Brainwave Centre for Education and Therapy
774R Victoria Street V2C 2B6 Kamloops, BC, Canada

Welcome to the first day of spring! If there's a bit of a "spring" to your step today, here's why ... During spring, when the pineal gland receives information from the eyes that there are longer periods of sunlight, the gland produces less melatonin and more serotonin, the neurotransmitter that some people call the body's "feel good drug."... As the pineal gland produces less melatonin and more serotonin, we are not as lethargic and are thus more happy. . . . . . #springonthebrain #pinealgland #serotonin #melatonin #brainwavecentre1 #brainwave #neuroscience #brainscan #neuromodulation #qeeg #psychology #counselling #brainwaveacademy #education #brainawareness #brainassessment #eeg #makinggreatmindsbetter

The better you sleep at night, the better your brain will function, and the better you’ll feel. Learn about what goes on in the brain while you rest, the negative effects of sleep deprivation, and steps to help ensure a good night’s sleep. #WorldSleepDay #BrainAwarenessWeek #BrainWeek

What is Brain Awareness Week? Brain Awareness Week is the global campaign to foster public enthusiasm and support for brain science. Every March, partners host imaginative activities in their communities that share the wonders of the brain and the impact brain science has on our everyday lives.

A creative way to help with wearing your mask.

May you and your family have a safe and happy Christmas that is full of making happy memories. Joy! Celebrate the Season.

It is, for many of us, the most wonderful time of the year. Christmas cheer is that thing which is often referred to by those who believe December really is the season to be jolly. It’s that feeling of joy, warmth and nostalgia people feel when the jingle bells start jingling. But what is the science behind it? Evidence of Christmas cheer inside the brain was found during a study run at the University of Denmark in 2015. Twenty people were shown images with either a Christm...as or non-Christmas theme while having their brain monitored in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine. The fMRI machine highlights parts of the brain when there is an increase or decrease in activity in that region. And when there was an increase of activity for this study, that region lit up like well, a Christmas tree. When the participants saw photographs of Christmas themed images, such as mince pies, a network of brain regions lit up, leading the researchers to conclude that they had found the hub of Christmas cheer inside the human brain. What the activation in brain regions actually meant, the researchers couldn’t say. One theory was that that network in the brain could be related to memories or spirituality. The scientific understanding of our internal experiences is changing and it now seems likely that Christmas cheer may be an emotion in itself.#brainwavecentre #merrychristmas ##neuroscience

Neuromodulation is the process by which nervous activity is regulated by way of controlling the physiological levels of several classes of neurotransmitters. Neuromodulators are a subset of neurotransmitter. Unlike neurotransmitters, the release of neuromodulators occurs in a diffuse manner (volume transmission). #brainwavecentre #brainhealth #neuromodulation

Shhhh! Santas coming to Town Tonight! Happy Holidays everyone! #brainwavecentre #merrychristmas #hohohoho

Gratitude Can Build Your Resilience.

Cognitive neuroscience is the scientific field that is concerned with the study of the biological processes and aspects that underlie cognition, with a specific focus on the neural connections in the brain which are involved in mental processes. It addresses the questions of how cognitive activities are affected or controlled by neural circuits in the brain. Cognitive neuroscience is a branch of both neuroscience and psychology, overlapping with disciplines such as behavioura...l neuroscience, cognitive psychology, physiological psychology and affective neuroscience. Cognitive neuroscience relies upon theories in cognitive science coupled with evidence from neurobiology, and computational modelling. Parts of the brain play an important role in this field. Neurons play the most vital role, since the main point is to establish an understanding of cognition from a neural perspective, along with the different lobes of the cerebral cortex. Methods employed in cognitive neuroscience include experimental procedures from psychophysics and cognitive psychology, functional neuroimaging, electrophysiology, cognitive genomics, and behavioral genetics. Studies of patients with cognitive deficits due to brain lesions constitute an important aspect of cognitive neuroscience. The damages in lesioned brains provide a comparable starting point on regards to healthy and fully functioning brains. These damages change the neural circuits in the brain and cause it to malfunction during basic cognitive processes, such as memory or learning. With such damage, we can compare how the healthy neural circuits are functioning, and possibly draw conclusions about the basis of the affected cognitive processes. #brainwavecentre #brainhealth #neuroscience #cognitive #behaviouralneuroscience See more

Friday Fun Fact! #brainwavecentre #brainhealth

Heuristic pathways in the brain: New research has revealed numerous hidden forces that affect our behavior in surprising ways. These forces include biological and environmental factors that comingle to steer our actions on a subconscious level. In other words, many of the things we do, including the habits we’ve formed, are not the result of careful contemplation and deliberation on our part. That may sound unsettling, but understanding the mechanisms underlying our behavior ...exposes potential ways to hack the brain into making more intelligent decisions. Otherwise, we fool ourselves into thinking we’re at the wheel when we’re actually just a backseat driver. Our brain is a remarkable feat of evolutionary engineering, but it is not without its problems. Our thinking organ is an energy hog, consuming up to 20 percent of the body’s daily caloric intakeeven while you are asleep! In an effort to conserve energy, the brain relies on mental shortcuts that psychologists call heuristics. The brain works hard to identify patterns, then makes assumptions based on those patterns. These assumptions can influence our behavior in ways that are below our conscious radar. Since the brain invests a great effort in developing these algorithms, it is reluctant to spend additional energy re-evaluating its assumptions. This is why people are often stubborn, sometimes doubling down on erroneous beliefs even when presented with compelling evidence to the contrary. The brain uses the patterns it has learned to run on automatic pilot whenever possible. This conserves the body’s resources, but it can result in the recurrence of bad habits. We do things without thinking. We form beliefs without evaluating evidence. We become biased and construct stereotypes. Bad habits and irrational decisions can stem from these automated heuristic pathways in the brain. #brainwavecentre #heuristicpathways #brainhealth

10. But I don’t want to be here. For some people, the Monday morning blues are a symptom of a larger problem. They are not happy with their job. If this is the case brainstorm on that topic. Why do I dislike my job? Is it time for me to find another?place to start your day on Monday.in. After 10-15 minutes organize your words in a logical format and pick out the ideas that have potential. You can act on them now or wait. them now or wait. It is Monday morning and for whatever...Continue reading

It's Friday the 13th! Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day in Western superstition. It occurs when the 13th day of the month in the Gregorian calendar falls on a Friday, which happens at least once every year but can occur up to three times in the same year. #brainwavecentre #fridaythe13th #superstition Have a wonderful weekend!

As we head into winter and the days get shorter there is a specific form of depression is associated with shortened daylight, called Seasonal Affective Disorder (or SAD) which is mainly caused by light deficiency. Light therapy can be used as a depression treatment to prevent Seasonal Affective Disorder. #brainwavecentre #lighttherapy

For the Fallen, Laurence Binyon: They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them.

The Brain, a Control Freak #brainwavecentre #learnonlineathome To get even more engagement, ask employees to come up with strategies at the meeting and engage them in discussion. Behind the scenes, the brain is rewiring its dendrite connectorshow the brain receives messagesfor things other than whatever youre discussing, says Weber. (See sidebar Focus, Focus.) So, not only do you get more brain power during the meeting, youre rewiring brains to make better insights ...later. Whats more, you reboot meeting participants dendrites those neurons receiving informationif you give a task in the opposite direction of the problem. For example, Weber worked with one HR professional struggling with poor morale caused by grousing and helplessness about problems her employees encountered daily. Tired of listening to her employees vent, she told them, No longer will I listen to a problem unless you submit at least a portion of the solution. Weber explains what happened next in neuroscientific terms: The next day, the basal ganglia were at work continuing to vent about the problems with no solution. One employee went to the HR professionals office. He didnt have a solution, so she sent him away. About three days later, workers realized she was serious. So, a different person went into her office with a solution to the problem. The HR professional agreed to and supported the solution put forward with slight revisions to keep it under budget. That simple change transformed the employees dynamics and their brainsby turning control over to them. The conversation in the basal ganglia went from problem-focused to solution-focused, says Weber. When people in that department went to sleep at night, they rewired their brains for the new behaviors. Change management initiatives, according to neuroscientists, will be more successful when ownership is transferred to those who need to buy into the changeemployees. Neuroscientists call this self-directed neuroplasticity, creating more connectivity in the brain.

Old Dog, New Tricks #brainwavecentre ##neuroplasticity One of the most exciting discoveries is the brains enormous plasticitythe ability to change and learn. Scientists once believed that the brain was hard-wired early in life. They now know that the brain of a 71-year-old is the same as the brain of a 17-year-old in its ability to make new connections. Unfortunately, most people stop learning meaningful new concepts around age 30, and the brains ability to learn begins to shrink.

Wellness tips for motivating employees #brainwavecentre #brainpower 1. Encourage movement. The brain is often described as being like a muscle. It needs to be exercised for better performance. Research shows that moving the body can improve cognitive function. Encouraging employees to take the stairs or hosting walking meetings can result in greater productivity. 2. Get rid of clutter. Clutter can create long-term, low-level anxiety and is often a source of distraction. Get ...rid of clutter at the office and off employees desks with periodic clean up and clear out days. 3. Reduce stress. By addressing any systemic causes of stress in the workplace and offering stress management and resilience training, employers can reduce errors and workplace accidents that may be the result of brain fog. Excess stress can cloud and exhaust your employees brains, making it more difficult for them to focus, concentrate and process thoughts clearly.

NEUROFEEDBACK #brainwavecentre #QEEG #brainpower Neurofeedback is biofeedback for the brain. Training with neurofeedback improves cognitive function, attention, mood, anxiety, sleep, and behavior. It helps stabilize the mind and increases ones level of functioning.

A Little fun Brainwave fall fashion! #brainwavecentre #fallfashion Have a great weekend!

The effects of caffeine may often be overlooked in neurotherapy. However, caffeine is a potent and widely used drug which is addictive, has withdrawal symptoms associated with discontinued use, and which can produce anxiety and insomnia. It also has a rapid and profound influence on the brain, including producing increases in beta and decreases in slower brain wave activity. In contrast, during withdrawal from caffeine patients may experience increases in theta and delta, with decreases in the mean frequency of both alpha and beta. Recommendations are presented for control of caffeine use associated with EEG assessment and in neurofeedback treatment. #QEEG #EEG #caffeine #brainwavecentre

ATTENTION TRAINING #brainwavecentre #neurofeedback A clear and focused mind is crucial to learning and life skills. Neurofeedback helps your brain learn to focus and concentrate at will. Neurofeedback concentration training is used by students, businessmen, surgeons, football clubs, Olympic athletes and ADHD sufferers alike. Being able to pay attention means better organisation and accuracy, fewer distractions, improving social skills by being able to listen attentively to others, and mastering new tasks and material more rapidly.

Why is brain health important for employers......listen and find out!

What brain wave means? #brainwavecentre #neurology Brainwaves are electrical impulses in the brain. An individual's behavior, emotions, and thoughts are communicated between neurons within our brains. All brainwaves are produced by synchronised electrical pulses from masses of neurons communicating with each other.

You have your very own signature brain wave activity, unique to you. It has a rhythm and pattern and it incorporates Beta, Alpha, Theta, and Delta frequencies at varying levels over the course of a day as your brain modulates them to match your activities. Brain Sync audio programs amplify a single frequency or a carefully balanced combination of frequencies to achieve a specific purpose. #brainwavecentre #Beta #Alpha #Theta #Delta

Hypomania symptoms #brainwavecentre #hypomania Hypomania is a less severe form of mania. In a hypomanic state, youll likely feel euphoric, energetic, and productive, but will still be able to carry on with your day-to-day life without losing touch with reality. To others, it may seem as if youre merely in an unusually good mood. However, hypomania can result in bad decisions that harm your relationships, career, and reputation. In addition, hypomania often escalates to full-blown mania or is followed by a major depressive episode.

Medulla The brain stem, at the bottom of the brain, connects the cerebrum with the spinal cord. It includes the midbrain, the pons, and the medulla. It controls fundamental body functions such as breathing, eye movements, blood pressure, heartbeat, and swallowing. #brainwavecentre #MEDULLA #brainfood

What does the brain have to do with it?? Information for mental health professionals.

Making Connections The brain and the rest of the nervous system are composed of many different types of cells, but the primary functional unit is a cell called the neuron. All sensations, movements, thoughts, memories, and feelings are the result of signals that pass through neurons. Neurons consist of three parts. The cell body contains the nucleus, where most of the molecules that the neuron needs to survive and function are manufactured. Dendrites extend out from the cell ...body like the branches of a tree and receive messages from other nerve cells. Signals then pass from the dendrites through the cell body and may travel away from the cell body down an axon to another neuron, a muscle cell, or cells in some other organ. The neuron is usually surrounded by many support cells. Some types of cells wrap around the axon to form an insulating sheath. This sheath can include a fatty molecule called myelin, which provides insulation for the axon and helps nerve signals travel faster and farther. Axons may be very short, such as those that carry signals from one cell in the cortex to another cell less than a hairs width away. Or axons may be very long, such as those that carry messages from the brain all the way down the spinal cord. See more

#EEGcap #brainwavecemtre Electroencephalography (EEG) is an electrophysiological monitoring method to record electrical activity of the brain. It is typically noninvasive, with the electrodes placed along the scalp, although invasive electrodes are sometimes used, as in electrocorticography, sometimes called intracranial EEG. EEG measures voltage fluctuations resulting from ionic current within the neurons of the brain. Clinically, EEG refers to the recording of the brain's ...spontaneous electrical activity over a period of time, as recorded from multiple electrodes placed on the scalp.Diagnostic applications generally focus either on event-related potentials or on the spectral content of EEG. The former investigates potential fluctuations time locked to an event, such as 'stimulus onset' or 'button press'. The latter analyses the type of neural oscillations (popularly called "brain waves") that can be observed in EEG signals in the frequency domain. See more

To understand some of the parts of the brain that are involved in learning. Think about how students individual brains might differ from one another. Learn how researchers find out about these differences. Here are three questions to consider: What parts of the brain are involved in learning? How may brains differ from one another? How do scientists know what is going on in the brain?

The First Labour Day #brainwavecentre #labourday For many, Labour Day signals the end of summer. But what evolved into just another long weekend began as a massive working class demonstration in the streets of Toronto. Read the History @ https://bit.ly/3h1LFP2

#brainwavecentre #howthebrainworks So how does learning happen? Through a network of neurons, sensory information is transmitted by synapses along the neural pathway and stored temporarily in short-term memory, a volatile region of the brain that acts like a receiving centre for the flood of sensory information we encounter in our daily lives.

#brainwavecentre #learnaboutyourbrain You may question the value of getting to know the inner workings of your brain. What does knowing how your brain works have to do with your health and healing, and the health of key relationships in your life? Why get so deep, you may ask? It builds your knowledge and understanding. It centres you in the present moment. It helps you appreciate universal human attributes.... It develops your ability to empathize with others. It increases your options, self-discipline and flexibility. See more

All this month...what does the brain have to do with it?.... for educators, students, mental health workers....and even employers!

What is the power of the mind? #brainwavecentre #mindpower Mind power is one of the strongest and most useful powers you possess. This power, together with your imagination, can create success or failure, happiness or unhappiness, opportunities or obstacles. ... The thoughts that pass through your mind are responsible for almost everything that happens in your life.

Does your brain get bigger when you learn?#brainwavecentre #AlbertEinsteinBrain Inside the cortex of the brain are billions of tiny nerve cells, called neurons. ... When you learn new things, these tiny connections in the brain actually multiply and get stronger. The more that you challenge your mind to learn, the more your brain cells grow.

Why is it important to know about the brain?#brainwavecentre #greymatter The brain is arguably the most important organ in the human body. It controls and coordinates actions and reactions, allows us to think and feel, and enables us to have memories and feelingsall the things that make us human.

WOULD YOU LIKE A BIGGER BRAIN? IT SEEMS THAT LANGUAGE TEACHERS ARE THE PEOPLE WITH ALL THE ANSWERS brain neonIf you can speak more than one language fluently, then you are probably considered brainy by your family and might even have been called big headed by your friends. But as it turns out, there is some truth behind those playful descriptions. According to recent research, learning another language causes a measurable increase in the size of your brain. #brainwavecentre #backtoschool

What happens when you remove the hippocampus? - Sam Kean #brainwavecentre #hippocampus https://bit.ly/32jzY0Z

Throwback Thursday! #brainwave #eeg A photo from 1963 showing the equipment developed by Adey et al. to measure EEG in space. Ross Adey who pioneered QEEG is the person on the right in the top left picture. (Courtesy of the Computer History Museum)

It's LITERALLY All In Your Head #brainwavecentre #anxiety Is anxiety really all in your head? Anxiety is all in the head. Here's why: We all experience some anxiety at different periods in time. It's the brain's way of getting us ready to face or escape danger or deal with stressful situations.

Looking after the emotional wellbeing of your children and teens, as they prepare to return to school.....

What is a qEEG? #brainwavecentre #QuantitativeElectroencephalogram A qEEG (Quantitative Electroencephalogram) is a diagnostic tool that measures electrical activity in the form of brain wave patterns. It is sometimes referred to as brain mapping. Brain waves are the rhythmic electrical impulses generated when the millions and millions of neurons inside your head communicate with each other. Brain waves can reveal important information about your overall brain function, including stress levels, thought patterns, and emotions. A qEEG can reveal brain wave patterns that are associated with impulsivity, cognitive inflexibility, anxiety, and other symptoms.

Who Can Benefit From Neurofeedback?#brainwavecentre #neurofeedback People of all ages may find neurofeedback helpful, whether it is used as solo therapy or as part of a comprehensive treatment plan. Neurofeedback can help boost focus and overall brain health not only in psychiatric patients but also in anyone who wants a natural way to optimize their brain. Neurofeedback helps you gain control of your brain waves through self-regulation, so you can achieve the desired brain ...statewhether the goal is to maintain concentration or to achieve a more relaxed state. The ability to achieve and maintain a certain state is key to optimizing your behavior and emotional health. It is also used as a method to enhance athletic or musical performance and to promote peak performance in the workplace. Neurofeedback has been used successfully to improve many conditions including, but not limited to: ADD/ADHD Addictions Anxiety Autism spectrum disorder Behavioral disorders Bipolar disorder Chronic pain Depression Headaches Memory problems Pain management PTSD Schizophrenia Sleep problems Traumatic brain injury/concussions PMS

Cognitive Problem Symptoms, Causes and Effects Cognitive disorders often begin subtly but progress until they significantly impede the affected individuals quality of life. It is important to understand the various cognitive disorders, their symptoms and relevant treatment options. What Are the Types of Cognitive Disorders? Cognitive disorders are a part of the neurocognitive disorder classification in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Diso...rders (DSM-V). Cognitive disorders are defined as any disorder that significantly impairs the cognitive function of an individual to the point where normal functioning in society is impossible without treatment. Some common cognitive disorders include: Dementia Developmental disorders Motor skill disorders Amnesia Substance-induced cognitive impairment Alzheimers disease, one of the most common cognitive disorders, affects approximately 5.1 million Americans. #brainwavecentre #cognitive #briantherapy

You can grow new brain cells. Here's how with Sandrine Thuret.watch the video @ https://bit.ly/3aIYfkI Can we, as adults, grow new neurons? Neuroscientist Sandrine Thuret says that we can, and she offers research and practical advice on how we can help our brains better perform neurogenesisimproving mood, increasing memory formation and preventing the decline associated with aging along the way.#brainwavecentre #neurogenesis #newbraincells

Its hard to explain what a Bad Brain day is; and the truth is, it can vary. But the gist of it is that the parts of the brain that are small, recalcitrant, and spiteful are overthrowing the parts of the brain that are wiser and more expansive. Just recognizing a Bad Brain day for what it is can be one small step toward heading in the right direction, a little bit of metacognition that gently reminds, I am more than this. Its similar to the concept of Monkey Mind in Buddhism, were slowing down and realizing that the brain is doing its distracting thing can allow for better, more mindful thinking.#brainwavecentre #mindhealth

World Photography Day is celebrated so that people around the world can communicate their feelings and express themselves through the art of photography. The whole idea behind the day is to hold discussions about photography and encourage those who want to pursue photography as a hobby or career.#brainwavecentre #photography

More strategies to take care of your physical, social, and emotional self.....and that of your children and teens.

Making music changes your brain in ways that other activities dont. Learning to play a musical instrument can be a great benefit to the brain: its development, improved long-term memory, language skills, faster reaction times. A lot of research in this field specifically studies the effect of musical study on young children (and here and here), but the effects are true at all stages of lifeits never too late! #brainwavecentre #musicbrain