201 replies to this topic

[Candidatus]

Something strange happend after my evening neurofeedback session. Today, I trained 3 designs: CON2C Gamma SMR Sync, FR2C Beta SMR, 1C SMR Up. Altogether about 30 minutes. All of it was in the C3/C4.

 

And immediately after the training, I have done my regular Coherence training session (HRV training). But... my normal results these days are 800+ points per 15 minutes, especially in the evening. This session happened to be a complete outlier. 360 points only. Also, I felt some slight pressure in my forehead. Like after a minor Huperzine-A overdose.

 

If anybody has any idea what could that be, I'm all happy reading about it. Otherwise, I'll try to figure it out tommorow. 

 

Thanks for any feedback.

[Godof Smallthings]

My tentative (and amateurish) guess is that the results could be due to working with gamma and beta frequencies in the evening. I have not had the opportunity of doing specific EEG spot neurofeedback training, only cruder versions, but I still think it sounds like it could be it.

 

So called HRV 'coherence' seems to have some sort of correlation with alpha waves, if I remember correctly there may even be a paper available on this.

Forehead pressure can indicate many things - sinus issues, intense frontal cortex activation, and, among mystics, which may be relevant here since you appear to have been upping your meditation time, so called 'third eye activation'.

 

 

Did you read Ascendant Mind's thread where he also used many techniques, including dual n back, meditation and nir HEG simultaneously? Perhaps you could find something useful for your experimentation there?

 

 

Also, regarding melatonin, 1 mg is actually a rather large dose, despite the common dose sizes of the pills. Try 0.3 mg tonight and see what that does compared to 1 mg. For me, that is my sweet spot. If it turns out to be yours too, you will spend less money.

Edited by Godof Smallthings, 03 November 2014 - 06:44 AM.

[Candidatus]

@Godof

 

Thanks a lot for the feedback. Your explanation sounds reasonable. Especially the alpha wave correlation with HRV and gamma/beta up-training.

 

I decided to attribute the "pressure" in my head, which was not really unpleasant, to the actual neurofeedback session itself. Somehow, I try to figure out how to "position" my brain's pattern (ok this sounds too weird but whatever) to match the feedback I receive. So I may be unintentionally trying and therefore activating some centres which results in the pressure. 

 

I read the thread several days ago, it's great. I'll need to look at it once again.

 

Interesting observation:

 

I took the Melatonin once again today and the quality of sleep (or ratio of Light : REM+Deep) was markedly improved. But in 6:12 hours of sleep, I was for 2:18 hours in REM. That's about 37% and about a double of the best night so far. Don't know if that was due to the neurofeedback session or something else, but certainly interesting. I woke up with unusual mental clarity (which is surprising taken into account how little I slept). I will do several more nights with on/off Melatonin to make any conclusion out of that.

 

Edit: One more thing. I've done my morning HRV training session and it seems that the effect is still apparent. My score was about 600, which is still less than the average these days (900). It it was really hard to reach any reasonable coherence level. But that's not really a bad thing, i could possibly train some flexibility doing HRV training after the beta/gamma up-training. At least it forces me to try harder to reach a reasonable coherence score.

Edited by Candidatus, 03 November 2014 - 07:05 AM.

[Godof Smallthings]

Exactly what drives coherence is not always easy to understand.

 

My sessions tend to start out fantastic (the first 2 minutes) going into 8-9+ coherence, and then, without me feeling that I am doing anything substantially different, scores will start to drop. Then I try to establish the factors (according to their advice, i.e. breathe with the pacer, establish pleasant feeling, breathe through the heart and be aware of it), and at some random point, the scores will climb again - but usually never back to 9+.

 

I have yet to find a good answer to what exact things are happening in the body to cause it. Even when I feel very relaxed and present with the exercise, the score will sometimes drop.

 

Could it be that the heart has its own wave-like cycles, somehow?

[Candidatus]

What device do you use for Coherence training? EmWave, the older 30-pin black sensor for iPhone 4 or the new one with lightning connector?

 

I've used the 30-pin before and it was not unusual for me to reach as high as 10+ at some point, and also, the readings were very inconsistent - could drop for no reason in a heartbeat (no pun intended) whereas now, I use the lightning and it is much more consistent. Sure, it goes up and down in sine waves, but I know I have done something to cause it.

 

Usually, when I reach very high score (8+), I feel some internal "kick", like wow this is great, which probably excites the heart somehow (I can feel it) and immediately after it goes down. Works almost like a Pavlovian reflex. If I mute the device and pay attention elsewhere, this doesn't happen and I can better sustain the coherence. Problem is that at random times, I can "feel" the high coherence and it acts like a auditory feedback and the same thing happen.

 

Of course, this is pure speculation, so take it with a grain of salt

Edited by Candidatus, 03 November 2014 - 09:34 AM.

[Godof Smallthings]

Yes, I use the 30 pin connector Inner Balance version.

 

Usually, when I reach very high score (8+), I feel some internal "kick", like wow this is great, which probably excites the heart somehow (I can feel it) and immediately after it goes down.

Yes, actually you are right about that, and I do not think it is speculation at all.

 

There is a certain sense of 'flow' that feels great associated with higher coherence.

 

I agree it is probably the 'wow' reaction that kills it, too. Actually, meditation teachers tell us to suspend the wow reaction to any positive sensations, as it is bound to kick the meditator back to, if not square one, so at least to an earlier stage. The quality needed to counter this excitability is referred to as 'equanimity' in Buddhism - being calmly unperturbed by negative and positive sensations alike. 

[Candidatus]

I have put together my first week's summary on my blog. It is basically several observations and comments and then some charts and graphs.

 

For anyone interested, you can find it here. I would very much appreciate any feedback so I can make it better/more accurate the next time. I'm just beginning and learning in the process, so any feedback or help would be really great. Thanks.

[Candidatus]

I could probably write here my progress so far for the first week:

 

#Week 1

Total time spent brain-training: 19h 39min

 

Breakdown:

Dual-n-back: 4h 46min

Coherence training: 3h 35min

Neurofeedback training: 2h 30min

Nir-HEG Focus training: 2h 32min

Mindfulness meditation: 6h 15min

 

Diet: ketogenic - 1 day no ketosis, 4 days deep ketosis, 2 days mild ketosis

Supplements: Vitamin C,D,K; DHA, Probiotics, Magnesium Threnoate, Iodine, Astaxanthin, Curcumin, Ubiquinone, HydrogenBoost, Creatine, Krill oil, Phosphatidyl serine, Lion's mane //roughly recommended dosage every day, only Vitamin D 15 000IU due to deficiency

Sleep: 6h 40min on average/day

 

Subjective measures:

Mental clarity: 4/10 - 8/10

Mental energy: 5/10 - 8/10

Verbal fluency: 6/10 - 8/10

Focus and productivity: 4/10 - 7/10

 

I am planning to add another brain training technique - Image Streaming - which is a bit shady/discutable (but I had some good experiences with it) in the next month.

 

Today's observation:

I have done my nir-HEG session as well as dual-n-back session. I decided to record the dual-n-back on my nir-HEG through the HEG Studio software. The results are surprisingly similar:

 

Normal nir-HEG session: max about 110.5

 

Dual n-back session: max about 111.5

 

I was playing 4 games of dual-8-back, ranging from 8.50-8.65. Keep in mind that I experience this drop which is apparent in the 15min mark almost every normal session, between 5-15th minute. Otherwise, the results of blood-flow changes in prefrontal cortex are pretty much the same in both cases. Which means that at least to some degree, dual-n-back may be viable and free replacement for nir-HEG Focus training device.

 

I will try to replicate this mini-experiment in the near future.

 

 

Edited by Candidatus, 04 November 2014 - 10:42 AM.

[Strangelove]

 

#Week 1

Total time spent brain-training: 19h 39min

 

 

You should officially change the title of this thread now, to training for the mental Olympics...

 

Wow, almost 20 hours of training in one week, how do you feel?

 

I am not sure about your subjective measures below.

 

Subjective measures:

Mental clarity: 4/10 - 8/10

Mental energy: 5/10 - 8/10

Verbal fluency: 6/10 - 8/10

Focus and productivity: 4/10 - 7/10

 

I guess you mean that you averaged in mental clarity for example between 4-8 in the whole week and not that you went from 4 to 8, right?

 

If you have not done already you could use search words like focus, prefrontal, ADD-I e.t.c. to find supplements to try with your nir-HEG focus training, something that supports focus over long term and not a stimulant of course, because a stimulant could give you a better score for the session but perhaps cause overtraining?

[Candidatus]

@Strangelove 

 

Well, subjective measures are subjective measures I guess. I really meant an increase from that level to the another over the week. Let me explain.

 

Before this project, I was eating a pretty standard diet with some junk food here and there, very irregular sleeping schedule and no exercise, no supplements and no brain training. So objectively, that might not be so much of a difference, but since I can not measure any objective outcomes in my mental clarity or energy, then this "relative" comparison might distort my view a bit. But I really "feel" that much better.

 

I mean, I have zero sugar crashed. I am almost never physically or mentally tired, I wake up very refreshed, I have almost no anxiety to create something (write article or so). I had those before. So that's the difference I experience. But let's just say that I improved, more or less in those areas over the baseline which was set before. I don't want to make any fantastical claims. That's also why I used the word "subjective".

 

Side note:

 

I'm right after my final neurofeedback "whole brain training" block Alpha Up and Alpha-theta synchrony for "peak performance". Altogether almost 1 hour. It feels very good, very much like accomplishing something of an importance and enjoying it (passing important exam, getting hired in a dream job after a lot of work). Unusual and very pleasant feeling.

Edited by Candidatus, 04 November 2014 - 04:55 PM.

[Strangelove]

I have read in the past some pretty good results in increased energy from an experienced bloger that started with a ketogenic diet. I can understand it if a good part from your results can be attributed to your biology agreeing with this diet... I cannot know if it would be a useful addition, but I remember Asprey was using an enzyme that breaks down fat for better digestion and utilisation of energy for his high fat diet.

 

I do not know how much you wish to spend per month but PQQ, Q10 and shilajit (from TULIP) can be useful additions for healthy energy also.

[Candidatus]

Could you please share a link for that post about ketogenic diet? I'm very interested in that since I attribute most of the subjective benefits to it (I have disclosed that in the summary on my blo.g). The enzyme being Lipase or something else, don't you remember? Might be a worthy addition, I can definitely see //looking at my stool// that not all the fat is digested... yet.

 

I have all those supplements in my fridge, but they are waiting for the TULIP. I'm using just CoQ10 at the moment.

Edited by Candidatus, 04 November 2014 - 06:07 PM.

[Strangelove]

Yes lipase sounds right (from what I remember and my native language...)

 

I searched it just to make sure, and yes its "no6 bulletproof supplement", lipase.

 

http://www.bulletpro...Supplements.pdf

Edited by Strangelove, 04 November 2014 - 06:14 PM.

[Candidatus]

Nice read, I might reevaluate the PQQ supplementation. Lipase sound very reasonable for me right now, many thanks for that!

 

Btw. I really wonder how many supplements, nootropics and/or (pro)hormones Asprey really takes. This guy is a tough salesman but I like that he doesn't preach water and drink wine. Quite the contrary.

Btw.2: I've just found the worst gift you can give to a ketogenic dieter, LOL.

 

Edit: The great effect after the neurofeedback session lasted roughly 2 hours. My mood was improved and I wanted to just smile. Also, my attention was improved (good scores on n-back). Now I seem to be almost at the baseline. But I still feel a slight "high". 

Edited by Candidatus, 04 November 2014 - 06:31 PM.

[Candidatus]

Day #10 

 

Today was actually not one of the best days. Quite the contrary. My Aura reading showed only about 20min of Deep sleep and just a little above 1 hour of REM despite sleeping solid 7 hours. And I really felt that way. It's best described like if you don't sleep much and then you compensate with a few cups of coffee. Alert but somewhat tired and irritable. And I even took the Melatonin in the evening.

 

I managed to do all my brain training and there was even a bright window of about 2 hours after my nir-HEG session, when I felt mentally clear and sharp like normally. But otherwise, the day was nothing spectacular. I was in moderate-deep ketosis in the morning. I also took PQQ in the afternoon, not sure what to expect out of it. More energy?

 

Neurofeedback training no. 6: 30min

Fre4C Squish - T5, T6, O1, O2

Fre4C Squish - F7, C3, T3, P3

Fre4C Squish - F3, F4, C3, C4

 

The session was nothing spectacular. I was basically just following the feedback, which I received pretty much all the time. And the designes are with auto-threshold and I was instructed not to mess with it. I just followed all the time. No subjective difference in between or after the session. Nothing like yestrday.

 

What will I do with the sleep?

1. Try 1 tbsp of raw honey with some herbal tea

2. Turn off all electric devices or anything that can emit EMF. Only Aura and mobile on plane mode will be on (I will track the sleep with it to doublecheck Aura). Wifi, bluetooth or anything like that will be shut off.

3. Skip cold shower in the evening.

4. Take no Melatonin.

5. No dual-n-back in the evening.

 

So let's see tommorow...

Edited by Candidatus, 05 November 2014 - 07:52 PM.

[Candidatus]

#Day 11 

 

Just an update regarding the sleep results. I've done all the adjustments mentioned above and it worked (and I was able to maintain moderate-deep ketosis after the honey dose). The second App I used was SleepTime and the result was pretty consistent with my Withings Aura. 

 

It seems to become a pattern that the more Deep sleep I get, the more refreshed and mentally sharp I am the next day. The culprit might be in the link between prefrontal cortex recovery and Deep sleep. Excerpt from the book Dreamland: Adventures in the Strange Science of Sleep:

 

"One interesting thing about the prefrontal cortex is that—unlike the other parts of the brain, which are only active part of the time during the day—the prefrontal cortex is always on [...] Unlike other parts of the brain, the prefrontal cortex gets no benefit from the time that the body spends in a relaxed environment. The only time in fact that the prefrontal cortex is deactivated is during deep sleep. [...] While science still doesn’t know exactly how this happens, the time we spend in deep sleep is when the prefrontal cortex recovers and reboots for the next day’s work."

 

Since I'm doing a heavy brain training targeted to prefrontal cortex, insufficient amount of Deep sleep might be rather big problem for my brain. 

 

 

Withings Aura

 

Sleep Time

 

Btw. I started a new poll/thread to discuss the effect of nootropics on sleep quality: http://www.longecity...and-nootropics/

Edited by Candidatus, 06 November 2014 - 01:32 PM.

[Strangelove]

I have not used any of the training modules you are using and that is just speculation. As your synapses are excited from all the training giving sleep issues calming adaptogens could be a good addition to an evening stack (in theory, I have not used them for sleep issues). They are healthy long-term and possibly would not get tolerance from using them once each day. I could not recommend any specific herb as I have used supplements that had more than one ingredients (except aswaghnda) but I know from past research that not every adaptogen is appropriate before sleep (of course). Just a thought in case you need something extra to calm you in the evenings.

 

Both of these books are great btw I wish I knew were there are by now (having moved few times).

 

http://www.amazon.co...words=adaptogen

 

http://www.amazon.co...15289642&sr=1-1

 

Sorry I cannot be more helpful for specific herbs, although I believe adaptogens would be a better approach (if needed) than calming supplements.

[Candidatus]

Great insight, as always! Thanks.

 

I actually have some experience with adaptogens. I used gingsen, rhodiola and ashwaganda - this one with a subjectively positive effect in a stack with ALCAR and Lions's mane for NGF production. (I even made my own alcohol extract of several adaptogens and other botanicals when I was 16, LOL).

 

I don't have much time reading the books, although they seem interesting. I'll try to quick read some articles and put it together with what I already know. But I believe that Ashwagandha might be a good one, since it doesn't disrupt sleep.

 

I wanted to keep my stack as minimalistic as possible, but all things considered, it might be a good move to add an adaptogen.

 

 

Edited by Candidatus, 06 November 2014 - 06:19 PM.

[Candidatus]

Day #12

 

Another good sleep after following the points above. Or at least I believe. I have somehow moved out of the reach of my Aura sensor as well as smartphone, so 1/3 of the night's readings are empty. But should I extrapolate, it would be very similar to the last night.

 

I finally broke the dual-9-back resistance. I was doing my morning session and nothing special happened. So in what I though would be my last game, I happened to have a sudden flash of mental acuity and the score was reached. In the evening, I managed to do 60% on 9-back. Quite an achievement - tops my personal best on Cerebrolysin/Piracetam stack.

 

EEG Neurofeedback 'Whole Brain Training':

CON2C Gamma SMR Sync - C3, C4

FR2C Beta SMR - C3, C4

1C SMR% Up - C3/C4

 

Nothing special to report other than that I didn't have the uneasy feeling in my head present in the same session last time. I felt maybe a bit more alert after the session, but nothing spectacular. I'm really looking forward to the TAG-Sync... some of the reports sound like out of this world.

 

I received MCT oil today, so I took 3 shots during the day, but nothing special. Couldn't really notice any substantial energy increase. Started to take B vitamins, Calcium and ALCAR. Waiting for Suntheanine and Ashwagandha.

 

 

Edited by Candidatus, 07 November 2014 - 07:30 PM.

[Candidatus]

Day #13

 

Perhaps the best day as far as mental clarity goes. I've got a very restful sleep with a solid REM and Deep durations. Dual-9-back, however, did not last. I'm back to 8-back. This would take time to solidify at 9-back level. I introduced Calcium and B-50 supplements to my stack.

 

As far as Neurofeedback training goes, I've done:

 

FRE2 IN (2-6) REW (13-21) - Fz, Cz

CON2C Sync two bans (Theta) - Fz, Cz

CON2C MBC Combined - Cz, Oz

 

Mostly theta and gamma training. I was training for 50 minutes, because it just felt good. Afterwards, I was actually in better mood than before and sharper than before. I could feel that my head was working quite a bit, the feeling was not unlike after a solid dual-n-back session. 

I guess I’m slowly but surely figuring out how to receive the feedback properly and work with it. It’s a skill on it’s own but apparently doesn’t have very steep learning curve. 

Tommorow, I’ll do my favourite Alpha Up and Alpha-Theta synchrony training. Cannot wait.

Edited by Candidatus, 08 November 2014 - 06:49 PM.

[Bogumił Hrabal]

Hello,

I have some questions. Could you explain the (possible) difference between these EEG-notions: sychrony-, coherence-, phase-training? Is it possible to perform TAG Sync. on Neurobit Optima 2 (2 channels) device? Why the TAG Sync.? I mean why not based on EEG implemetation peak performance protocols (increasing the persistence or amplitude of gamma (I have found one interesting)) - I don't know the details - for instance, according to the book 'Neurotherapy: Essential Integrative Interventions', these deveoped or examined by: Swingle (2008), Cowan (2007, 2009), Sokhadze (2011), Gruzelier and Egner (2003), Gruzelier (2009) and Strack, Linden and Wilson (2011).

Up to 30 minutes after learning piano lesson (and also solving mathematic problems) I can read perfectly books (feeling - don't think of me as if I were insane or sth like that - plesant chilling behind my left ear), so is it worth buying Neurobit Optima 2 to create protocols from these experiences (and others like staight after awakening (increased language fluency)? Would it be rather necessary or sufficient condition?

Edited by Bogumił Hrabal, 08 November 2014 - 07:21 PM.

[Candidatus]

@Bogumil

 

Thanks for the interest but I'm afraid I will not be able to explain much of what you ask since I haven't yet started my TAG-sync protocol and I have no experience with Neurobit Optima. Is it compatible with BioExplorer? If so, than TAG Sync could most probably run on it. 

 

Synchrony: Synchrony refers to the simultaneous appearance of rhythmic or morphologically distinct patterns over different regions of the head, either on the same side (unilateral) or both sides (bilateral). So basically you train 2 sites (that's what you can do with 2 channel such as Neurobit, and when same pattern emerge in both sites, they are in synchrony (and you are rewarded by the feedback).

Coherence: EEG coherence is a measure of the degre of as ocillation or coupling of requency spectra between two different time series while EEG phase delays are a measure of the temporal "lead" or "lag" of spectra. From what I understand, it's the "quality" of the electrical activity your brain produce, similar to coherence in HRV. If it has a symetricall pattern, it is coherent. But that's just my speculation.

 

...Actually, I'm doing the "peak performance protocols" as you describe them right now, based on something like QEEG analysis from brain-trainer.com. I'll continue with TAG Sync after I'm done with this training, which should purportedly optimise my brain activity so I can delve deeper into what TAG Sync offers (or claims to offer).

 

My question is, why Neurobit Optima? Why not go with Q-WIZ? Someone on the forum found the whole suit for $2150 http://www.bionic-ha...uct=q-wiz-suite.

 

 

If you want some more information about TAG, check out this thread: http://www.longecity...scussion/page-4

[Bogumił Hrabal]

OK, thank you very much for the replay. This Q-Wiz in your link is only the head (i.e. without electrodes and other stuff)? Optima 2 - because I can afford to buy it in 1 year (it costs with BioExplorer and electrodes ca. $1400).

 

http://bernhard-homm...urofeedback.pdf - gamma on Oz.

 

Do you use any EEG database? I guess it costs fortune. But the goal is not to mimic the brain with average g but... you know. But would "Evangelos Katsioulis" sell his brain-wave patters (iff architecture is not sufficient)?

 

My hypothesis is the intelligence is based on the "access" - it comes before mobility. And it is about creating very detailed repertoire of the most effective states of affairs in your brain. Protocols differs form anchors in NLP beacuse anchors are not precise. Maybe you or sb else will create a protocol made from, for example, statistiscs of measurements of T5 and P3 after each of 30 piano lessons?

 

What about increasing you frontal cortex blood flow by auto-suggestion? Note the way of reasoning of Schulz who developed autogenic training.

 

 

Edited by Bogumił Hrabal, 08 November 2014 - 10:25 PM.

[Strangelove]

Great insight, as always! Thanks.

 

I actually have some experience with adaptogens. I used gingsen, rhodiola and ashwaganda - this one with a subjectively positive effect in a stack with ALCAR and Lions's mane for NGF production. (I even made my own alcohol extract of several adaptogens and other botanicals when I was 16, LOL).

 

I don't have much time reading the books, although they seem interesting. I'll try to quick read some articles and put it together with what I already know. But I believe that Ashwagandha might be a good one, since it doesn't disrupt sleep.

 

I wanted to keep my stack as minimalistic as possible, but all things considered, it might be a good move to add an adaptogen.

 

Sure thing man, Its interesting to see trying all these together.

 

As you trying again Ashwagandha, you may want to check this out, for use in the evening?

 

http://www.lef.org/v...-stimulant-free

 

I agree with the minimalist approach "just" put the best together!  

 

tDCS did not live up to its hype for me and many other people. NFB and LLLT seem solid though. When you start with LLLT?

 

Could you give a general idea behind your current NFB sessions, what you are trying to achieve with the peak performance protocols? I think more people in Longecity should be trying NFB... Also why you decided to add Semax in your regiment, reading about it a while ago did not seem specifically noteworthy, but maybe I am wrong and best to look at it again?

[Candidatus]

@Bogumil

 

The Q-WIZ comes with everything and anything you might need for training. The e-cap, bioexplorer, pir and nir HEG, electrodes... basically everything. I thinks it's great price for a fully featured 4 channel EEG.

 

My EEG Neurofeedback training is based on a TLC7 assessment created by brain-trainer.com http://brain-trainer.com/faq/ - check it out, a lot of information worth reading.

 

I think that a protocol developed after 30 piano lessons based on one brain's activity would be just too specific and not really possible to use in general to obtain the same level of improvement/insight. But I might of course be wrong.

 

Not familiar with NLP or autosuggestion that much, I'm using nir-HEG to increase the bloodflow to prefrontal cortex. It's in the suite as well. Also dual-n-back can do this thing from my experiments.

 

@Strangelove

 

Thanks for the recommendation. It seems solid and I generally like LEF brand, so I'll go with it.

 

I'm curious about tDCS, it has a lot of research behind it but as you said, not many people were positive in their anecdotal evidences. For this reason, I'll probably reserve it for the late stages of my project when I have a better developed intuition and observatory abilities of my brain and body. Just in case. Just a question, what device did you use for aour tDCS sessions?

 

Neurofeedback:

Basically, the "whole brain training" is aimed to distinguish patterns which can be changed for the better based on an indepth assessment not unlike a full QEEG. Further info: http://brain-trainer...s/TLC7_QEEG.pdf So my aim is to optimise the patterns where my brain "lacks" and prepare it for the TAG Sync. I have 5 different blocks, 4 of which are for "optimisation" and one is a peak performance training (Alpha Up and Alpha-Theta synchrony) - interestingly, I had a great experience with this one.

 

Semax: I want to try it mostly out of curiosity. It isn't meant to be used for a prolonged periods of time anyway, so 1 month would be just ok to assess the outcomes of this nootropic. If I would ever want to use it again, it would be in a stressful but mentally demanding situation like trying to save my company from bankruptcy (If I ever had a company to be saved) or something like that. So I want to assess if it is possible to put on yourself a bigger mental load while on Semax.

What I've found is that it seems safe in standard doses and has some positive anecdotal track record. So I guess I just want to compare it to Cerebrolysin. But if you ask me now which one would I pick, I would go with Cerebrolysin without a second thought.

 

The near term schedule for my monthly experiments is this: 

 

End November: Image Streaming technique (30-60min/day - comes first because I may want to keep it, I had some good experience with it in the past)

December: "truBrain" stack (piracetam stack)

January: LLLT

February: Cerebrolysin

March: possibly tDCS, maybe something else

April: Semax

 

 

 

Edited by Candidatus, 09 November 2014 - 07:09 AM.

[Strangelove]

@Strangelove

 

Thanks for the recommendation. It seems solid and I generally like LEF brand, so I'll go with it.

 

I'm curious about tDCS, it has a lot of research behind it but as you said, not many people were positive in their anecdotal evidences. For this reason, I'll probably reserve it for the late stages of my project when I have a better developed intuition and observatory abilities of my brain and body. Just in case. Just a question, what device did you use for aour tDCS sessions?

 

Neurofeedback:

Basically, the "whole brain training" is aimed to distinguish patterns which can be changed for the better based on an indepth assessment not unlike a full QEEG. Further info: http://brain-trainer...s/TLC7_QEEG.pdf So my aim is to optimise the patterns where my brain "lacks" and prepare it for the TAG Sync. I have 5 different blocks, 4 of which are for "optimisation" and one is a peak performance training (Alpha Up and Alpha-Theta synchrony) - interestingly, I had a great experience with this one.

 

Semax: I want to try it mostly out of curiosity. It isn't meant to be used for a prolonged periods of time anyway, so 1 month would be just ok to assess the outcomes of this nootropic. If I would ever want to use it again, it would be in a stressful but mentally demanding situation like trying to save my company from bankruptcy (If I ever had a company to be saved) or something like that. So I want to assess if it is possible to put on yourself a bigger mental load while on Semax.

What I've found is that it seems safe in standard doses and has some positive anecdotal track record. So I guess I just want to compare it to Cerebrolysin. But if you ask me now which one would I pick, I would go with Cerebrolysin without a second thought.

 

The near term schedule for my monthly experiments is this: 

 

End November: Image Streaming technique (30-60min/day - comes first because I may want to keep it, I had some good experience with it in the past)

December: "truBrain" stack (piracetam stack)

January: LLLT

February: Cerebrolysin

March: possibly tDCS, maybe something else

April: Semax

 

 

Yes I have read the research and make tDCS to sound impressive. I think the problem is that although you have some real quick benefits as they describe I guess, I did not find them cumulative, and I even developed a tolerance to them. Reading the large tDCS thread I do not remember seeing very positive experiences like the ones experienced from NFB or LLLT, nevertheless if you buy a cheaper unit might worth a try. I spend $550 for a CES plus tDCS unit couple years ago, and I found the CES better value, especially for someone with ocassional anxieties (I do no have any issues with anxiety) but a relative that has, found it very useful at times.

[Candidatus]

You have CES + tDCS? That's the way I actually wanted to go, since I read about CES having some positive impact on sleep quality. Is that true in your experience?

 

I certainly would not want to spend ~$500 for a useless device.

Edited by Candidatus, 09 November 2014 - 02:11 PM.

[Candidatus]

Day #14

 

2 weeks over so it will be time to do some summary, probably tomorrow. All I can say now is that I'm certainly not burned out and I experienced some days of (relatively) extraordinary mental clarity.

 

Neurofeedback:

 

Today, I've been training my favourite Alpha Up and Alpha-Theta protocols on O1/P4. Although I did not feel anything so profound as last time, I was in much better mood. Can not assess any cognitive changes since today was my off day from brain training (=dual-n-back and nir-HEG).

 

I have placed a commitment on Beeminder so I'll start learning more in the coming weeks - my money is at stake now. Also, I decided to make the weekly summary also a video post - not that I'm so great at speaking in front of a camera, quite the opposite. I want to assess any changes in my verbal fluency and general impression in time. This will probably be painful and embarassing at the beginning (english is not my first language), but let's see where I get in a few months.

 

Also, one observation. B-50 vitamin definitely helped with my energy levels. They are even higher now. I got something between 100=200% of RDA from my diet, which was apparently not enough.

[Strangelove]

CES can help you get asleep faster, I am not sure if it increases sleep quality though (the way I am using it...). It used to help me feel more refreshed in the morning, but this was because I could not reach deep sleep (according to my Zeo) probably due to a chronic infection. I have use it a few times since I got better from the infection and just puts me to sleep easier. If you run a Delta half hour session really helps you to sleep but there are two drawbacks. If you use it every day you develop a slow tolerance to the effect, and second you wearing the earclips while you sleep and its a hassle with the wires if you turn. Usually I would wake up, take out the earclips and go back to sleep really easy this time.

 

Buying a CES machine with extra frequencies (one that includes Delta) can get more expensive, If your main goal is to target sleep quality there is a magnetic pulser that increase sleep quality, running a session I believe for all the stages of sleep. I am not sure how exactly works, it was just a recommendation I had... if you want you can contact the user BigPapaChakra, he used to have one and he found it very effective for both getting to sleep and sleep quality I believe.

 

Edit: I found it, is this one... http://www.earthpulsetechnologies.com/ Its more expensive than buying a CES, but maybe worth it? If you think buying it please make a research first, as I have not looked much into it.

 

 

 

Edited by Strangelove, 09 November 2014 - 09:19 PM.

[neuralis]

Good luck with your project!

I hope you stick with it to the end, very fascinated to see what the end results will be.