 'generalized seizure disorder' and OCD? Is it that a different part of my brain is involved (and seizuring) from others here with GSD?

Another concern of mine is that I often wonder if OCD-ing for sooo many decades could essentially be triggering or even causing my seizures?

I should also add that in this video (also posted above), this guy seems to 'freeze' and 'stare' at points during a ritualistic task. Take notice that this young man seems to 'freeze' and 'stare' while attempting to open a kitchen cabinet the 'right' way. This 'freezing up' and 'staring' is a relatively new OCD symptom with me - ten years ago I was not 'freezing' or 'staring' mid-task. And with me, during these OCD freezing/staring attacks, I will actually try (rather desperately) to 'convince' myself to do the next 'step' in a given OCD ritual, but I often become physically paralized and I literally can't physically move. Mid-task I physically can't move my hands under the running water, for example, when attempting to complete the task of OCD-washing my hands - my arms and hands seem to 'lock up' in response to whatever is going on in my brain during this final 'step' - in this example, the final 'rinse'. Obviously I can waste a good deal of hot water doing this, but even that doesn't hurry me up.

Also, notice that in this video the young man keeps tearing pieces of toilet paper off until he actually uses up the entire roll - all in his attempt to tear off the 'right' piece of toilet paper. As I mentioned before, I do this myself with the paper towels, and I can use up 1/2 to 3/4 of a brand new roll in my attempt to tear off the 'right' (clean 'enough') paper towel.

A Life with OCD:

A life with OCD - YouTube

A life with OCD - YouTube

[NeuroNotes]

elizzza, I'm sorry to learn that you are experiencing this condition so severely. You said you've been OCDing for several decades now. Were you ever diagnosed with strep throat, say in childhood?

Prof. Daphna Joel and her team of researchers at Tel Aviv University’s Department of Psychology believe they have now scientifically demonstrated that strep can lead to brain dysfunction and OCD.

Dr. Joel says their breakthrough could lead to new drugs for treating OCD, and may in the future prevent the psychiatric disorder altogether.

More/Source

There is strong evidence of a link between streptococcal infections and obsessive-compulsive disorder in some children. Though it is not known exactly how the immune system turns against itself and causes behavioral symptoms, there is hope within the scientific community that answering questions about PANDAS will in turn lead to answers about OCD and mental illness in general.

More/Source

[elizzza811]

Actually, I read a book called 'Saving Sammy' and this book touched on a possible strep/OCD connection, and I became determined after reading this book to get my strep antibodies tested. But the NP I saw for my last neurologist appointment outright refused, explaining to me that to order this test would require too much 'work' on her part to get Medicare's approval for such a controversial test. So basically it was a repeat of my Lyme Disease nightmare...doctors refusing to even consider that an ongoing infection of some type might be causing my symptoms (OCD, seizures, +).

Then a month ago I was going through some old medical records, and I noticed that I had had my strep antibodies tested in the past (probably by a doctor treating my Lyme, and probably at my request). The strep antibody levels appeared to be within 'normal range', though I admit I don't know what that range would be for a strep/OCD connection to be considered...so perhaps it was abnormal?...though I kind of doubt it.

In this 'Saving Sammy' book, the boy clearly describes manmade electromagnetic fields (below)...

'Saving Sammy - A Mother's Fight to Cure Her Son's OCD' by Beth Alison Maloney, pages 100-101(Published by Three Rivers Press, 2009)

...He told me the house was full of invisible walls. They sprouted like lasers in every direction, from electrical outlets, television sets, portable telephones, and DVD players. The beams formed a complicated series of barriers. He had to step over or duck under each one, depending on their location. They accounted for the Spider-Man-like-way he made his way through the house. He clung to the actual walls or, when he let go, moved like a thief after a protected gem.

We taped up all the openings from which the invisible walls might pop, but they managed to sneak through the tape. Even when the invisible walls were missing, he still had to go over and under where they might be. If he touched one by accident, he had to start the process all over again. Since the walls were invisible, he could never be sure whether he had touched them, so he went through the motions again and again...

So if strep antibodies were indeed involved in this boy's OCD and antibiotics for strep were effective in eliminating his OCD, given his description above, I'm still reluctant to believe that high strep antibody titers alone could be the sole cause of his OCD? It may be that these ordinarily harmless antibodies begin to 'misbehave' and attack areas of the brain (eventually resulting in OCD), but only after a certain EMF exposure threshold has been reached. In other words, those with strep only develop OCD if they've been exposed to certain frequencies at critical times during an immune response to that strep infection.

In fact, in retrospect, when I'm attempting to OCD-wash my hands and find myself 'freezing up' during that 'final rinse', I freeze up only after previous attempts at that final rinse have proven futile, proven futile because my hands had somehow become 'contaminated' on their way to the faucet, causing me to feel as if I needed to start the rinse over. I can literally stand there for what seems like forever, fists clenched, staring at the running water, desperately trying to convince my left hand (and then my right) to do 4 'counts' of rinses (each hand), but I can't seem to find the 'right' (uncontaminated) moment to jump in. In fact, I often liken this OCD rinsing ritual of mine to a game of jump rope, an eery one at that...standing there hands up (fists clenched), studying the motions and rotations of the jump rope (running water), trying to find the precise moment to run under the rope (faucet) and begin jumping (4 'counts' of rinses each hand) so as not to get tangled in the rope (contaminated). So what could possibly be contaminating my hands on their way to the faucet when I hadn't even touched anything?...am I sensing manmade EMFs like this boy? It certainly sounds feasible...

[NeuroNotes]

In other words, those with strep only develop OCD if they've been exposed to certain frequencies at critical times during an immune response to that strep infection.

That's plausible, given the fact that everything is affected by frequencies, and that our own cells emit frequencies as well. Here's a simple educational video I put together going into a little more detail. Best to watch in HD, if possible, as the text reads a little clearer in the beginning.

Edited to add: Anyone sensitive to sound, please turn down the volume before viewing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=<obje...mbed></object>

[elizzza811]

Great video, and exactly what I suspect. Because I believe that my brain is somehow sensing EMFs in my environment and that this is perhaps responsible for the 'spiderman-like' way I OCD wash and rinse my hands. Above I likened my OCD hand-rinsing to a game of jump rope, trying to run my hands under the water between turns of the jump rope (EMFs?).

[NeuroNotes]

Well, like you mentioned previously, there may not be just one cause, and could very well be a combination of variables. Your repetitive thought processes have been going on for decades. I realize that you have been quite diligent in your research, so I don't want to come across as assuming or redundant when I present some of this info. As a side note, when you referenced the first video (Changing Your Mind) and stated that was too easy, well, it's not. Their methods have had a high recovery rate, nonetheless. It takes a while to atrophy neural pathways, particularly when you have multiple pathways that have created networks. For example, you may be conscious of perhaps one dialog going on in your head at any give time, but you could actually have several subconscious dialogs going on simultaneously that you are not aware of. These dialogs can continue to strengthen those networks.

From Psychology today...

Eleven characteristics of OCD thinking:

1. Triggers for your obsessions
2. "Odd" thoughts or images
3. Negative evaluation of thoughts
4. Self-monitoring
5. Demand for certainty
6. Thought-action fusion.
7. Thought-suppression
8. "I've lost control"
9. Compulsions
10. Felt sense of completion
11. Avoidance of triggers

You probably have seen a lot of your own thinking in this. But what can you do about this? In one of my blogs, Those Damn Unwanted Thoughts!, I describe your "failed strategies", and why they fail. Just as you can't run away from your hips, you can't get rid of your thoughts. Thought control and thought suppression don't work. Worse---they make you feel more hopeless. Blog article

I lay out a number of ways of changing the way that you relate to your thinking. Rather than view your thinking as the "enemy", you can try the following:

1. Prove that thought suppression doesn't work. Example: Try not to think of white bears for the next thirty minutes. Oops. There's another white bear. It won't work.

2. Prove that thoughts don't control reality. Example: If you think that Satan will possess you, beg him to possess you. It won't work.

Modify the Image

3. Modify your image of the obsession. Example: You may imagine your obsession as some ominous, powerful, dark, large, all-encompassing cloud that engulfs you. Change the image to one of a silly looking clown. It's less frightening. Imagine he has a high-squeaky voice. He's silly.

4. Float your obsession. Example: Rather than trying to get rid of your obsession, imagine it is a tiny piece of wood floating ever-so-gently down a stream. Watch it in your mind's eye. Imagine yourself breathing out as it floats away. Let it return and float past once again and breathe it away. (I'm imagining that if you do this enough you will get sleepy.)

Float Your Obsession

5. Bore yourself. Example: Repeat your obsessive thought very, very slowly. Imagine that you are a zombie. "I am contaminated". Repeat it as if you are slowed down and you are watching the words go by. Over and over. Hundreds of times. Boring.

In future blogs we will look at how you can change your relationship to your obsessive thoughts-rather than trying to suppress them, we will see how you can "make space" for them. It's like a relative at a big picnic--- you can tolerate him without feeling like he occupies your entire mind. More/Source

[NeuroNotes]

How Do Obsessive Compulsive People Think?
Fear of your thoughts and sensations.

1. Triggers: These are the events or stimuli that set you off. It could be touching something (contamination), leaving the house (something is unlocked, the gas is on), driving at night (I ran over something), thinking of sex (God will punish me, I will lose control).

2. Odd thoughts or images: You have some thoughts or sensations that you don't like. "Why am I having those bizarre, sick, disgusting, unwanted thoughts?"

3. Negative evaluation of thoughts: You think there is something wrong with your thinking-as if you should only have pure and good thoughts and feelings. You have a lot of "shoulds" about the way you should think and feel. You think that now that you have the thought, you have a responsibility to get reassurance, get control or get rid of it. Having the thought is equivalent to being SENT ON A MISSION. You have become THE THOUGHT POLICE.

4. Self-monitoring: You watch yourself like a hawk-looking for those thoughts. Of course, simply because you have to think about what you are looking for ("I am looking for that disgusting and dangerous thought"), you always have to find it. It's like holding up a mirror to yourself and saying, "I am looking for a mirror. OH MY GOD! THERE IT IS!!!!"

5. Demand for certainty: You think you should know for sure whether you will act out, lose control, or are contaminated. Nothing short of perfection and certainty will suffice.

6. Thought-action fusion: You equate having a thought with committing an action. "If I think I will get violent, I will". Or, a thought is the same thing as reality. "If I think I have cancer, then I must be a dead man". Thoughts, actions and reality are all one. All in your mind.

7. Thought-suppression: Your first line of "defense" is to try to stop having these thoughts. You tell yourself, "Don't think that". It works, for three minutes. But your failure to permanently suppress these thoughts leads you to believe

8. "I've lost control": You now equate control in your life to eliminating unwanted thoughts. Now you feel more out of control as you desperately try to control your thoughts more and more. It's like slapping the water and drowning.

9. Compulsions: You now perform some neutralizing ritual. Perhaps you wash your hands excessively, pray, repeat "No", walk a certain way, wash a certain way, arrange things, go back and check, check again. You find yourself frenetically doing these things until you have a

10. Felt sense of completion: You say, "I can stop now because I feel I have done enough. This felt sense of completion now becomes your new rulebook for rituals. "I need to do them until I feel I did enough". You are hooked on your rituals.

11. Avoidance of triggers: You remind yourself, I wouldn't have any of these thoughts if I simply avoided the triggers. So you avoid touching things, avoid public restrooms, avoid shaking hands, avoid movies with Satan, avoid people that make you have feelings that are bad and disgusting feelings. Avoid, avoid and avoid. You are running away from the world.

This is how you think. All in the name of being responsible, conscientious---all in the name of avoiding losing control, going crazy or becoming irresponsible. All because you need to be in control, and it doesn't work.

Chart

Robert L. Leahy, Ph.D., is a Clinical Professor of Psychology at Weill-Cornell Medical School and Director of the American Institute for Cognitive Therapy. Source

[NeuroNotes]

Great video, and exactly what I suspect. Because I believe that my brain is somehow sensing EMFs in my environment and that this is perhaps responsible for the 'spiderman-like' way I OCD wash and rinse my hands. Above I likened my OCD hand-rinsing to a game of jump rope, trying to run my hands under the water between turns of the jump rope (EMFs?).

Scientist Create Haunted House - Symptoms experienced as epileptics with unstable temporal lobes.

Fake blood, canned screams and plastic skeletons are fun, but if you want a real haunted house, turn to scientists.

To test whether it’s possible to artificially induce paranormal experiences — or, from a different perspective, to technologically summon a spirit — researchers at London’s Goldsmith College and architect Usman Haque designed a scientifically haunted room.

They were inspired by earlier studies in which test subjects reported contact with the phantasmic when exposed to electromagnetic fields and waves of infrasound.

This hasn’t just taken place in the laboratory. Odd EMF fields have been recorded at reputedly haunted castles. And geomagnetic flux caused by shifting tectonic plates reportedly produces surges in poltergeist sightings. Meanwhile, infrasound waves below the level of human hearing have been linked to visitation.

Seventy-nine students, friends of Haque and other volunteers entered the room, which operated during the Fall of 2006. Their responses were published this May in Cortex — and respond they certainly did. After spending less than an hour in the room, nearly three-quarters reported having more than three unusual feelings. Just 6 percent felt nothing. Among the common sensations were dizziness, tingling, disembodiment, dream-remembrance and “a presence.” Several felt sexually aroused.

When French’s team crunched the numbers, the only statistically significant association appeared in subjects who scored highly on a test of psychological predisposition to the sort of transcendental feelings generally experienced by epileptics with unstable temporal lobes.

Source



Dr Cyril Smith, Nobel Prize winner in 1925 for cell electrical current research.“Living creatures consist of invisible electro-vibratory fields that not only form and develop what we recognize as our physical bodies, but also control the creation of new cells. These new cells replace those that are injured, worn out, or die from disease, impaired nerve impulse or environmental poisoning”.

Reba Goodman, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus Clinical Pathology; Special Lecturer in Pathology 2001. The conventional stress-activated signal transduction pathways may not be the only mechanisms for extracellular signalling to the nucleus. Magnetic field-stimulated transcription in cell-free preparations implies that membrane interaction is not an essential element in transmitting the signal to the nucleus. Since magnetic fields penetrate cells and are not limited to interactions with the membrane there may be a direct effect of magnetic fields on DNA through interaction with conducting electrons in the stacked bases of the DNA. Electromagn Biol Med. 2008 ;27 (1):3-23 18327711 (P,S,E,B). Protein and DNA reactions stimulated by electromagnetic fields.

Martin Blank . Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA. Studies with electric and magnetic fields in the extremely low-frequency range have shown that weak fields can cause charge movement. It appears likely that weak EMF can control and amplify biological processes through their effects on charge distribution.

Bruce Lipton, PhD., “Cells are 100 times more sensitive to electromagnetic information (signals) than to chemical information”.

Amino Acids

Electromagnetic charges among linked amino acids (flexible links known as peptide bonds occur between amino acids to create a protein) are one of two factors that determine the shape of a protein. Changes in the electromagnetic charges also impact the behavior-generating movement of proteins. Lipton, Bruce, PhD.

Brain

A superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) is a gadget used to measure extremely weak signals, specifically magnetic flux. These devices use liquid helium to measure various magnetic fields related to the human body. The sensors are used at medical research centers around the world to record and localize the magnetic signals associated with neural activity in the brain. Magnetoencephalography (MEG), the monitoring of magnetic fields in the brain, is emerging as the primary tool for investigating brain wave activity. (Source: Tracking Electromagnetic Energy with SQUIDS. 2005.)

Neurons Communicate At A Distance With Electromagnetic Signals

"EM fields external to a neuron can activate that neuron as if it had received a signal from its dendritic inputs." More/Source

[NeuroNotes]

The role of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) val66met variant in the phenotypic expression of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Abstract

Evidence suggests that the Val66Met variant of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene may play a role in the etiology of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). In this study, the role of the BDNF Val66Met variant in the etiology and the phenotypic expression of OCD is investigated. Associations between the BDNF Val66Met variant and OCD, obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensions, Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS) severity scores, age of onset and family history of obsessive-compulsive symptoms were assessed. The results suggest that BDNF function may be implicated in the mediation of OCD.

Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19219856

Watch the last five minute of the video again, starting at minute marker 39:00, regarding brain exercises, neuroplasticity, and chemical changes. BDNF was a major factor. Through cognitive therapy and mindfulness techniques, dramatic chemical changes occurred, which is why the patients showed dramatic results during recovery. They created new thought processes (neural pathways). They atrophied disadvantageous neural pathways, changing the chemical response, and the EM frequency being emitted just prior to the chemical change, as noted at the beginning of my video "The Human Antenna".

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In other words, fight fire with fire.