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Hypnosis Training Video #299: How 5-PATH® Hypnotherapy Can Get to the Root Cause of the Problem
Regulation of anterior insular cortex activity using real-time fMRI.
Recent advances in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data acquisition and processing techniques have made real-time fMRI (rtfMRI) of localized brain areas feasible, reliable and less susceptible to artefacts. Previous studies have shown that healthy subjects learn to control local brain activity with operant training by using rtfMRI-based neurofeedback. In the present study, we investigated whether healthy subjects could voluntarily gain control over right anterior insular activity. Subjects were provided with continuously updated information of the target ROI's level of activation by visual feedback. All participants were able to successfully regulate BOLD-magnitude in the right anterior insular cortex within three sessions of 4 min each. Training resulted in a significantly increased activation cluster in the anterior portion of the right insula across sessions. An increased activity was also found in the left anterior insula but the percent signal change was lower than in the target ROI. Two different control conditions intended to assess the effects of non-specific feedback and mental imagery demonstrated that the training effect was not due to unspecific activations or non feedback-related cognitive strategies. Both control groups showed no enhanced activation across the sessions, which confirmed our main hypothesis that rtfMRI feedback is area-specific. The increased activity in the right anterior insula during training demonstrates that the effects observed are anatomically specific and self-regulation of right anterior insula only is achievable. This is the first group study investigating the volitional control of emotionally relevant brain region by using rtfMRI training and confirms that self-regulation of local brain activity with rtfMRI is possible.
Neuroimage. 2007 Apr 15;35(3):1238-46. Epub 2007 Jan 31.
Caria A, Veit R, Sitaram R, Lotze M, Weiskopf N, Grodd W, Birbaumer N.
Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, Eberhard-Karls-University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany. andrea.caria@uni-tuebingen.de
When looked at as a part of the theories of Sigmund Freud, the ego is part of a psychic apparatus, which also includes the id in the super-ego. Together the ego, id, and super-ego can be explained as personality, instinct, and critical self-awareness. However, for this article I'm going to regard the ego has been your personality and self-awareness.
Exploring the concept of ego can involve many competing philosophies. It would suffice at this point to regard the ego as a collection of values, beliefs, and attitudes. When I hear someone say that they do something or think a certain way as...
Frequently I hear that speaking in public is the number one fear in America and probably the world. Why is it that people will more likely risk their lives rather than get up in front of a group of strangers or even people who they know well? If this describes you, think for a moment. You become self-conscious and tense. Your blood pressure goes up. Your mind is racing. You are afraid that you won’t remember what to say. You are afraid that you will look like a fool? You even remember your last attempt and have never gotten over that experience.
Many people have a very big problem with being able to forgive others. Often their difficulty is to the fact their memory of a particularly uncomfortable event causes them to physically relive the unpleasantness that originally occurred. Hypnotherapists call this phenomenon revivification. This is especially severe when a person has obsessive thoughts during which they ruminate. When you combine a tendency to ruminate with a revivification, it becomes practically impossible for someone to forgive.
Therefore, in severe instances a person’s inability to forgive is much like any other...
