The Hidden Challenge in Alcohol and Drug Abuse

 

Alcohol and drugs are essential to my creative process” is a thought, sometimes a confession made, usually privately, by millions of creative people, many of them at the pinnacle of success in their fields. Yet, I have heard very little serious discussion by substance abuse professionals about the profound implications of this phenomenon.

Some say that psychoactive drugs will be with us forever and maybe they will. However, my life improved immensely and was probably saved by my liberating myself from the pleasures, enthusiastic bursts of creativity and agonies of alcohol and smoke.

In fact, our society has declared a “war” on drugs and a sort of “police action” on alcohol. Humorous, isn’t it since far more damage is done in the aggregate by alcohol than by all other drugs combined? As a society we believe that we must solve this catastrophic problem; or at least understand it enough so that we reduce the destructive pressure on our culture. Having come from a family of beautiful people who have been tragically impacted by alcohol and other drugs, I have had an intense interest in how and why this disaster happened to my dearest loves and beyond that to our civilization as a whole. What is the most effective way to heal the damage already done and reduce the problem in the future?

This led me into one of the most fascinating investigations of my life. I delved deeply into all of the conventional wisdom I could find… and I did most of my investigation while continuing to drink and smoke. I was what you call a highly functional substance abuser. In fact, my problem was never diagnosed by a professional or even a friend. I had to come to the realization that I had a substance abuse problem through self study.

Self study which involved a lot of EEG biofeedback and meditation.

In the course of these studies I had what I think is at least a relatively original insight. This insight enabled me to walk away from the substances that had become so integrated with my own intellectual, creative, even spiritual life. This personal discovery made by many millions of others before me was that I must quit all by myself. Another critical aspect of the discovery provided the burning sense of mission required to be successful as well as the realization that I must discover how to do this as though it was being done for the first time ever. The path to success came to me in a number of progressive meditative reveries.

The kind of energy needed to go deeply within the mind (meditation-contemplation) is constantly dissipated by psychoactive drugs. This means that the very energy needed to “make one’s life work”, to get work done, to be innovative and to have the sensitivity to make one’s relationships better is absent. For me, the concept of meditation, profound attention learning…entering deeply into the creative process, became so incredibly alluring that I realized I had to quit because that is the only way to get the energy and sensitivity needed for the next stages of this immense journey.

Although I have discussed this concept with a number of substance abuse colleagues, the response is (with a few exceptions) usually cool and even uneasy as though admitting that alcohol and other drugs can actually stimulate the creative process will unleash the forces of hell.

Yet, I believe that until we recognize the power that alcohol and other drugs has to influence creativity in the normal human being and offer another, superior way to stimulate and lubricate the creative mind we are fighting our war on drugs with water pistols.

More info :  The Hidden Challenge in Alcohol and Drug Abuse

The History of Muscle Dysfunction and SEMG

 Jeffrey R. Cram, PhD and Maya Durie, MEd, CMT

Abstract

The history of muscle pain and dysfunction is viewed through the lens of a four factor theory of histologic (tissue related) issues, psychologic (emotional) issues, sensory motor (movement) issues and biomechanical (postural) issues. The historical antecedents of both bodywork and surface electromyography are reviewed.

Key words: Surface EMG, SEMG, bodywork, trigger points, posture, emotions, movement.

Note: Parts of this article have appeared in The History of SEMG, Jour App Psychophys and Biof, In Press.

Humans have had to deal with sore muscles since the beginning of time. Initially, muscle assessments and treatments were conducted by hand and during the last century, the use of electronic instruments came into play.

To put muscle function and the clinical use of Surface electromyography (SEMG) into a perspective of history, is seems prudent to utilize a broad nomothetic net or conceptual framework. In Clinical Applications for Surface Electromyography, Kasman, Cram and Wolf (1998) consider chronic muscle dysfunction from a four fold perspective: Histologic (Tissue related issues); Psychologic (Psychophysiology and Emotions), Sensorimotor (Movement) and Mechanical Dysfunction (Cumulative Trauma, Posture etc). In this article we will provide a brief historical overview related to each of these four areas. This will provide a deep background for the emergence of the clinical use of SEMG, including information on the history of body work, psychophysiology, rehabilitation and the emergence of electricity and SEMG instrumentation.

Tissue Related Issues

We will begin with issues pertaining to the tissues of the body. The muscle, as an organ system, contains many sensory mechanisms. The muscle spindles tell the nervous system about the instantaneous length and force of contraction of segments of muscle tissue. The golgi tendon organ measures the actual force which the muscle is exerting and the rufini nucleus of the joints informs the nervous system of the relationship of angles of the bones. However, it is the free nerve ending within the muscle that senses local pain. And it is metabolic disturbances such as too much (lactic) acid or too much internal pressure due to swelling, congestion or edema, which activate the free nerve ending.

From a clinical point of view, up until the last two centuries, palpation and observations about movement and posture were the only tools available for assessing muscle oriented pain. Through the manual sense of touch, the practitioner can learn to feel many things. Is the muscle tissue hard to the touch? Does it feel stiff? Does it have lumps, tough fibers, etc. or is it soft, supple and relaxed? What does the fascia feel like? Is there a normal cranial-sacral rhythm? As you move the body passively through its range of motion, does it seem restricted suggesting a shortened muscle resting length? During active movement, does it appear that the body is using the correct muscles for the movement or is there a substitution pattern? Is the patient afraid of movement due to pain? Has a trauma become lodged in the nervous system or even the muscle tissue itself? Can one see or feel problems with ligament laxities or joint fixations? These are just some of the examples of questions we want to address, both by hand and by instrument. . Thus, one could think of body work as a means to help normalize the disturbance of tissue that might foster and create muscle pain and SEMG as an instrumented way of assessing some of these conditions.

More Info :  The History of Muscle Dysfunction and SEMG

The Marriage of Technology and Consciousness

R. Adam Crane BCIA, ACN, NRNP

The following chapter is excerpted by permission from Mr. Crane’s forthcoming book.

What is “R – Tech” (Relationship Technology) and Consciousness Processing Technology? What are the implications for Neurofeedback, Biofeedback, Applied Psychophysiology, the evolution of science, our individual and collective mental health?

August 10, 1994 I had the opportunity to present at the Forum co sponsored by the Wisdom Society and the Reuben H. Fleet Space Theater and Science Center. The Forum was conceived as an opportunity to exchange ideas on “The Place of Science and Technology in our Culture”.

Since I feel that the material that emerged in that presentation may be useful to others and (all things being relative) I feel the evening went well, I would like to offer this edited version of that talk.

We intend to communicate with each other at the highest level we can and to create an atmosphere that is as conducive as possible to individual and group creative thinking. Together we make up a kind of mind field (not mine field I hope). If it is true that the learning is the doing and multi sensory, multi dimensional awareness is part of the technology of consciousness, perhaps we can practice these principles as we work together. Then possibly something altogether unexpected, creative may emerge.

May I suggest that as you read this you experiment with me? You will probably be more comfortable and get more out of this short time together if you scan your body, notice if you are holding your shoulders up, look for unnecessary muscle tension, breathe normally, deeply and comfortably. Be aware of all that you can in the room. Loose your belt if it is too tight. Breathing should be relaxed and deep and your stomach should be free to move in and out. If you have eaten or you are tired and feel like taking a nap or even meditating and you close your eyes, be as aware as you can of what is going on around you and within you.

As you are able, please watch the thoughts and feelings that arise inside you (and outside too) as we work together in a spirit of play. To paraphrase Marshal McLuhan, “Those who think education and entertainment are two different things probably do not understand either one very well”. Parts of this discussion may be difficult, controversial, even fun. What is most important is to watch your feelings arise and change.

I would like to examine one of the greatest (depending on how you define technology) perhaps the greatest challenge humanity faces.

In October of 1970 one of my best friends died of cancer. Tom was only 41. Afterwards I took a long weekend at our little country house in Rhinebeck, New York. I had spent a rather dreamy day sitting by the lake contemplating The Big Picture. Dagne, my wife, suggested that I read a magazine article entitled “Alpha, The Wave of the Future”. I promptly read it because I had learned that she had an uncanny way of planting very good ideas in my mind at just the right time.

During the next twenty four-hours I had a kind of classic creative experience. Decades of contemplation and thought seemed to converge with a euphoric, laser like intensity. It seemed as though one of the greatest scientific and spiritual stories of our time was creating itself before my eyes. And I was being invited to immerse myself in an almost unimaginably great work.

The next day I entered full time into what has turned out to be an astonishing, scientific art form, a business and a series of adventures leading me to this discussion here with you. I sold my old business and plunged headlong into the strange, paradoxical, controversial field soon to be called by inadequate terms like Biofeedback, Applied Psychophysiology and Instrument Assisted Transactional Psychophysiology. I like to think of it as.

More Info :  The Marriage of Technology and Consciousness