KARMA OR DHARMA: Three Acronyms That Can

Clarify The Core Of Neurofeedback Training, At Least In NeuroCARE™

KARMA OR DHARMA: Three Acronyms That Can

Clarify The Core Of Neurofeedback Training, At Least In NeuroCARE™

Valdeane W. Brown, Ph.D.Valdeane W. Brown, Ph.D.

Why Talk About Karma & Dharma At This Conference?

Why Talk About Karma & Dharma At This Conference?

• There is an Unprecedented Collaborative Cross-pollination Occurring Between Contemporary Neuroscience and Ancient Contemplative Science, esp Tibetan Buddhism

• This Collaborative Cross-pollination Has Revealed a Convergence Between These Two Widely Separated Approaches

• Not Unlike The Growing Convergence That Continues to Unfold In the Field Of Neurofeedback Despite Its Not Being Seen

• There is an Unprecedented Collaborative Cross-pollination Occurring Between Contemporary Neuroscience and Ancient Contemplative Science, esp Tibetan Buddhism

• This Collaborative Cross-pollination Has Revealed a Convergence Between These Two Widely Separated Approaches

• Not Unlike The Growing Convergence That Continues to Unfold In the Field Of Neurofeedback Despite Its Not Being Seen

A Few Cogent References On Buddhist

Practice/Psychology

A Few Cogent References On Buddhist

Practice/Psychology

• H.H. the Dalai Lama: How To See Yourself As You Really Are

• Ricard, Matthieu, Happiness: A Guide To Developing Life’s Most Important Skill

• Wallace, Alan, Contemplative Science: Where Buddhism And Neuroscience Converge

• H.H. the Dalai Lama: How To See Yourself As You Really Are

• Ricard, Matthieu, Happiness: A Guide To Developing Life’s Most Important Skill

• Wallace, Alan, Contemplative Science: Where Buddhism And Neuroscience Converge

These Readings Will Introduce You To The

Profound Depth Of The Tibetan Buddhist

Approach

These Readings Will Introduce You To The

Profound Depth Of The Tibetan Buddhist

ApproachAnd Isn’t It Interesting That These Titles

Concern Seeing Who You Really Are, A Guide To Developing Happiness And The Emerging

Convergence Between Contemporary Neuroscience And Ancient Wisdom?

And Isn’t It Interesting That These Titles Concern Seeing Who You Really Are, A Guide To

Developing Happiness And The Emerging Convergence Between Contemporary Neuroscience And Ancient Wisdom?

Isn’t It Time To Consider The Possible Value Of

These Two Concepts That Are So Fundamental To

Buddhist Theory And Practice?

Isn’t It Time To Consider The Possible Value Of

These Two Concepts That Are So Fundamental To

Buddhist Theory And Practice?

Considering The Value And Role Of Karma And Dharma May Provide Some Fundamental Keys To Help Us Understand The Process Of Neurofeedback Training

Considering The Value And Role Of Karma And Dharma May Provide Some Fundamental Keys To Help Us Understand The Process Of Neurofeedback Training

KARMA: The Law Of Cause And Effect

KARMA: The Law Of Cause And Effect

• Newton Was A Good Buddhist: Every Action Has An Opposite And Equal Effect

• What You Sow You Reap• Gravity Works• Time Exists• All Things Come Into Being, Persist A While

And Then Disintegrate• Dropping An Egg Will Shatter It -- And

They’re VERY Difficult To Put Together Again

• Newton Was A Good Buddhist: Every Action Has An Opposite And Equal Effect

• What You Sow You Reap• Gravity Works• Time Exists• All Things Come Into Being, Persist A While

And Then Disintegrate• Dropping An Egg Will Shatter It -- And

They’re VERY Difficult To Put Together Again

Karma Itself Is Neither “Good” Nor “Bad” -- It’s Just The Way Things Are

Karma Itself Is Neither “Good” Nor “Bad” -- It’s Just The Way Things Are

What You Do Has Effects And What Happens To You Has Contributing Causes. If You Don’t Like

What You’re Experiencing, Do Something Different! And A Good Place To Begin Is To

Accept What’s So.

What You Do Has Effects And What Happens To You Has Contributing Causes. If You Don’t Like

What You’re Experiencing, Do Something Different! And A Good Place To Begin Is To

Accept What’s So.

Karma Isn’t A Problem, It’s How Reality Works.

The Real Problem Is Ignorance

Karma Isn’t A Problem, It’s How Reality Works.

The Real Problem Is Ignorance

And It’s Important To Remember That Ignorance Is ACTIVE. It’s Not A Passive “Not-Knowing” Of

Something; Rather, It’s An Active Denying Of What’s So. And That’s A Primary Reason That

Acceptance Is Such An Important Foundation For Effective Action And Personal Transformation.

And It’s Important To Remember That Ignorance Is ACTIVE. It’s Not A Passive “Not-Knowing” Of

Something; Rather, It’s An Active Denying Of What’s So. And That’s A Primary Reason That

Acceptance Is Such An Important Foundation For Effective Action And Personal Transformation.

We Continue To Experience The Suffering

Caused By Karma By Doing The Same Thing

But Expecting A Different Outcome

We Continue To Experience The Suffering

Caused By Karma By Doing The Same Thing

But Expecting A Different Outcome

But K.A.R.M.A. Can Also Be Understood As Forming An Acronym That Describes How It

Operates

But K.A.R.M.A. Can Also Be Understood As Forming An Acronym That Describes How It

Operates

K.A.R.M.A.K.A.R.M.A.

• Kontinued

• Affective

• Re-Triggering

• Maintains

• Attachment

• Kontinued

• Affective

• Re-Triggering

• Maintains

• Attachment

Karma: Repetitive Patterns Of Thought, Feeling And

Behavior

Karma: Repetitive Patterns Of Thought, Feeling And

Behavior• We “Kontinue” To Do The Same Things

• And Those “Same Things” Re-Create The Same Feelings They Did In The Past

• Which Re-Generates The “Same” Reactions

• Which Motivates Our Consequent Behaviors And The Behavior Of Others Around Us

• So We “Kontinue” To Believe In The “Reality” Of Those Feelings And Behaviors

• I Call This “Going To The Coke Machine”

• We “Kontinue” To Do The Same Things

• And Those “Same Things” Re-Create The Same Feelings They Did In The Past

• Which Re-Generates The “Same” Reactions

• Which Motivates Our Consequent Behaviors And The Behavior Of Others Around Us

• So We “Kontinue” To Believe In The “Reality” Of Those Feelings And Behaviors

• I Call This “Going To The Coke Machine”

We Essentially Re-Traumatize Ourselves To

Repeat The Past

We Essentially Re-Traumatize Ourselves To

Repeat The Past• The More We Engage In Those Same

Behaviors, Feelings Or Events, The More We Simply End Up Re-Creating Them

• By Re-Triggering The “Original” Affective Experiences We Actually Strengthen Them

• This Maintains Our Lived Attachment To Our “Story” -- ie The Story Of Our Self/Life/World

• The More We Work To “Overcome” This, The More We Directly Continue To Reincarnate It

• This Circular Process Of Re-Creating Is Samsara Or The Cycle Of Birth And Death

• The More We Engage In Those Same Behaviors, Feelings Or Events, The More We Simply End Up Re-Creating Them

• By Re-Triggering The “Original” Affective Experiences We Actually Strengthen Them

• This Maintains Our Lived Attachment To Our “Story” -- ie The Story Of Our Self/Life/World

• The More We Work To “Overcome” This, The More We Directly Continue To Reincarnate It

• This Circular Process Of Re-Creating Is Samsara Or The Cycle Of Birth And Death

We Can “Step Off” The Cycle Of Birth And Death

We Can “Step Off” The Cycle Of Birth And Death

Liberation From The Cycles Of Karma Occurs Through Releasing Ignorance And Coming Back

To The Present. We Literally “Wake Up” To What Is So -- This Is The Root Meaning Of Buddha.

Liberation From The Cycles Of Karma Occurs Through Releasing Ignorance And Coming Back

To The Present. We Literally “Wake Up” To What Is So -- This Is The Root Meaning Of Buddha.

Experiencing And Understanding “What’s

So” Is Known As Encountering Dharma

Experiencing And Understanding “What’s

So” Is Known As Encountering Dharma

So We Can Actually Choose Karma OR Dharma And This Leads Us To The Next Acronym

So We Can Actually Choose Karma OR Dharma And This Leads Us To The Next Acronym

O.R. Is Another Acronym Referring To The Orienting

& Relaxation Responses

O.R. Is Another Acronym Referring To The Orienting

& Relaxation Responses

We’ll Look At Each Of These In Turn And Then See How They Can Be Used Together To Release Suffering And Promote Personal Transformation Within A Comprehensive-Adaptive Approach To

Neurofeedback Training.

We’ll Look At Each Of These In Turn And Then See How They Can Be Used Together To Release Suffering And Promote Personal Transformation Within A Comprehensive-Adaptive Approach To

Neurofeedback Training.

The Orienting ResponseThe Orienting Response

• The CNS Detects Difference And Orients To That Difference

• A Fundamental Psychophysiological Process That Is Critical For Preserving Safety

• When Significance Is High, The Orienting Response Remains Robust

• When Significance Is Low, The Orienting Response Ignores What Is Not Significant -- ie Not Significant Re: Safety And Survival

• The CNS Detects Difference And Orients To That Difference

• A Fundamental Psychophysiological Process That Is Critical For Preserving Safety

• When Significance Is High, The Orienting Response Remains Robust

• When Significance Is Low, The Orienting Response Ignores What Is Not Significant -- ie Not Significant Re: Safety And Survival

The Orienting Response Is Oriented To Information

The Orienting Response Is Oriented To Information

• Specifically The Information Value Of Emergent Stimuli As Possible Danger Signals

• The Traditional Perspective Is That As “Novelty” Decreases, The Orienting Response Habituates And Extinguishes

• However, Diminishing “Simple” Novelty Is Not Informative, So It Is Correctly Ignored

• Simple Novelty Is A Scalar-Specifiable Analogue Of Significant Change In Familiarity, Chosen Because It Can Be Easily Researched By Traditional Means

• Specifically The Information Value Of Emergent Stimuli As Possible Danger Signals

• The Traditional Perspective Is That As “Novelty” Decreases, The Orienting Response Habituates And Extinguishes

• However, Diminishing “Simple” Novelty Is Not Informative, So It Is Correctly Ignored

• Simple Novelty Is A Scalar-Specifiable Analogue Of Significant Change In Familiarity, Chosen Because It Can Be Easily Researched By Traditional Means

The Orienting Response Is Oriented To What Is Familiar

The Orienting Response Is Oriented To What Is Familiar

• The Fundamental Information-Rich Dynamical Structure Involved Concerns The Interplay Between “What Is Familiar” And “What Is Novel, Because It Is Different From What Is Familiar”

• Disruption Of What Is Familiar -- By Something “Novel” -- Invokes The Hippocampus And Inhibits The Amygdala-Based Responses Of Emotional Over-Reactivity That Are Seen In Habitual, Affective Re-Triggerings, cf Pribram’s Work

• The Fundamental Information-Rich Dynamical Structure Involved Concerns The Interplay Between “What Is Familiar” And “What Is Novel, Because It Is Different From What Is Familiar”

• Disruption Of What Is Familiar -- By Something “Novel” -- Invokes The Hippocampus And Inhibits The Amygdala-Based Responses Of Emotional Over-Reactivity That Are Seen In Habitual, Affective Re-Triggerings, cf Pribram’s Work

The Orienting Response Remains Salient During

Neurofeedback BECAUSE We Are Always Working

With Personally Significant Signal Sets,

Viz The Emergent Variability Of The CNS

The Orienting Response Remains Salient During

Neurofeedback BECAUSE We Are Always Working

With Personally Significant Signal Sets,

Viz The Emergent Variability Of The CNS

Clients Come Because Of Their Lived, Significant, Suffering, Which Is Reflected In The Emergent Variability Of The CNS Activity That Is Captured And Actively Fed-back To The CNS And

Client During Neurofeedback Training

Clients Come Because Of Their Lived, Significant, Suffering, Which Is Reflected In The Emergent Variability Of The CNS Activity That Is Captured And Actively Fed-back To The CNS And

Client During Neurofeedback Training

If That Process Doesn’t Retain Enough

Significance For The Orienting Response To Remain Cogent, Then

Something Really Interesting Is Going On --

And It Isn’t Very Connected With The

Client, Whatever It Is Doing

If That Process Doesn’t Retain Enough

Significance For The Orienting Response To Remain Cogent, Then

Something Really Interesting Is Going On --

And It Isn’t Very Connected With The

Client, Whatever It Is Doing

It’s Interesting To Consider What Such “Training” Approaches Would Actually Be Connected To,

Since It Clearly Couldn’t Be The Client!

It’s Interesting To Consider What Such “Training” Approaches Would Actually Be Connected To,

Since It Clearly Couldn’t Be The Client!

What Role Does The Relaxation Response

Play?

What Role Does The Relaxation Response

Play?

It’s The Integral Partner Of The Orienting Response And Is What Allows The CNS To

“Release” Its Suffering -- After Perceiving That There Really Is No CURRENT Threat, Despite

How The CNS Has Been Triggered During The Actual Neurofeedback Training

It’s The Integral Partner Of The Orienting Response And Is What Allows The CNS To

“Release” Its Suffering -- After Perceiving That There Really Is No CURRENT Threat, Despite

How The CNS Has Been Triggered During The Actual Neurofeedback Training

All We Need To Do Is To Interrupt The Process Of

Re-Creating The Prior “Trauma”

All We Need To Do Is To Interrupt The Process Of

Re-Creating The Prior “Trauma”

We Do That In NeuroCARE™ By Interrupting The Ongoing Audio-Visual Stream Whenever There Is

A “Wobble” In A Significant Component Of The Current Activity Of The CNS, ie When There Is

“Too Much” Emergent Variability Or Turbulence In The CNS

We Do That In NeuroCARE™ By Interrupting The Ongoing Audio-Visual Stream Whenever There Is

A “Wobble” In A Significant Component Of The Current Activity Of The CNS, ie When There Is

“Too Much” Emergent Variability Or Turbulence In The CNS

The CNS Orients To The Difference Of That

Interruption And Then Relaxes Into The Present As It Correctly Perceives

The Lack Of A Current “Threat” To Its Safety In The Current Context Of Neurofeedback Training

The CNS Orients To The Difference Of That

Interruption And Then Relaxes Into The Present As It Correctly Perceives

The Lack Of A Current “Threat” To Its Safety In The Current Context Of Neurofeedback Training

How Does That Process Happen?How Does That Process Happen?

Asking That Brings Us To Considering The Role Of

Dharma Which Means “What’s So”

Asking That Brings Us To Considering The Role Of

Dharma Which Means “What’s So”

And Is Also An Acronym Describing A Very Profound View Of How Neurofeedback -- And Other Transformative Processes -- Can Work

While Also Remaining Gentle And Supporting Of The Client

And Is Also An Acronym Describing A Very Profound View Of How Neurofeedback -- And Other Transformative Processes -- Can Work

While Also Remaining Gentle And Supporting Of The Client

D.H.A.R.M.A.D.H.A.R.M.A.

• Disrupting

• Habitual

• Affective

• Re-Triggering

• Maintains

• Aliveness

• Disrupting

• Habitual

• Affective

• Re-Triggering

• Maintains

• Aliveness

Simply Disrupting The Habitual Karmic Patterns

Releases Suffering

Simply Disrupting The Habitual Karmic Patterns

Releases Suffering

Choosing Karma OR Dharma By Simple Releasing Into The Present In Acceptance Of

What Is

Choosing Karma OR Dharma By Simple Releasing Into The Present In Acceptance Of

What Is

This Is The Essence Of CARE™ And Embodied

Compassion In Neurofeedback Training

This Is The Essence Of CARE™ And Embodied

Compassion In Neurofeedback Training

Comprehensive-Adaptive Renormalization Of EEG Is An Elegant, Complete, And Profoundly Gentle Approach To Providing Neurofeedback

“Across The Range”, Without Regard To Diagnosis Or Condition

Comprehensive-Adaptive Renormalization Of EEG Is An Elegant, Complete, And Profoundly Gentle Approach To Providing Neurofeedback

“Across The Range”, Without Regard To Diagnosis Or Condition

You Have To Play To Win And You Have To Be

Present To Play. And To Be Present You Have To

Be Awake, But Most Of Us Live As If Asleep Missing

“What’s So”, NOW

You Have To Play To Win And You Have To Be

Present To Play. And To Be Present You Have To

Be Awake, But Most Of Us Live As If Asleep Missing

“What’s So”, NOW

It’s Really All About Disrupting The Process Of Recreating The Past “Trauma” -- The Repeating

Patterns Of Attachment And Ignorance -- And Coming Back To The Present To Be With What IS

Present

It’s Really All About Disrupting The Process Of Recreating The Past “Trauma” -- The Repeating

Patterns Of Attachment And Ignorance -- And Coming Back To The Present To Be With What IS

Present

All Of What We Call Disorder Is Simply Some

Form Or Other Of Not Being Present To “What’s So”. It Is Inherently And

Essentially A Way To Incarnate Ignorance

All Of What We Call Disorder Is Simply Some

Form Or Other Of Not Being Present To “What’s So”. It Is Inherently And

Essentially A Way To Incarnate Ignorance

Without Awareness Or Understanding Of Doing So -- And This Doubled Ignorance Makes It

Extremely Challenging And Entangling

Without Awareness Or Understanding Of Doing So -- And This Doubled Ignorance Makes It

Extremely Challenging And Entangling

We Don’t Have To “Work Through” The Issues --

Although That Can Also Work

We Don’t Have To “Work Through” The Issues --

Although That Can Also Work

All We Need To Do Is Interrupt The Learned, Lived Process Of Re-Creating What Isn’t Present.

The CNS Detects That Interruption And Then Perceives -- ASSESSES -- That There Is No

Danger And It Relaxes Back Into The Safety And Aliveness Of The Present.

All We Need To Do Is Interrupt The Learned, Lived Process Of Re-Creating What Isn’t Present.

The CNS Detects That Interruption And Then Perceives -- ASSESSES -- That There Is No

Danger And It Relaxes Back Into The Safety And Aliveness Of The Present.

K.A.R.M.A.O.R.

D.H.A.R.M.A.

K.A.R.M.A.O.R.

D.H.A.R.M.A.

When We Address The Causes And Conditions That Create Suffering, Suffering Does Not Arise

And, Therefore, Does Not Need To Be “Overcome” Or “Treated”. Our Natural, Intrinsic Self-Organzing And Self-Regulating Capabilities

Work As Designed, Restoring Resilience And Flexibility Regardless Of What Originally Caused

Or Conditioned The Suffering.

When We Address The Causes And Conditions That Create Suffering, Suffering Does Not Arise

And, Therefore, Does Not Need To Be “Overcome” Or “Treated”. Our Natural, Intrinsic Self-Organzing And Self-Regulating Capabilities

Work As Designed, Restoring Resilience And Flexibility Regardless Of What Originally Caused

Or Conditioned The Suffering.

It Doesn’t Get Much Simpler Or More Elegant

Than That

It Doesn’t Get Much Simpler Or More Elegant

Than That

All We Have To Do Is Give Information To The CNS -- About What It Has Already Done! -- And

The Client’s Life Transforms

All We Have To Do Is Give Information To The CNS -- About What It Has Already Done! -- And

The Client’s Life Transforms