LifeChanger Hypnosis Blog

Hebbian Learning: The Value of Repetition

2008-08-26T08:43:00.000-05:00

By Tim Brunson DCH

You have always heard that "practice makes perfect." Have you wondered why? It might just be related to the synaptic plasticity of the brain. How many times does a thought need to be repeated before it becomes sufficient hard wired into the brain?
In 1949, Canadian psychologist Donald Hebb postulated a theory in which he said that "the persistence or repetition of a reverberatory activity tends to induce lasting cellular changes that add to its stability." Another way of saying this is "cells that fire together, wire together." Hebbian Learning is a theory that explains that some types of associative learning in which simultaneous activation of cells leads to increases in synaptic strength. Indeed, this may explain why repeated thought or practice strengthens the hardwiring of neurons in the association areas of the various lobes of the brain.
Biologically this means that a dominant thought created through our will power will stimulate new synaptic connections in our brain. Once these connections are made, repetition of the same thought (or action) will stimulate more corresponding connections. These redundant connections become engrams, which are holographic stores of memories. These engrams involve a network of connections which facilitate synchronized synaptic firing thus producing a more efficient expression of a given thought. The more a thought is held, the easier for that thought remembered or activated. For instance, think of acquiring a new physical skill such as dancing or the martial arts or learning a new language.
Conversely there are thoughts or memories that have reached that level of engram efficiency, but are no longer rationally desired. This could be a phobic memory that somehow is hardwired into our survival mechanism. This means that this gestalt (a collection of memories) is connected to the hypothalamus and pituitary and thus creates neuropeptides, which in turn encode this memory at the cellular level. Therefore, any contrary thought will be resisted as our body will have a defensive reaction to the contrary feeling. So, how to be rid our self of these unwanted thoughts? How can be get out of our way?
Again, our will power is a key factor. But, often this is not enough. Obviously, if you follow the postulate of Hebbian Learning, you would say "use it or lose it." If you could select a contrary (hopefully positive) thought, make it as vivid as possible, and have it recurring, you will biologically rewire your brain to develop new neural pathways while weakening the unwanted neural networks thought disuse.

12 seconds makes the difference

2008-08-19T16:14:00.001-05:00

Some people tend to feel faint when they get out of bed after a night's sleep. This is because it takes 12 seconds for our blood to travel from our feet to our brains. A neurologist (speaking at a conference) recommends sitting at the edge of the bed after waking and waiting 12 seconds before standing up.
A religious Jewish man at the conference reported that Jews recite the "Mode Ani" prayer each morning, thanking God for returning their souls after a night's sleep. This is done while sitting at the edge of the bed upon waking.
That prayer consists of 12 words, and, when recited "with feeling," lasts for 12 seconds.

Voice of the Elders

2008-08-08T13:56:00.000-05:00

Life is as a river flowing now very fast.

- It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid.
- They will try to hold onto the shore. They will feel they are being torn apart and will suffer greatly.
- Know the river has its destination.
- The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep your eyes open, and your heads above the water.
- And I say, see who is there with you and celebrate.
- At this time in our history, we are to take nothing personally. Least of all ourselves. For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt.
- The time of the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves!
- Banish the word struggle from your vocabulary.
- All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.
- We are the ones we have been waiting for."

Oraibi, Arizona – Hopi Nation

Georgina to be interviewed on the Morning Drive with Mike Kakuk

2008-07-23T09:23:00.000-05:00

Georgina will be a featured guest on the Morning Drive AM 800 CKLW, with Mike, Lisa and Steve on Monday July 28th at 7:20 am EST.
She will be discussing the Life Between Lives and her new book Discovering the Interlife.

Tune in to AM 800 CKLW Radio http://www.am800cklw.com/main.php?id=4 on Monday July 28th at 7:20 am and be part of the conversation on the journey to the Interlife.

Interview with CP24 - Wylde on Health: Discovering the Interlife

2008-07-23T09:20:00.000-05:00

Georgina will be a featured guest on CP24’s Wylde on Health on Thursday, July 31st.
She will be discussing the Life Between Lives and her new book Discovering the Interlife.

The show has a live call-in segment where viewers can share their stories or ask questions they have about the interlife.

Tune in to CP24 at 5:00 pm on Thursday July 31st for what is sure to be a fascinating discussion.

If you would like to contribute, you can call in at 416-872-2724 or 1-888-863-2724 (toll free).

Creating your path

2008-06-02T14:51:00.000-05:00

“Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave everything else aside. This is the way to success, that is way great spiritual giants are produced.”

– Swami Vivekananda.

"How deeply hypnotized did I get?"

2008-05-30T09:00:00.000-05:00

Predicting self-reported hypnotic depth from a phenomenological assessment instrument.Pekala RJ, Kumar VK, Maurer R, Elliott-Carter NC, Moon E. Coatesville Veterans Administration Medical Center, Coatesville, Pennsylvania, USA. Ronald.Pekala@med.va.gov
Procedures for estimating hypnotic depth have been used for more than 70 years. This study predicted self-reported hypnotic depth from the phenomenological and behavioral variables of the Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory-Hypnotic Assessment Procedure (PCI-HAP).
Participants were divided into 2 groups; 1 was used to generate regression equations, and the other group was used for cross-validation.
Both imagery vividness during hypnosis (imagoic-suggestibility) and the PCI pHGS measure of hypnotic depth (hypnoidal state) accounted for most of the variance in elf-reported hypnotic depth. The above results, further supported by correlational and 3-D visual analyses, are consistent with other researchers' observations that ratings of hypnotic depth are a function of:
(a) alterations in subjective experience, and (b) the perception of responsiveness to suggestions. The findings are also congruent with J. Holroyd's hypothesis that suggestibility and altered-state effects interact to produce hypnotic effects.PMID: 16858905 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]Site link-http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16858905?

Doing Our Best Work

2008-05-22T09:38:00.000-05:00

In the great symphony of life, we all have important parts to play. While some people are best suited to be conductors or soloists, their contributions would be diminished considerably without the individual musicians that lend their artistry to the fullness of an orchestra. The magical accents of the percussion section might sound random and out of place without the music they accompany. But any one member of an orchestra, doing less than their best at their particular part, can destroy the harmony of the whole piece, such is their importance. So although we may not receive the same amount or quality of attention as another, all of our contributions are valuable and integral to the success of the whole.

Daily Om

Excerpt from Dr. Georgina Cannon's chapter from A.L. Ward's new book, Heaven - The Road Back Home.

2008-05-21T10:33:00.000-05:00

"The scourge of science is that it has to prove all that it claims. But what is the proof? We know that we only see what we look for. We know that we only ask the questions within our paradigm of knowledge. We know that we are limited by our crude ego and belief systems of what is and what isn't. Each day, each month and each year scientists are finding their truths and proof; much of what was KNOWN by shamans and metaphysical practitioners in the past. Does this mean that one is more advanced than the other?

In the case of the hundredth monkey syndrome, scientists only discovered it because they were looking. How many other syndromes are there happening on a daily basis that we know nothing about because we're not looking, or not seeing? "

THOUGHTS ON TRUST

2008-05-14T12:56:00.000-05:00

“Who does not trust enough will not be trusted.” - Lao-tzu.

Without trust all you can be in life is alone.. Just think, How could you drive anywhere unless you trusted the automobile will run safely and the drivers to follow traffic rules? Would you go to work if you didn’t have trust in your company to pay your salary? Or, if you are the employer, would you hire anyone without the trust that they would carry out their responsibilities?

Trust is the glue that holds society together,

What’s astonishing about trust is we are born with it. Smile at an infant and it returns the smile. It trusts you, a stranger. Its mind is not yet influenced by prejudice and its heart is not yet clogged by fear. As adults, we find it difficult to be completely trusting, for it makes us vulnerable - 'After all, if I offer myself to another, they may betray me'. The result may be disappointment and pain.

“Trust yourself. Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.” -- Golda Meir.

The first person we need to learn to trust is ourselves. When we trust in ourself, we are reliable, dependable, and trustworthy. As a result, we grow in confidence and others place their trust in us.

Trust is a choice. It is the choice to move away from fear and toward respect.

Rohit Bhalunkar

All Is Well

2008-05-08T15:43:00.001-05:00

You will notice that those who speak most of prosperity, have it. Those who speak most of health, have it. Those who speak most of sickness, have it. Those who speak most of poverty, have it. It is Law. It can be no other way... The way you feel is your point of attraction, and so, the Law of Attraction is most understood when you see yourself as a magnet getting more and more of the way you feel. When you feel lonely, you attract more loneliness. When you feel poor, you attract more poverty. When you feel sick, you attract more sickness. When you feel unhappy, you attract more unhappiness. When you feel healthy and vital and alive and prosperous—you attract more of all of those things.

Excerpted from a workshop in “The Law of Attraction, The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham” on Saturday, July 1st, 2006

Freely Choosing to be Yourself

2008-05-07T09:33:00.000-05:00

Our values are what define the choices we make, the actions we take, the life that we create. They are a set of subtle and not so subtle beliefs, ideas, and ways of seeing the world that we deeply subscribe to but may not even be conscious of. And if we're not conscious of the values of the conditioned self, they are going to inhibit our capacity to be truly awake. So it's imperative, if you want to be an agent of conscious evolution, to bring the light of awareness to this level of your self. What are your deeply held values? Are they your values? Did you freely choose them? Probably not. Very few people freely choose their own values. Many of us who have grown up in a postmodern world where the freedom of individual is valued above all else assume that we have freely chosen our values, but it's very rarely true. So this is why the culturally conditioned self is a subject in all of us that needs to be made an object in the light of our own awareness, so that we will be in a position to begin to freely choose who we will be. We have to, in a sense, die and be reborn again. This is what rigorous and serious spiritual practice is all about: learning how to freely choose to be yourself.

- Andrew Cohen

Quote

2008-05-05T14:10:00.000-05:00

"Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For, indeed, they are the only ones who ever have."
- Margaret Mead

Green Shifting

2008-05-02T14:24:00.000-05:00

A paradigm-shifting suggestion comes this month from former IONS employee Jason Norris, who is now involved in the "green funeral business." For those who want to align their afterlife with the current life values, it's worth considering a green burial. Every year the cemetery industry buries over 827,000 gallons of embalming fluid, 104,000 tons of steel, 2,700 tons of copper and bronze, 1.6 million tons of concrete, and 30-plus million board feet of hardwoods. Jason is happy to talk about Green Burials with anyone who is interested. You can reach him at Forever Fernwood in Mill Valley, CA, 510.691.8005 or Jason@foreverfernwood.com

Past Life Regression in Israel

2008-04-21T14:35:00.002-05:00

Georgina has been invited to Israel in November to teach Past Life Regression.
If you are interested in joining the class in Jerusalem, contact our office and we
will give you the necessary information.

Your voice is your messenger....

2008-04-21T10:08:00.000-05:00

Colors fade, temples crumble, empires fall, but wise words endure.

Let's begin to make a difference today with our words. William Arthur's words are wise, "Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I may not forget you."

We are all standing on the shoulders of others. We have reached our present station in life because of the help and encouragement we received from others. The best way to return that favor is to constantly encourage, inspire and guide people we live our lives with and around.

Rohit Bhalunkar

We REALLY are what we think!

2008-04-11T10:17:00.003-05:00

"But there is more to it. Physical contact is not a requirement when it comes to rewiring. Repeated thinking can also trigger a series of reactions which result in brain rewiring. Scientists have investigated the formation of synapses as a result of 'thinking about doing something' and found that, from a neuronal perspective, thinking can be as useful as doing. This evidence led to an interesting fusion of interests between Buddhist meditation (through the Dalai Lama's interest on the influence of the mind over the brain) and the scientific research on brain plasticity and the formation of neural networks. It seems that brain plasticity is a flexible topic as well as a flexible concept."

PBS has done a series of programs on this, check out these links for more information.
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=P30Yx&m=1dnnpsMYZljnxj&b=LZjZNpkj2Q_1PkPt.9BB.Q

Davidson & Goleman two leading thinkers discuss emotions and neuroplasticity
www.morethansound.net

Science of the Brain: How the Mind Works
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=P30Yx&m=1dnnpsMYZljnxj&b=ukrZgrAYDbLP.YOEogGKzQ

Your active brain

2008-04-09T11:11:00.002-05:00

"Even if you try to clear your mind, say by listening to a song, you're making memories about that song," memory researcher John Wixted, chairman of the psychology department at the University of California-San Diego, tells The Union-Tribune.
The newspaper adds that, in his book The Odd Brain, anthropologist Stephen Juan writes that the average brain on the average day generates about 70,000 thoughts. Many of these thoughts - including those that never rise to the level of consciousness - become memories.

How to Run Successful Workshops

2008-04-04T10:53:00.002-05:00

If you´ve ever wanted to share information or knowledge that you have, but didn´t know how to go about it, we now have a new e-book available which will give you all the information you need to know on how to run successful workshops. Literally from a - z. Check out the index at

http://www.ont-hypnosis-centre.com/ohc/books/toc_workbook.pdf

Click HERE to purchase your copy ...

All talk ....

2008-04-04T10:50:00.001-05:00

Wherever you are in the world, talk is cheap.
Election speeches from all corners of the earth all promise the same thing.
Peace and prosperity. Ha!
This may be the opportune time to consider how much of what we say is only dust and noise.
It doesn´t carry intent or a committment or call to action.
Shut out the noise and watch behaviour to discover the truth.
Thems my thoughts anyway.

Georgina

'Memory cell' holds record of Earth's history

2008-03-12T15:28:00.000-05:00

Randy Boswell, Canwest News Service Published: Tuesday 04, March

A tiny zircon crystal extracted from a three-billion- year-old rock in northern Ontario is being hailed by Canadian and U.S. scientists as a primordial "memory cell" containing a previously unknown record of the Earth's early history. The researchers also believe their microscopic time capsule could provide a new tool for testing whether life has ever existed on other planets. The zircon was extracted from an outcropping of deep-earth rock known as the Kapuskasing Uplift, a rare geological feature near the city of Timmins in which ancient rock that's normally 30 kilometres below the planet's surface is exposed

Getting Going!!

2008-02-28T10:28:00.001-06:00

As the days get longer, it seems easier to get started. Whether it's a chemical reaction to the light, or the promise of summer, it just seems that ideas now move into action. It's a 'beginning time'. And whether the beginning or starting of an idea is small or large, it IS a start. And a start means action. Action is what gets us where we need or want to go... and we're moving into action time! Yeah!

The new Workshop Workbook has emerged from my mind and is now down on paper and ready to be published. As is the Discovering the Interlife -- second in my metaphysical book series (another one waits inside the brain neurons..... I can feel it inching forward!!!)

Watch this space!

Something to think about.....

2008-02-13T08:55:00.001-06:00

Through the night comes the light that brings the day.
Through your mind goes the thought that forms the clay.
The clay forms the who and how you are
Always remember to form a star....

Everything you do, everything you say has your name on it.

Be proud

Quote -

2008-02-06T13:24:00.000-06:00

There are always those who thrive when masses are dying of sickness.
There are always those who thrive economically when economic decline seems to be the order of your nation.
There are always those who are clear-minded, in environments of confusion.
You do not need everyone or anyone else to align with your desire—only you need to align with your desire.

Abraham Hicks

Children and Animal Cruelty: What Parents Should Know

2008-01-29T15:09:00.000-06:00

Please take some time to read this important message