Sleep disorder-Insomnia therapy in Malaysia (Neurofeedback method)

Sleep Difficulties Have a Variety of Contributors 
Many complex factors contribute to sleeplessness and insomnia including stress, anxiety, trauma, and habitual over-thinking resulting in abnormal brain wave function.

Why am I Tired All of the Time? 
Until recently, insomnia was studied from a behavioral perspective, but as this problem grows, new research and insights have been discovered. Recent studies suggest that in cases of insomnia, the brain is unable to process information properly due to cortical hyperarousal. This creates abnormal brainwave function.

Restore Sleep Naturally
By retraining the brain and improving brainwave function in those key areas affected by insomnia, the brain is rewarded through neurofeedback for creating healthier patterns. As the brain learns new responses, new patterns and pathways develop improving brainwave function as you begin to sleep better, longer.

Does Neurofeedback Work? 
Clinical studies have shown neurofeedback to be an effective, drugless, natural approach to insomnia, especially for people who have struggled for years. If you are ready to be able to fall asleep and stay asleep, for improved energy, health and wellbeing, then it’s time to relax and reward your brain.


Why Does Neurofeedback Work? 
Neurofeedback takes advantage of the brain’s ability to change itself through a process known as Neuroplasticity. It utilizes the same learning process that occurs whenever we acquire a new skill. The brain learns by forming connections between nerve cells and utilizing important pathways that connect different locations in the brain. The more frequently you utilize these pathways the better the brain becomes at performing the associated task. In psychology, this type of leaning is called “Operant Conditioning”. It is a type of learning in which responses come to be controlled by their consequences. Quite simply, Neurofeedback offers the perfect learning conditions, since it facilitates awareness of when the brain is producing healthier brainwave patterns, provides reinforcement for the positive change and multiple opportunities to provide practice during a training session.

How do I start with neurofeedback?
A comprehensive assessment is where neurofeedback therapy begins. The assessment allows me to determine whether a client’s brainwave patterns are different from normal. Based on your brainwaves analysis results, we then create a restorative plan of care. Each assessment provides me with neurofeedback training protocols. These protocols are designed to retrain the brainwave patterns towards better pattern. The result of rebalancing these brain waves improve health, healing and functionality for lasting results.


Contact us if you would like to do a brainwaves analysis assessment. 
Kindly note that this is not a medical diagnostic but merely provides additional information for your brain to run more efficiently and sleep better. 
The price of this assessment is RM190 (Report will be provided).



Source:
https://braincoretherapy.com/brainwaves/

How to Overcome Insomnia in Malaysia - CBT | Hypnotherapy Treatment | Drug-Free Approach

Common causes of insomnia
Sometimes, insomnia only lasts a few days and goes away on its own, especially when the insomnia is tied to an obvious temporary cause, such as stress over an upcoming presentation or a painful breakup. Chronic insomnia, however, is usually tied to an underlying psychological or medical issue.

Psychological problems and emotional distress. Anxiety and depression are two of the most common causes of chronic insomnia. Other common emotional and psychological causes include chronic or significant life stress, anger, worry, grief, bipolar disorder, and trauma.

Medical problems or illness. Many medical conditions and diseases can contribute to insomnia, including asthma, allergies, Parkinson’s disease, hyperthyroidism, acid reflux, kidney disease, and cancer. Chronic pain is also a very common cause of insomnia.

Medications. Many prescription drugs can interfere with sleep, including antidepressants, stimulants for ADHD, corticosteroids, thyroid hormone, high blood pressure medications, and some contraceptives. Common over-the-counter culprits include cold and flu medications that contain alcohol, pain relievers that contain caffeine (Midol, Excedrin), diuretics, and slimming pills.

Sleep disorders. Insomnia is itself a sleep disorder, but it can also be a symptom of other sleep disorders, including sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, and circadian rhythm disturbances tied to jet lag or late-night shift work.


When to seek professional treatment 
If you’ve tried the insomnia self-help strategies above and are still having trouble getting the sleep you need, a doctor or sleep disorder specialist may be able to help.
Seek professional help for insomnia if:

• Your insomnia doesn’t respond to self-help 
• Your insomnia is causing major problems at home, work, or school 
• You’re experiencing scary symptoms like chest pain or shortness of breath 
• Your insomnia occurs almost every night and is getting worse 

Bring a sleep diary with you. Your doctor may be able to diagnose an illness or sleep disorder that's causing your insomnia, or refer you to a sleep specialist or cognitive behavioral therapist.



Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for Insomnia

CBT is aimed at breaking the cycle of insomnia. Poor sleep tends to lead to stress and anxious thoughts about not being able to sleep. This in turn leads to stress and tension, which leads to poor sleeping habits, such as the use of sleeping pills. This leads to worsening insomnia and so on.

In addition to improving sleep habits, CBT is aimed at changing thoughts and feelings about sleep that may be causing stress and contributing to your insomnia. A therapist may also recommend sleep restriction therapy, whereby you initially shorten your sleep time. The idea is that by limiting the time you spend in bed to the number of hours you actually sleep, say from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m., you'll spend less time awake and more time asleep. As your sleep efficiency increases you'll gradually start going to bed earlier and getting up later until you reach your optimum sleep schedule.

Clinical Hypnotherapy for Insomnia
It is important to contact your GP if you are experiencing a sleep disorder. They will be able to provide you with a diagnosis and advice, as well as being able to rule out any underlying medical conditions. At this stage your doctor may recommend a special treatment or service, such as hypnotherapy.

Hypnotherapy focuses on understanding and changing patterns of behaviour. Though the cause of the problem will vary for each individual, there are many conditions that may increase the risk of developing a sleep disorder. Certain psychiatric disorders, sleep deprivation, various medical conditions and medications, as well as previous trauma are thought to be underlying causes of sleep disorders.

Hypnotherapy has been used as a way of altering and reconditioning negative patterns of behaviour for many years. Hypnotherapy for sleep disorders will do this by seeking out the root cause of the problem and altering the individual’s perception of it. Many sleep disorders are fuelled and worsened by issues that can be effectively treated with hypnotherapy, such as stress and anxiety. Usually it is not the situation itself that causes stress but the way we react to it. By inducing a state of deep relaxation, the hypnotherapist will be able to gain access to the unconscious mind. The hypnotherapist will target the negative thought patterns, teaching the individual how to manage the feelings and view them in a positive perspective.

A clinical hypnotherapist may use a combination of the techniques mentioned, or they may think you will benefit from just one. To achieve the most effective outcome, the practitioner will consider your concerns. After this, they will tailor the treatment to your personal circumstances.


Message from Hiro Koo: 
We have succefully treated many patients who suffering insomnia. They were treated with clinical hypnosis combined with cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and EEG biofeedback method. If you’ve had insomnia for a long period of time, if you have tried sleep medications and haven’t had significant relief, or if there’s no obvious medical or psychiatric cause you’re aware of, then it’s likely you’ll want to address your concerns about the sleep disturbance as well as habits you’ve developed over time that will perpetuate insomnia. Clinical hypnotherapy combined with CBT and EEG biofeedback training method might be your key to improve your symptoms. 
Our unique drug-free approach will help you sleep better from today onward. 
Contact us now for more info.




Source;
http://www.helpguide.org/articles/sleep/cant-sleep-insomnia-treatment.htm
https://sleepfoundation.org/ask-the-expert/choosing-cbt-insomnia-specialist
http://www.hypnotherapy-directory.org.uk/articles/sleep-disorders.html

Insomnia Treatment in Malaysia

Insomnia Meaning:
Insomnia is a lack of sleep due to insufficient sleep quality or quantity. The insomniac’s major complaint is awakening during sleep, followed by difficulty falling asleep. An insomniac may sleep but experience poor sleep quality, also known as nonrestorative sleep. As a result of a lack of quality sleep, impairments are experienced in social and occupational functioning.

The three types of insomnia are sleep insomnia involving difficulty falling asleep, sleep maintenance involving awakening during sleep, and late insomnia involving early morning awakenings. Insomnia can be episodic lasting for a period of one month within 3 months, or persistent lasting longer than 3 months. Recurrent insomnia is two or more episodes within a year. Insomnia disorder is one of the major three groupings of sleep disorders under DSM-5, together with hypersomnia and arousal disorders.


Insomnia Symptoms:
The DSM-5’s major criteria for a diagnosis of insomnia, in brief, are (APA, 2013):

1. Dissatisfaction with sleep quantity or quality, with one or more of the following symptoms: difficulty initiating sleep, difficulty maintaining sleep, early-morning awakening 
2. The sleep disturbance causes significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, educational, academic, behavioral, or other important areas of functioning 
3. The sleep difficulty occurs at least 3 nights per week, is present for at least 3 months, and despite adequate opportunity for sleep 
4. The insomnia does not co-occur with another sleep disorder 
5. The insomnia is not explained by coexisting mental disorders or medical condition

Insomnia is a precursor to, and comorbid with, a number of mental and medical disorders. To ensure proper treatment, DSM-5 recognizes that one or more disorders may be present at the same time. A medical condition such as chronic pain or mental disorder such as breathing-related sleep disorder may be the cause of the insomnia. However, DSM-5 does stipulate that the insomnia should be clinically significant on its own to warrant a diagnosis.


Insomnia Treatment:
Medication is the most commonly used treatment for insomnia. A class of sedatives called hypnotics is typically prescribed. Benzodiazepine has a high risk of side effects and long-term dependence, and therefore is recommended for short-term use. Nonbenzodiazepines are more commonly prescribed today but still have a risk of side effects and are habit forming. Doctors will first try non-drug approaches to treat insomnia. These may include mind relaxation exercises and avoiding stimulants before bedtime such as caffeine. Despite the complications, insomnia worsens when patients go off medication for insomnia.

Psychotherapy approaches (Such as CBT-I) include stimulus control to teach the association between the bed and sleeping, sleep restriction to restore sleep regulation, and cognitive restructuring to address anxiety-related thoughts that lead to a lack of sleep (Mitchell, 2012).
While almost half of us report being kept awake by stress or worry, increasing evidence suggests that a large proportion of chronic, long-term insomnia is caused not by environmental factors but by the very worry we feel about getting our prescribed eight hours. In short, this sleep performance anxiety – our worries about getting enough sleep – is stopping us from getting the sleep we need. Thus, sleep performance anxiety issue should be addressed first during the therapy session.
Study also finds that those highly suggestible to clinical hypnosis can have deeper sleep after hypnotic suggestion.


Message from Hiro Koo:
Our psychological hypnosis approach will combine psychotherapy and clinical hypnosis methods to deal with your insomnia problem. First, we will do an initial consultation (Include brainwaves analysis method) to find out the root cause of your insomnia problem. After that, we will recommend the most helpful method to deal with your insomnia. Please drop me an email if you need more info: [email protected]



Source:
http://www.theravive.com/therapedia/Insomnia-Disorder-DSM--5-780.52-(G47.00)
http://www.healthista.com/want-better-sleep-worry-less-about-how-much-youre-getting/

为何失眠？如何治疗失眠？何谓睡眠表现焦虑？ | 无药无副作用 | 马来西亚

来中心找我看诊的病人里，有50%以上都面对失眠问题。

或许是基于“催眠”二字出发，让人觉得对治疗睡眠问题来说是最理想的选择吧！因此，很多人都是因失眠问题来向我寻求解决方案。当然，我并不是指这想法是错误的，许多研究与实例亦证明临床催眠疗法确实对治疗失眠问题颇好。

从失眠者的脑波层面，我察觉到他们大多都面对焦虑与压力相关问题。

（脑电波检测并不是根据心理学诊断手册DSM的方法来操作的，我们有独特的解读脑波科学方法。当然脑波检测也不属于Diagnosis，而是让我更好的了解病人的潜意识状态的方法。）

而绝大部分面对失眠问题的病患都有着情绪管理相关问题。

睡眠问题大多来自于饮食习惯、工作压力与人际关系。

因此，在我让他们理解相关问题并协助他们进行情绪和心理层面调整后，问题都会得到极大的改善。

此外，也有一部分的人是因为“睡眠表现焦虑”症状而无法入睡。

什么是“睡眠表现焦虑Sleep Performance Anxiety”症状呢？

这是一种”担心睡不着“的心理状态；就好比说你平时能够顺畅地说话，然而一上台你就因为害怕而开始口吃和忘词的道理相同。整体的状况其实并不是你无法睡着，而是你心中害怕睡不着（就好比说害怕上台说不出话）然后就因而变得真的就睡不着了（就好像上台后真的说不出话来了）。

那么怎么改变这个问题呢？

如果说告诉自己不要害怕就能不焦虑了，那么世界上也不会有人面对任何问题了（开玩笑）。打个比方说，你害怕上舞台演说，那你应当怎么解决呢？

方法只有一个：做好心理建设，并且不断的练习，最终方才能掌握舞台演说技巧。睡眠表现焦虑的问题也一样。

所以说如果你面对的是睡眠表现焦虑问题，却一直使用药物来解决问题，那么你会发现成效或许颇为有限。这是因为真实的问题来源和你的心态有着绝大的关系。

药物是不会改变你的心态的，因此它的效力是有所局限的。它或许能让你镇定下来，却不一定能让你不再害怕。

再问一问你自己，如果你害怕蟑螂或壁虎，你又会如何解决呢？是选择逃避还是寻求帮助呢？

你要的不是每次都靠别人打死蟑螂，而是学习如何与之共处在同一个世上啊。

如果你愿意，心理治疗配合催眠疗法将帮助你克服你的失眠问题。

临床催眠配合心理治疗法能帮你改善你的心态，然后在运用你的潜意识让你放松，继而轻松入睡的。

有更多疑问，欢迎email我咨询更多：[email protected]

第11届马来西亚华社辅导研讨会11th Malaysian Chinese Counseling Conference - Research Paper Presentation by Hiro Koo

I was sharing about my research related to clinical hypnotherapy and sleep quality in this national counseling conference in Malaysia. This is research for my master's thesis. I am grateful to my advisor and supervisor for their guidance. To the event organizer, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your invite and the excellent organized Conference.

研讨会主题源自于生命线协会去年所推展“我听见了你”运动。生命线协会透过全国巡迴讲座、工作坊、青少年营、父母成长班、教师工作坊等，唤醒社会大众对“倾听”的觉醒，希望校园、企业界及社区等，皆能理解“倾听”的可贵及重要，一起建立“会倾听，愿倾听”的社会，陪伴家人朋友及时面对压力、困扰与生活瓶颈，进而达到减压力、抗忧鬱、防自杀的健康社会目标。

除了工作坊，研讨会的内容还包括研究报告、研讨课题、公开演讲及华社辅导机构交流会。感谢主办单位，让我有幸可以在这个意义非凡的活动中与大家分享我的研究报告。让心理健康工作者了解到临床催眠和脑电波反馈疗法对心理健康所扮演的角色。也感谢在场500名参与者的支持与鼓励。

Jasmine Magazine茉莉杂志 - J Mental by Hiro Koo (July 2016 Issue) 失眠症

 

在我中心里，因失眠问题而求医的人不计其数。

许多人在练习了我教导的自我催眠法后，睡眠都得以改善。

承蒙茉莉杂志对心理健康的醒觉活动，我有这个机会跟大家分享一套简易的助眠秘籍。

现在就去临近书摊找出7月份的<Jasmine Magazine茉莉杂志>,

你就可以学到一个由我教导的简单易学自我催眠术来改善你的睡眠质感哦！

 

SLEEP MANAGEMENT MALAYSIA

How can someone measure his/her sleeping quality?

How important water is for our daily living, sleep is equally as important to rejuvenate our body. Imagine yourself not having a quality sleep can have an impact on your performance the next day at work, the reason is sleep deprivation which to large extent affects our prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex is just like the cream on our cakes located front of the brain just behind the forehead, in charge of abstract thinking and thought analysis, it is also responsible for regulating behavior. This includes mediating conflicting thoughts, making choices between right and wrong, and predicting the probable outcomes of actions or events. It acts as a filter to prevent oneself from irrelevant information interfering the task on hand.

With years of experience in this field, I have analyzed quite a number of brain waves using EEG Bio feedback at SOL, in most cases clients with sleep issue often lack in focus and have higher tendency to become restless. E.g. even for young kids with excessive slow brain waves on the prefrontal cortex tend to suffer from attention deficit, hyperactive behavior which is not very surprising because at the end of the day I often check with the parents on their sleeping patterns and there it goes.

Sometimes craving for sweet or high carbohydrate diet such as rice, noodles can be result of insufficient sleep, this is due to sleep deprivation that disrupts your body function which is responsible for regulating your appetite and research have proven.

I would like to share my experience in helping a client, Juliet to manage her sleeping problems and issues caused by sleep deprivation.

Finding it difficult to stay focused and remain calm

“Juliet is a corporate executive, and recently she was bothered by some health concerns which worried her so much that she sought help from us. She was losing focus in her work and experiencing fatigue very frequently. She did not take these signs seriously until one day she passed out in her office. Initially, she thought she was having autonomic nervous system dysfunction as she experienced symptoms such as excessive fatigue, blood pressure fluctuations, rapid heart rate, dizziness and digestive problem.Autonomic nervous system dysfunction generally involves impairment of the sympathetic or parasympathetic components of our autonomic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system functions like a gas pedal in a car. It triggers the fight-or-flight response, giving the body a burst of energy to respond to perceived dangers. The parasympathetic nervous system acts like a brake. It arouses the “rest and digest” response that can calm the body down after the danger has passed. Just imagine that, if your brake and gas pedal is not working accordingly? You might experience symptoms similar to Juliet’s or even worst.

Juliet had undergone a health assessment in our centre and the result showed that the main issue in Juliet is not the autonomic nervous system dysfunction but related to her sleeping quality and quantity. To find out more about her concern, a brainwave assessment was conducted on her. According to the result, it showed that there are excessive slow brainwaves on her prefrontal cortex which would lead to impairment on her executive functioning. This is the major reason why she was having focus problem, poor mental stamina, short attention span and related issue. Scientific studies have shown that sleep deprivation would bring negative impacts on brain regions like memory and emotions causing development of anxiety related issue. Therefore, Juliet was having anxiety symptoms like indigestion, rapid heart rate and dizziness issue as well.

Solutions to end her daily-struggles

Issues related to Juliet’s sleep deprivation have affected her work performance and daily activities. To help her effectively improve her sleeping quality, Brain Trainer, the non-drug, evidence - based EEG Biofeedback therapy and Neuro-hypnotherapy are suggested to her. Sleeping pills are not recommended as sleeping pills may only improve the duration and quantity of sleep but not the quality of sleep in long run. Juliet was feeling better and her sleeping quality has improved remarkably after completing the program. Besides, a good sleep at night has brought down her anxiety level.

Apart from the cutting-edge therapies, some sleep hygiene tips were given to help her sleep better. For example, stop using her phone at least 30 minutes before bed and reduce her coffee intake or any beverage containing caffeine after 2pm. Moreover, Juliet needs to monitor herself that she needs at least 8 hours of sleep every day instead of 6 hours which previously she thought it is enough for her. Sometimes she is having insomnia, then she would need to practice self-hypnosis techniques tailored for her and shortly, she will be able to fall asleep easily. Juliet’s ability to focus has improved and interestingly, she lost about 5kgs in just 3-month time without any strict diet plan! The reason of her weight loss is simply because she has better sleep quality now.

What is neuro-hypnotherapy and EEG biofeedback therapy?

Researchers at Harvard University found that hypnotherapy actually promotes faster healing. Many insomniacs have tried this intervention with great success. Under hypnosis, you might work out any personal issues that are robbing you of sleep. A clinical hypnotherapist can also "program" you to sleep. Our neuro-hypnotherapy technique is first of its kind in Malaysia which is able to help you to improve your sleep quality. Personalized self-hypnosis method to fall asleep will be developed based on your brainwave response.

EEG biofeedback or brain trainer is based on the international standardized 10-20 electrode location system. It is essentially a way of teaching you how to self-regulate your own electrical activity in the brain and strengthen your sleep spindle activity indirectly. A powerful tool for helping people fall asleep and stay asleep. People who produce more frequent or greater amounts of sleep spindles than the average person require a higher decibel noise level to be roused out of a sound sleep. As we age, we produce fewer spindles and are more sensitive to noises around us. This can be one of the explanations why older people don't seem to sleep as well.

So are you getting at least 7 hours of sleep? Do you wake up feeling refreshed? If not, contact your healthcare provider as soon as possible.

Author:

Hiro Koo

Is There A Connection Between Sleep And Depression?

Introduction

Is your sleep routine off? Are you sleeping less than normal? Are you depressed? Are you wondering if there is a connection between your irregular sleep pattern and your depressed mood? Well, keep reading this article because the answer is yes. There indeed is a relationship between sleep and depression. According to the National Sleep Foundation (2016), “The relationship between sleep and depressive illness is complex – depression may cause sleep problems and sleep problems may cause or contribute to depressive disorders. For some people, symptoms of depression occur before the onset of sleep problems. For others, sleep problems appear first. Sleep problems and depression may also share risk factors and biological features and the two conditions may respond to some of the same treatment strategies. Sleep problems are also associated with more severe depressive illness.” For the purposes of this article, we will focus on how irregular sleeping patterns result in the development of a depressive mood.

There Is a Relationship Between Insomnia And Depression

According to http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/need-sleep/whats-in-it-for-you/mood, “Chronic insomnia may increase the risk of developing a mood disorder, such as depression.” Think about it. If you are tired and have not gotten a good night sleep, you are going to have a lack of energy in your daily routine. This, in return, is going to impact your mood. You are going to feel depressed. This is supported by evidence. According to http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/need-sleep/whats-in-it-for-you/mood, “In one major study of 10,000 adults, people with insomnia were five times more likely to develop depression.” In addition, http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/need-sleep/whats-in-it-for-you/mood indicates that “Difficulty sleeping is sometimes the first symptom of depression. Studies have found that 15 to 20 percent of people diagnosed with insomnia will develop major depression.”

What Can Be Done?

You may be wondering if you are depressed, how can you improve your sleep? Well the answer is quite simple. Set a regular sleep routine. Have a set time for going to sleep and a set time for waking up in the morning. On an even further note, do not even think about hitting the snooze button. Just don’t hit it. You will feel better when you don’t touch it. Trust me on this one.

Conclusion

Despite the relationship between sleep and and a depressed mood, you can still feel better about yourself and lead a healthy lifestyle. Just start by adjusting your sleep routine. You will see the difference in how you feel in no time.

Source:

http://blogs.psychcentral.com/coping-depression/2016/02/is-there-a-connection-between-sleep-and-depression/

What is insomnia?

What is insomnia? 

 

Often take more than 30 minutes to fall asleep for 3 or more nights a week?

 

Yes, individual who suffer for insomnia often have trouble staying asleep or falling asleep or both. Here’s what you might experience:

• Hard to fall asleep
• Wake up in the middle of the night
• Wake up in the early morning
• Feel drowsy and sleepy after a night's sleep
• Trouble staying awake during daytime
• Anger, depression or anxiety related issues
• Difficulty paying attention or focusing, such as when reading or listening to others
• Unable to think critically
• Trouble making decisions
• Migraine or headache
• Making careless mistakes
• Forgetful
• Indigestion related issues
• Worrying about sleep

 

What cause insomnia?

 

According to the research study done by Bonnet and Arand (2010), Individual suffer for insomnia related issues have increased high-frequency EEG brainwaves activation which known as hyper arousal. Hyper arousal is reflected in brainwaves and it can elevated sympathetic nervous system and heart rate during sleep time (Bonnet & Arand, 2010).  

 

In the field of EEG biofeedback (Brain Trainer), we can understand the hyper arousal state better by peek into the brainwave. "high beta" brainwave is associated with stress, tension, nervous or anxiety state. Work, school, health or family related stress can keep your brainwaves overactive at night and then lead to insomnia. Breathing difficulty, urination problem and chronic pain can cause insomnia as well.

Due to day time sleepiness, some people use stimulants such as caffeine, nicotine and alcohol to stay awake. It is not a long term solution because stimulants cannot overcome the effects of severe sleep deprivation.For example, alcohol helps induce to light sleep stages but it prevents deeper stages of sleep which can adversely affect the brain and cognitive function. If you always stay in the light sleep stages, it is more likely you will wake up in the middle of the night and wake up feeling tired.

Drug-free Insomnia Solution

Neuroscientists have identified specific brainwave patterns that relate to specific disorders. Individual who suffer for insomnia is more likely to experience hyper arousal state in the brain. Brain trainer can help correct this problem. Brain trainer (EEG biofeedback) which is a safe, non-invasive, drug free and no side effect technology has been shown to effectively address anxiety symptoms. Brain trainer training teaches you to balance your brain's arousal state. It helps teach you how to calm down your brain during stressful event and night.

Neuro-Hypnotherapy is based on EEG brainwave frequency monitoring. It is non-invasive, painless, and safe with no side effects. All of our mind activity can be measured scientifically by utilizing an EEG biofeedback tool. With the Neuro-Hypnotherapy technology, you can scientifically see yourself going into states of “Alpha", "Theta", and "Delta”, and these three levels can be considered states or depths of sleep. After your therapy session, you will learn how to self-regulate your own brainwave pattern and improving your sleep quality by practicing your personalized self-hypnosis technique.

Brain trainer and Neuro-hypnotherapy together help the individual who suffer for insomnia to calm hyper arousal brainwave activity, fine-tuning the central nervous system and reprogram your subconscious mind to achieve deep sleep and relaxation.

 

Contributor:

Hiro Koo

Licensed Clinical Hypnotherapist (AHPM & APA-Society of Psychological Hypnosis). BSocSc(Hons) in Psychology, Diploma in Clinical Hypnosis, Certified EEG biofeedback practitioner.

 

Reference:

Bonnet, M. H., & Arand, D. L. (2010). Hyperarousal and insomnia: State of the science. Sleep Medicine Reviews. doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2009.05.002

Improving sleep and cognition by clinical hypnotherapy in the elderly

Sleep quality markedly declines across the human lifespan. Particularly the amount of slow-wave sleep (SWS) decreases with age and this decrease is paralleled by a loss of cognitive functioning in the elderly. Here we show in healthy elderly females that the amount of SWS can be extended by a hypnotic suggestion "to sleep deeper" before sleep. In a placebo-controlled cross-over design, participants listened to hypnotic suggestions or a control tape before a midday nap while high density electroencephalography was recorded. After the hypnotic suggestion, we observed a 57% increase in SWS in females suggestible to hypnosis as compared to the control condition. 

Furthermore, left frontal slow-wave activity (SWA), characteristic for SWS, was significantly increased, followed by a significant improvement in prefrontal cognitive functioning after sleep. 

Our results suggest that hypnotic suggestions might be a successful alternative for widely-used sleep-enhancing medication to extend SWS and improve cognition in the elderly.


Source:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/25660206/

Member of Sleep Disorder Society Malaysia (Persatuan Permasalahan Tidur Malaysia)

I am happy that I am qualified to be the member of Sleep Disorder Society Malaysia (Persatuan Permasalahan Tidur Malaysia)! 

As a licensed hypnotherapist, I am eager to contribute my abilities and experiences to our society.

Feel free to contact me for sleep disorder related problem.

I am specialized in clinical hypnotherapy and EEG biofeedback therapy for improving sleep related issues.

My email: [email protected]

[Review] Insomnia - Pharmacist Miss T

For past few years, the lack of sleep was ruining my life!

Thus, I really hope that I can fall asleep easily by practicing personalized self hypnosis method. 

After finished 3 sessions of Neuro-hypnotherapy, I feel more stable and calm without medication involved. 

Now I am less worried about my sleep problem.

The environment is very comfortable and I feel happier after talking to Clinical Hypnotherapist Hiro Koo as he makes me feel more confident at work and daily life. 

The most significant change that I have noticed is I able to calm down myself, manage my mood state and reduce my stomach discomfort. Neuro-hypnotherapy does help me a lot. Overall I would say that everything is very good.

- Pharmacist Miss T

THERAPEUTIC OUTCOME

Miss T reports that she feels a sense of improvement after 25^th April 2015. She reports that she able to relax by practicing the personalized self-hypnosis and emotional freedom technique. Now she feels no more fear of losing control or worry about worst things will be happened on her. Also, she feels her stomach discomfort problem becomes less noticeable and it didn’t bother her much. The terrified, afraid and nervous feelings have also significantly reduced after first and second therapy sessions.

At work, she feels no more irritable and less restless than usual. Her energy level has increased and she found that her appetite is somewhat greater than usual. Now She feels that her concentration ability has improved.

Regarding her quality and patterns of sleep, she is usually gone to bed at 10pm. Although she still sleep around 6 hours every day, but she reports that her quality of sleep has improved. She able to fall asleep easier than usual. 

Remark: Our client's information will be kept strictly confidential all the time. All reviews have been acknowledged and provided by past and current clients of Spectrum of Life proactive healthcare centre (Clinical Hypnotherapist Hiro Koo) and all pictures displayed is for illustration purpose only. Clients names have been changed to protect their identity. 

[Insomnia Specialist Malaysia] Sleep loss tied to emotional reactions

A person's loss of sleep can be connected to their likelihood of reacting emotionally to a stressful situation.

That is one of the recent findings included in a new book, "Sleep and Affect: Assessment, Theory and Clinical Implications," co-edited by a University of Arkansas psychology professor and his former doctoral student. Affect is a term in psychology that describes a broad range of emotional experiences.

"In our study, we wanted to find out if there was a link between the loss of sleep and our emotional response," said Matthew T. Feldner, a professor of psychology in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. "We saw that if a person lost a night of sleep they responded with more emotion to a laboratory 'stressor.' This finding extended previous work that had linked chronic sleep loss to anxiety and mood disorders."

Feldner co-edited Sleep and Affect with Kimberly A. Babson, a health science specialist at the National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in Menlo Park, California. Babson earned her doctorate in clinical psychology at the University of Arkansas.

Sleep and Affect summarizes research on the interplay of sleep and various components of emotion and affect that are related to mood disorders, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder and depression.

"One of the themes that emerged across these chapters is that certain components of emotion seem particularly linked to sleep," Feldner said. "What we call 'stressors' tend to be more emotionally arousing for people who haven't slept well, and emotional arousal also appears to interfere with sleep quality."

Babson conducted sleep-and-affect studies at the U of A under a National Institutes of Health research training fellowship. That research spurred her's and Feldner's interest in a book that synthesizes the latest research into the interrelationships between sleep and affect.

"We present this information in a way that will help clinicians both assess for sleep problems and problems related to anxiety or mood, when a patient is seeking treatment for one and maybe not the other," he said. "By improving sleep, we might improve our treatments for anxiety problems."

This book also includes the latest findings in neuroscience related to sleep loss. There appear to be effects of sleep loss on the functioning of the emotional regulation circuit of the brain, Feldner said.

"Some of the neurobiological structures that we think are involved in regulating emotional or affective experiences don't seem to function the same after we lose sleep as they do when we are fully rested," he said.

"Sleep and Affect" is published by Elsevier Publishing.

Source:

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-03-loss-tied-emotional-reactions.html

[马来西亚自律神经失调与治疗]查不出病因？那你可能面对-自律神经失调症状

可否听说过自律神經失調？
通常有自律神經失調症状的人，在經過各種儀器檢查出來都很正常并查不出病因的。
面对自律神经失调的人，严重者甚至会有“逛医院或诊所（即不停的找寻病源但查不出病源）”的问题。
自律神經失調並不是一種病，而是一系列的症狀，也就是症候群，病因可能有許多種，也有許多種疾病會出現這些症狀，例如抑郁症depression、恐慌症panic attack or anxiety disorder等等。因為針對的器官不同，可能出現以下某些症狀：
1)倦怠、
2)口乾、
3)心悸、
4)頭暈頭痛、
5)焦慮恐慌、
6)心律不整等、
7)姿態性低血壓、
8)呼吸急促、
9)胃痛、
10)头疼、
11)腹脹、腹鳴、腹瀉、泻肚子或便秘等不止。
12)失眠
基本上，幾乎全身都有自律神經分布，所以症狀也相當多樣。

這裡將自律神經失調分成2種，快快了解成因，改善自律神經失調，告別沒有朝氣的自己！
                                                                                 
交感神經讓你活動：
當身體需要活動、抗壓時，就是交感神經活躍的時候。這時心臟、肺的作用力大幅提升，體溫與血壓也跟著上升，調整身體狀態，使你精神飽滿，又能燃燒體脂肪！此時消化與排泄作用則會進入休息狀態。

交感神經活躍時的狀態：
★大腦活動旺盛 - 快速處理接收的情報，掌管心臟與肺臟。

★不易有睡意 - 腎上腺素分泌抗壓荷爾蒙，提高大腦與身體的活動量，不易有睡意。

★心跳加快，血壓上升 - 加速心臟跳動，將身體活動所需的充足血液，送到身體各器官。

★消耗熱量 - 交感神經運作，消耗熱量，燃燒體脂肪！

★支氣管擴張 - 支氣管擴張，呼吸次數增加，將大量空氣送入肺中，提供新鮮酵素。

★子宮收縮 - 交感神經活躍時，子宮會收縮，例如生產時收縮子宮，將小Baby順利產出。

★抑制胃酸分泌 - 心與肺活動時，腸胃不須有太大活動，所以會抑制胃酸分泌，以利能量釋放。

★腸胃蠕動變慢 - 使排便暫緩、腸胃蠕動變慢，持續強烈緊張而便秘時，就是交感神經過度興奮。

★不易排尿 - 身體活動時，必須讓環境穩定，抑制排尿則可以變得更有效率。



副交感神經讓你放鬆：
副交感神經會舒緩緊張，放鬆身體，受到交感神經的刺激，減緩心臟與肺的活動力，使胃腸活動旺盛，促進消化吸收，將不需要的物質以尿液或汗排出。
尤其在睡眠時，活動力更是旺盛！

副交感神經活躍時的狀態：
★大腦呈休息狀態 - 大腦進入休息狀態，使全身放鬆。

★心臟跳動減緩，血壓下降 - 休息時不需要太多血液，所以心跳減緩，血壓下降。

★支氣管收縮 - 在休息狀態中，身體不需做劇烈活動，所以也不須要太多空氣。

★腸胃蠕動旺盛 - 腸胃蠕動旺盛，就能將老廢物質排出體外，在放鬆狀態容易想要排便，就是這個緣故呢！

★刺激生長激素 - 副交感神經活躍，刺激肌膚等的新陳代謝，使生長激素分泌旺盛。

★舒緩子宮緊張 - 使肌肉休息，舒緩子宮緊張，例如抑制子宮收縮，讓小Baby可以在子宮中長大。

★分泌胃酸 - 副交感神經活躍，是為了儲存能量，於是胃的活動大增，胃酸分泌增多。

★容易排尿 - 副交感神經活躍，膀胱收縮，刺激排尿作用，將老廢物質排出體外。


交感神經與副交感神經，為使每天的必要性活動能執行，不斷地做轉換，使身體保持最佳狀態！
不過，壓力過大，交感神經會持續過度興奮狀態；過度疲勞，副交感神經同樣也會有過度興奮情形產生，当2種神經無法順利轉換，平衡失調。失調的情況持續下去，副交感與交感神經都會因為活動過盛，而感到疲倦，到最後一點幹勁也沒有，身心俱疲，便會產生抑郁depressed狀態。



自律神經失調三階段：

一、失調前兆…前自律神經失調期。此時期分為2大型態：

A過度緊張型︰精神壓力引起交感神經過度興奮…

交感神經為了對抗精神壓力，加速心與肺的跳動，體溫上升全面進入備戰狀態！
適度的壓力，對於引發動力、幹勁，多多少少有些幫助，但是長期處於壓力狀態，交感神經混亂，形成過度活躍的狀態，容易導致失眠，種下肥胖的禍根！

B過度放鬆型：肉體疲勞引起副交感神經過度興奮…

長時間的工作與睡眠不足，會累積疲勞，使副交感神經活動過剩，讓身體提早進入休息狀態；長達半天以上處於放鬆的狀態，也會使副交感神經的活動時間延長。
這樣的結果，會使身體處於過度放鬆的狀態，即使白天仍無法抵擋睡意，胃酸過多而發生胃痛！


二、自律神經失調期第：交感、副交感神經過度興奮。

自律神經中的交感神經，與副交感神經關係密切，彼此相互牽制，當有1方持續過度興奮時，另1方也會受到影響，轉變成過度興奮的狀態，而後2方都相繼失去控制！
因此，明明頭昏腦脹，手腳卻冰冷；明明疲倦發痠，卻會突然心悸得很厲害，明明吃得很少，體重卻不見減輕，身體各器官的運作，都變得奇怪而不相稱！


三、憂鬱期：交感、副交感神經機能大幅下降。

當交感神經與副交感神經都呈現過度興奮狀態時，身體的能量Power也會跟著降低。
如果2種神經都過度興奮，沒辦法好好完成各自的工作與任務，你就會變得懶洋洋，什麼事也提不起勁，進入睡也睡不好，連吃也吃不好的「抑郁状态」！
當你已進入此狀態時，別再勉強自己，快快修身養息做适当治疗，讓過度疲勞的自律神經充分休息吧！



在Newmindcentre，
我们提供自然安全的科学治疗方法：
1.脑波反馈疗法EEG biofeedback啟動副交感神經，安定身心 副交感神經的作用在于它使心跳變慢、呼吸平穩緩慢、腸胃蠕動變快、血壓下降等，使身體主要的器官系統活動力降低，達到身體休息與睡眠的狀態。

2.Nutritional therapy营养咨询师将教导您使用食物保養神經的作用穩定 
大腦中有許多神經細胞，靠神經傳導物質當「傳令兵」，幫忙傳達指令，身體各部位一收到訊息，就會有所反應。 
神經傳導物質有上百種，其中和情緒、壓力有關的包括多巴胺、正腎上腺素、血清素等。好消息是，一些食物可以增加神經傳導物質的濃度，維持神經的作用穩定，不妨適量攝取。重金屬藉由飲食、呼吸或是直接接觸方式進入人體，但重金屬不似其他毒素能在肝臟進行分解代謝後排出體外。相對的，它非常容易囤積在大腦、腎臟等器官，漸進式破壞身體的正常功能。重金属检查可用头发为样本来进行检测。通过这个头发重金属检测，我们可以更有效的帮顾客进行全方位个人化的营养疗法以照顾身心健康。

3. 提供个人化的自我催眠，从而改善自律神经失调问题
熬夜、睡眠不足也是自律神經的大敵。「不論一個人的自律神經原本多平衡，單單睡眠不足這一擊就足以讓他的自律神經失衡，」小林弘幸指出。 
長庚醫院腦神經外科教授張承能說，夜間本來是副交感神經發揮的時間，人自然想休息，硬是熬夜不睡、保持清醒，等於刺激交感神經繼續運作，副交感神經無從發揮，久而久之不但自律神經失調，其他的健康紅燈也一一亮起。「熬夜的人容易高血壓。」 


4. 临床催眠师透过观察你的五感反应，建议适当保健品并让您可利用五感舒緩神經 
視覺、聽覺、嗅覺、味覺、觸覺等五感，都會影響自律神經，比如某人心跳的速度大約每分鐘90～100下，若想放鬆，便可聽速度比心跳慢的音樂。他解釋，這是「帶走」現象，也就是身心會受到外在環境的影響，聽了節奏慢的音樂，心跳會隨之慢下來。
氣味也有效果。 比如薄荷、洋蔥、辣椒可刺激自律神經，如果希望自己有精神，不妨聞這些味道；反之如果想放鬆，就用薰衣草等柔和的香氣，讓副交感神經活躍一些。 

5. 心理治疗技术将幫助您发泄情緒，不讓起伏的心情打亂自律神經的節奏 
心情起伏過大，會打亂自律神經的節律。吳立偉說，情緒過於高亢（緊張、不安、興奮等）或過於低落（悲傷、沮喪、失望、鬱悶等），都會阻礙交感與副交感神經正常運作，引發失調。






文章大部分内容摘取自以下网站，在此感谢以下作者为患者提供宝贵的资料：
http://www.commonhealth.com.tw/article/article.action?nid=66835&page=4
http://anscare.com.tw/
http://www.raphaelmedical.com.tw/index3.php?ad=1&p=112&b=7&ly=3
http://mag.nownews.com/article.php?mag=6-49-6306#ixzz3XlnmL1zy

EEG biofeedback therapy instead of medication to counter insomnia

The ability to finally enjoy a good night's sleep is something that can be learned. An Austrian Science Fund FWF project has investigated how this can best be learned and who responds best to such "brain training".

Dark circles around the eyes, tired limbs, absent-mindedness – most people have experienced the effects on the body of a short night. "Roughly one-third of the Austrian population as a whole suffers from recurrent insomnia", says Manuel Schabus from the University of Salzburg. For years now, the psychologist has been studying a diverse range of states of consciousness. In a project funded by the Austrian Science Fund FWF, Schabus and his team have now studied how the state of mind of people with sleep disorders can be improved without administering medication.

Training vs. chemistry

"People who suffer from sleeplessness, also known as insomnia, are often in a state of 'hyperarousal'. Resorting to tablets seems to be the obvious solution", explains the researcher. However, medication-based treatments are usually for short-term use only and confine themselves to fighting this state of arousal, resulting in undesirable side effects including dependence, morningness, drowsiness or amnesia. "Medication often just reduces nocturnal brain activities and thus also helpful functions such as 'memory consolidation', which is the nocturnal stabilisation of information so that recall is easier the next day", says Manuel Schabus. The neurofeedback training deployed within the framework of the FWF project, a type of biofeedback training for the brain, guides the affected persons into sleep. So-called "sleep spindles" are used in this process. These are patterns identified in EEG measurements which are characterised by "spindle-like" rapid rising and falling brain oscillations, and which occur especially during light sleep.

Crucial rhythm

The preliminary studies carried out for the FWF project showed the positive effects of neurofeedback training on healthy people. This method has therefore now been tested in a pilot study on patients aged between 19 and 50 who suffer from sleep disorders. "The brain oscillations are trained during waking to a frequency range of between 12 and 15 hertz, known as the sensorimotor rhythm. This frequency range is also prominent in light sleep and manifests itself as sleep spindles, particularly when a person is falling asleep", explains Schabus. The patients were able to observe and learn to control their own sensorimotor rhythm (measured using EEG electrodes) on the computer screen. They were tasked with moving a compass needle on the screen to a green dot using only the power of mental relaxation. They received positive visual feedback each time they reached this dot, i.e. to increase the band power between 12 and 15 hertz.

"Using the training, we managed to strengthen the sensorimotor rhythm in a waking state and the sleep spindles in 16 out of 24 patients with mild insomnia. Those who responded well to the training reported an improvement in the quality of their sleep. This was ascertained by self-monitoring methods like sleep diaries and importantly also verified in our sleep laboratory", says Schabus, outlining the process. Each of the participants visited the sleep laboratory a total of 21 times, which meant that the effects could be studied in great detail. The researchers were also able to establish positive effects on memory consolidation when word pairs were retested after sleep following earlier learning. Interestingly, the subjective sleep quality among patients who successfully completed this type of biofeedback training also showed improvement, but so did people in a pure placebo condition. In general, the researcher cautions against generalising the results: in an even more extensive follow-up protocol, people with more persistent or more pronounced insomnia did not respond to the brainwave training, nor did they exhibit any positive changes in sleep or memory.

Hippocampus fitness

"When you consider the amount of information encountered by the brain, especially the hippocampus, on a daily basis, and how sensitively it responds to stress, it is important to be mindful of treating our thinking-organ with care. Systematic training and sufficient 'sleep hygiene' not only promote well-being but also protect newly learned information from disruptive influences", says Schabus. The studies conducted as part of the FWF project play an important role in encouraging trainingof this vital human faculty and act as a reminder to adopt a more conscious approach to sleep.

More information: Schabus et.al: "Enhancing sleep quality and memory in insomnia using instrumental sensorimotor rhythm conditioning." Biological Psychology 95 (2014) 126 –134. 
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23548378

Provided by Austrian Science Fund (FWF)

Source:

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-04-brain-medication-counter-insomnia.html