expedite such a process. A number of groundbreaking papers stating that meditation played an important role in psychotherapy (Smith 1976) appeared in psychotherapy journals in the late seventies. The authors of such . . » moments of bilateral synchrony coincide with moments of “clarity.” papers, however, failed to propose a convincing explanation for why or how meditation contributed to the process of psychotherapy. At last, it appears that we may have an answer. In our neuropsychologi- cal laboratory we have already demonstrated that experienced medi- tators tend to synchronize their brains. More recently, we are beginning to see that moments of bilateral synchrony coincide with moments of “clarity.” Hence, perhaps the reason meditation is such an important tool in facilitating psychotherapy is because it promotes whole-brain synchrony; it opens a channel of communication be- tween the two hemispheres which may allow certain “unconscious” defenses to be transcended. If we can systematically and consistently demonstrate this process (Hemi-Com) in more elaborate and well- controlled studies, that is, hemispheric synchrony followed by clarifi- cation of affect and thoughts, I believe we will be making a giant leap toward better understanding of how the human mind operates and how to facilitate its healing. SUMMARY Psychoanalytic explanations of how intrapsychic conflicts come about and how psychotherapy attempts to resolve such conflicts were
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Hemi-Sync® Journal 1991-2 (Spring) · 1 Hemi-Sync® Journal 1991-2 Spring.pdf
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presented. Based on the findings of two pilot studies, it was proposed that Hemi-Sync may indeed facilitate intrahemispheric communica- tion which, in turn, promotes psychotherapy and assists in the resolution of unconscious conflicts. Further systematic and well- controlled studies are needed to support the findings and the theo- retical model presented in this paper. REFERENCES Freud, S. 1915. The Unconscious. Standard Edition 14:159-204. Freud, S. 1913. On Beginning the Treatment. Standard Edition 12:121-144, Smith, J. 1976, Psychotherapeutic Effects of Transcendental Medita- tion with Controls of Expectation of Relief and Daily Sitting. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 44:630-637. --- PAGE 3 (OCR) --- Spring 1991 USE OF THE HEMI-SYNC CONCENTRATION TAPE WITH DEPRESSIVE SYNDROME by Regis Louis, MD Regis Louis is a psychiatrist in private practice in Melun, France, fifty kilometers south of Paris. In his practice, retaxation techniques, hypnosis, and neurolinguistic programming (NLP) are used. He also has an interest in Transpersonal Psychology and is a member of the American Association of Transpersonal Psychology and the Interna- tional Association for Near Death Studies (IANDS). The following account describes his use of the MIND FOOD Concentration tape to relieve some symptoms of depression. The purpose of this study was to investigate any effects of the Hemi-Sync Concentration tape on patients with depressive syn-
drome, especially those with memory difficulties and who lack con- centration due to depression. Seven neurotic patients, each with a major depressive syndrome, as defined by DSM III classification, were included. Each had suffered from depressive disorder for at least three months, and one had chronic disorder for two years. All patients were past the acute period of depression. I feel that during the acute period Hemi-Sync wouldn't be effective. Of the seven patients between the ages of twenty-six and fifty-four, there were four females and three males. Five were engaged in professional activities; two were disabled. Two patients were self- educated, three had high school level educations, and two were educated at the graduate level. Two lived alone and five with family. All study participants had problems with concentration, atten- tion-to-task deficit, lack of short-term memory, and felt unable to perform mental tasks as well as they had previously. These problems did not seem to be linked to medication. They were present whether or not the patients were taking medication. The Concentration tape was given to all patients, with the in- struction to listen to it at least once each day during an activity which required attention, or during a period of study or other cognitive work. The patients were asked to report their feelings: better concen- tration, negative effects if any, or other responses. Results were collected during consultations over a three-month period.