(Click here for the first part)

Music

     Traditional psychologists will agree on the power of music to influence emotional and mental states and learning. However, in industrialized societies such as North America and Europe, music is mostly melody which is why many "Westerners" find the music of the Middle and Far East boring and monotonous. This style of music, playing down melody, emphasizes the sound itself, the quality of tone. While melody is attended to by the left hemisphere, the tonal quality of the sound itself nourishes the right side. The Eastern musical and cultural traditions maintain that the sound or tone vibrations of certain frequencies stimulate parts of the brain that are not normally reached by other means. It is commonly misunderstood that the special "words" of these traditions or meditation systems have their power in their meaning. But the call of the Sufi dervishes, the mantra of Yoga, the chants of the Gregorian Monks and the steady cadence of Native American song and drumming instill magic and power in the sounds of the words and meaning is almost unimportant. These forms of music and sound have hauntingly lured people and engaged their attention for centuries and remain virtually unchanged. Compare that with the quickly passing musical fads and styles of the modern western world which mainly depend on melody and meaning of words. These sounds stimulate a brain wave rhythm called "alpha" (more on that later) and activates the healthy responses of the right brain hemisphere.

Teaching Tales

     You probably loved them as a child. Like right-brained music and sounds, they are "magical". Interesting that magic can only be appreciated by the right brain hemisphere. (Same thing with jokes. To have to explain a joke, a left-brain thing to do, is to make it not funny anymore.) Sometimes in the form of fairy tales or mythology, the "logic" of these stories does not follow linear time, but rather events happen in and around each other and can even be transcended by a "magic carpet". Milton Erickson, one of the most eminent psychotherapists and hypnotherapists of our time, masterfully used metaphor and teaching stories to speak directly to the right brain and frequently stimulated rapid change and growth in his patients. As with music and sounds, these stories connect with a person in a way conventional approaches cannot. They help build the "muscles" of the right brain hemisphere.

Crafts and Art Therapy

     We are sure you heard of people who go tend their gardens or make a sketch "to relax". You also noted how some persons doodle on the margins of their note paper during a lecture while contemplating an idea. We suggest, that while these activities do feel relaxing, there is something far more important going on here: The right brain hemisphere is being nourished, which improves the functioning of the whole brain, which then results in a relaxed feeling. Throughout history, scholars, "professional thinkers", and those in pursuit of spiritual and personal growth, included as interwoven in their lives "mundane" (but right-brained) activities such as doing calligraphy, weaving, gardening, sculpturing, painting, playing musical instruments, etc. Like the other elements mentioned thus far, there is a magical appeal in these activities and an ancient instinctual understanding that these are needed for the healthy development of mental abilities and social/behavioral skills. This healthy development is essential in the treatment and prevention of AADD.

Adventure and Challenge Activities

     You may have heard the true story of an English king who conducted an experiment with infants. He wanted to see what would happen if newly borns were just fed and physically cared for but not touched, cuddled, or given emotional attention. In the end he concluded that the experiment provided no information because over half the babies died! A more accurate conclusion is that they died due to emotional starvation. In other studies since then involving neglected children, it was demonstrated that human brain development slowed dramatically and resulted in retardation and illness. Brains need stimulation! Children need "adventure and challenge" activities right out of the uterus, to explore their world and experience environmental stimuli.

     So do adults. Adventure and challenge programs are big business, a notable one being the internationally known Outward Bound. This writer owns a corporation known as "Environmental Experiences, Inc." which has gained the recognition of the National Association of Conservation Districts as being one of the top ten programs in the Northeast United States. Over twenty years of providing adventures in climbing/rappelling, whitewater canoeing, backpacking, snorkling, caving, Native American ceremonies, etc. has shown us how people will often make connections between heart and mind (right and left brain hemispheres) which become turning points in their lives... Their attitudes, demeanor, perceptions of the world and self shift into a direction which enables personal growth and achievement in all areas of their lives. I once saw a T-shirt that had written on it, "If you aren't living on the edge, you are taking up too much room." We call our rock climbing/rappelling program, "Beyond the Edge", a reference to rapidly entering new learnings and disengaging from the rut of self-defeating behaviors and thinking.

Energy Therapies

     Based on the notion that the body is an energized entity with well defined energy pathways, the medical practices of acupuncture and acupressure are accepted by the mainstream medical community. In diverse cultures our energy is considered "life force" and directly connected to our breathing. When we say, "I don't have much energy today," we, in a sense, mean "I don't have much life force flowing through me today." This implies a block of some sort. The Japanese call it "Ki", the Chinese "Ch'i", the Hebrew prophets "Ruach", the Indian yogis "prana", the Sufi mystics "ruh", the Greeks "pneuma", the Native Americans "good medicine".

     "Energy Therapies" based on the recognition of energy pathways have been gaining acceptance by many "mainstream" or traditional psychologists and therapists during the past decade. Systems such as TFT (Thought Field Therapy) and EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) involving tapping the fingers on specific points of the body to open energy blocks and "realign", so to speak, energy pathways. Many of these systems also practice special breathing techniques. My direct experience in practicing these techniques and in using them in therapy with patients supports their power in affecting changes in the nervous system functioning, stress levels and thought processes.

Yoga

     The word "Yoga" comes from the ancient Sanskrit root word, "yuji" meaning to join or unite. Yoga is a therapeutic system practiced for over two thousand years with well established powerful results. The process of union and harmony is referred to as "The Threefold Path": Raja Yoga; Karma Yoga; and Gnani Yoga. The path chosen by the individual depends largely on his or her temperament and disposition and the one best suited for that person's present development. Other yogas are part of the three fold path, one being Hatha Yoga involving techniques in strengthening and empowering the body and mind needed in the practice of the three mentioned above. This yoga is the one we will be emphasizing in our treatment plan.

      Sigmund Freud, the "father" of the psychoanalytic theory, created a mind map simplified into three levels: conscious, pre-conscious, and subconscious. Yoga practitioners do not see a mind split into three levels, but rather one mind which can work at different levels simultaneously. Like the other methods briefly outlined in this chapter, the outcome of yoga practice is a mind-body harmony with the reduction or elimination of the neurological stressors which block the free flow of energy. You can imagine the feeling of great relief from the symptoms of AADD!

Tai Chi

     You drive down a highway and are surrounded by many other cars going in various directions and speeds. All seem to run well, but how many are really in good shape? How many are running on dirty oil that hasn't been changed for thousands of miles? How many are running on fouled spark plugs and aren't burning fuel properly? How many will be kept running until something breaks or wears down and only then will the car get attention at the shop? How many people run their bodies and minds like that?

      Exercise is vital to the brain and our emotional states. In western countries, however, exercise tends to concentrate on the development of muscles (including the heart.) Since ancient times, the Chinese were more interested in the vitality of the organs and nervous system. Tai Chi is a meditation in movement: Harmonizing specific forms of slow and flowing movement with the breathing. Convenient for busy people, it can be practiced anywhere one can stand and move a step in any direction in a short time period. It is an excellent supplement to the aerobic and anaerobic workout routines done by anyone interested in physical and mental well being with a powerful affect of fine tuning the body's nervous system.

Meditation

     What do you meditate on? Nothing! If you are like most people, your left brain hemisphere is chattering away constantly, sometimes uncontrollably. How many times during the day are you bothered by thoughts that seem to come from outside your head and won't leave you alone? How much do you actually listen to people without thinking about what you are going to say next while they are still talking? How many of you are so full of thoughts with your brain switching from one thing to another that you can't fall asleep without a radio or television on to distract your thinking? How many of you day dream precisely when you need to pay attention and find paying attention hard work?

     Thought-stopping takes an indirect approach. If I want to make you think of something, I just need to tell you not to: Don't think about a dog... now get all thoughts of a dog out of your mind! The fastest way to make you nervous is for me to tell you: Don't be nervous, there's nothing to worry about. Now stop being afraid. Your mind doesn't pick up on negatives. In order for you to not think of a dog, you must think of one. In order for you to stop being nervous, you must get in touch with nervousness. AADD is like being on a bus and you can't drive it, even if you don't like how the driver is handling it.

     Meditation is not "contemplation" or prayer, both of which also have powerful positive healthy effects. Meditation is an easily learned technique to quiet the left-brain hemisphere. The left and right brain halves can then harmonize, distracting stress is reduced. You are back in control and feeling great about the reduction in ADD symptoms. Unfortunately, meditation is not commonly practiced and like the other methods described in this chapter, must be regularly practiced since it has a cumulative effect on the mind and body. It is also unfortunate we don't teach meditation to our children!

Conclusion: Points to remember!

     Although certainly not exhaustive, this menu of various methods was presented to provide you some background as to why we are including them in one of the four treatment plan factors (Alternative Holistics.) When you get to the treatment plan part of this book, you will be ready to try one or more of your choosing!

     Please understand that these are part of a total program. The chapters following this one will provide backgrounds on the remaining three treatment factors: Pharmacology (medication and the way the nervous system works); Psychological; and Environmental.

John S. Hilkevich, Ph.D.
www.prayergear.com

Responses are welcome at: Counserv@aol.com