By Siegfried Othmer, PhD

It has been two years since the latest edition of The Protocol Guide, and much has happened in the interim. In fact, the pace of progress in instrument development and in protocol decision-making is such that we are likely to be issuing an update on an annual basis in coming years.

The 2015 edition has been significantly altered throughout. A new section has been added to cover two-channel training, including ILF-HD, Alpha-Theta, and synchrony. The ILF-HD frequency range has been extended lower in the software, which has implications for the clinical strategy. There are special sections that highlights the key concepts underlying assessment and training. And there is a new section that covers the multi-sensor for the tracking measures of peripheral physiology: finger temperature, GSR (galvanic skin response, or sweat gland activity), heart rate, and finally scalp EMG (electromyography, or muscle activity).

The Protocol Guide is available in several formats. The hard copy is robust enough to withstand wear and tear in the clinic room, so it can be kept handy there for reference. On-line access is provided through an e-book version. The Protocol Guide is also fully integrated with our new professional forum, which is replacing the list server. The search function will cover not only the Protocol Guide but also relevant list messages over the past several years as well as our other on-line resources such as the training course.

Siegfried Othmer, PhD
drothmer.com

by Siegfried Othmer, PhD

Brian’s Legacy is now available as an audiobook, and for many if not most this will be the best way to take it in. I read the text that I had written, and Kurt read the part of Brian. Sue stepped in for her own parts, and a friend of Kurt’s, Efrosini Constant, read the many section headings and did character voices. I was surprised just how big a deal it turned out to be to produce this book. Even the initial recording process was much more involved than I expected. It turns out that sensitive audio microphones are a good illustration of what it is like to be ADD. It picks up every little noise in the room or hallway or out on the street with annoying fidelity. One has to record in a thoroughly sound-controlled environment. We did much of the recording in my office, with blankets everywhere to muffle reverberations, and we did so only on Sundays when the building was totally quiet. The remainder of the recording was done in Kurt’s closet at his house, where the clothes served to muffle reverberations. Kurt monitored the electronics in another room.

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By Siegfried Othmer, PhD

We recently returned from the Annual Conference of Advanced Brain Technologies, meeting in Ogden, Utah. Roxana Sasu and I were on the program, and Kurt handled the exhibit. The conference had a lot of the same tone and flavor of our own Clinical Summit in that a large body of enthusiastic practitioners had gathered for the occasion. Here was an opportunity for them to interact with like-minded practitioners, hear about the latest findings from clinical studies, listen the academic researchers on related topics, and just luxuriate in each other’s company.

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Shared by Siegfried Othmer, PhD

Iam a 55-year-old woman from Metairie, Louisiana, who served 20 years in the United States Army from August 10, 1978 to August 31, 1998. I enlisted to become a Parachute Rigger but first I had to pass airborne school. In October 1978, during the third week of airborne training, I witnessed a parachutist fall to his death. Needless to say, I did not graduate from airborne school.

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by Siegfried Othmer, PhD

The new book Restoring the Brain: Neurofeedback as an Integrative Approach to Health is now in print. We received our initial copies from the publisher, Taylor and Francis, just in time for the July Summit. Here is the story of how this book came about. In September 2013 Hanno Kirk and Kelley Foust jointly presented “EEG Neurofeedback in the Treatment of Mental Health Disorders” at the Integrative Medicine and Mental Health conference in Chicago. It was a new topic for most of the conferees and there were many questions from the audience. One person who was impressed by the presentation was the Acquisitions Editor of the Health Division of Taylor and Francis Publishers. He contacted Hanno Kirk and asked if he would like to expand the material in the PowerPoint into a book. “Given his enthusiasm and interest I felt I couldn’t turn down such an opportunity,” Hanno related. “After consulting with Siegfried, I assembled a team of twelve writers and told Lance Wobus that I would take on the role of editor.” The book contract was signed in February 2014, and on September 2, all chapter manuscripts were delivered to the publisher.

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by Siegfried Othmer, PhD

During our trip to Dharamsala, India last September in order to conduct our training course at Men Tsee Khang, the Tibetan Medical Institute, we had the opportunity to encounter a long-term meditator who was interested in experiencing the synchrony training with Cygnet. The Venerable Thich Chi Thien had spent more than a decade in silent meditation, and during the course of those years he lost his fluency with the English language. For that reason, our communication with the Venerable was in Vietnamese with the help of Minh Chau Le, who had both inspired our journey and organized the whole adventure.

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