hemisphere “hears” rejection and experiences sadness and emotional pain. These overwhelmingly conflicting messages may seriously impair the child’s ability to respond to her mother. Her only way out is if and when one of the messages is blocked, or pushed outside the realm of conscious awareness. As Freud (1916) so insightfully stated, “Defense is always against affect.” That is, if the material perceived by the right hemisphere (which is affective in nature) is defended against, the child is likely to go on and behave “normally” for the time being. Although the child may appear to have resolved the emotional and perceptual conflict of the moment, it is very likely that seeds of doubt, mistrust, and confusion have already been planted in her mind. As she continues to deny, block, and repress her inconsistent percep- tions, she experiences greater tension and turmoil within. In other words, the nonverbal material in the right hemisphere, even though submerged in the unconscious, will continue to have a life of its own, and will, at one point, manifest itself in the form of physical and/or psychological symptoms. To put it differently, lack of validation and communication be- tween the two hemispheres may result in the construction of defenses which consequently, and in time, could alienate the child from herself. These unconscious barriers are apt to isolate and stop her from recognizing and acknowledging her resources, abilities, poten-
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Hemi-Sync® Journal 1991-2 (Spring) · 1 Hemi-Sync® Journal 1991-2 Spring.pdf
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tials, and propensities that could easily save her from emotional and psychological torment and make problem solving a manageable task. Hence, we come to witness the birth of “mental and psychiatric disorders” and psychosomatic symptoms and conditions. . . . the process of psychotherapy can be accelerated should the two hemispheres begin to communicate more freely with each other. . . Early in his work, Freud (1913) discovered that by allowing his patients to free-associate, they were able to uncover some of the unconscious material that was interfering with their normal func- tioning. Symptoms, both physical and psychological, slowly began to disappear as the unconscious became more conscious. Even today, free association continues to be a potent tool for conducting insight- oriented psychotherapy. It appears that, during the free-association process, important information and material tend to seep through the defensive barriers spontaneously. This results in recognition and realization of determinants of behavior, conflicts, and traumas often locked in the dungeons of the unconscious. But again, because of the complexities of defense mechanisms, this process is often time-con- suming and extremely exhausting. Theoretically, the process of psychotherapy can be accelerated should the two hemispheres begin to communicate more freely with each other and transcend the defensive barriers. How can we facilitate this communication? HEMI-SYNC AND HEMISPHERIC COMMUNICATION
It has been approximately one year since I began to study the effects of Hemi-Sync on cortical activity. Study after study, I was able to demonstrate objectively that Hemi-Sync does indeed do what it is meant to do: synchronize the two hemispheres. What are the implica- tions of this interhemispheric synchronization? Once I recovered from the euphoria of observing synchronized brain states after exposure to the Hemi-Sync signals, I began to explore what was happening cognitively, as well as affectively, to each subject. ‘The results of my pilot study have been elating and quite exciting. In two studies, while psychotherapy patients were exposed to the Hemi-Sync signals, they were asked to free-associate—that is, to talk about whatever came to their minds. In both cases, from an objective standpoint (cortical activity) two observations were made. Initially, there was a tendency toward intrahemispheric synchronization fol- lowed by brief moments of total bilateral synchrony. It was during these moments of whole-brain synchrony that subjects often had an “aha,” or “clarity,” experience. Based on these observations, I have come to believe that one of the many states that Hemi-Sync facilitates is that of hemispheric communication (Hemi-Com) or, perhaps, as a psychotherapist would put it, “an integration of content and affect”. This, to a large extent, is what psychotherapy is all about, and it is remarkable to observe that Hemi-Sync may indeed facilitate and