OPEN FOCUS™ Inspired Brain Exercise with Music

Close your eyes for best results,

This exercise is an adaptation of a process that Thom Hartmann, (thomhartmann.com) a leader in the field of attention deficit disorder, uses. He adapted his exercise from one that Dr. Les Fehmi, (openfocus.com), a pioneer of neurofeedback developed over 40 years. I have trained with Dr. Fehmi since Feb. 2008 and he plays music along with the exercises during feedback sessions, so I thought I'd try it with this one.

if you would like to see what it's like at Dr. Fehmi's Biofeedback Centre, then keep eyes open to see photos from one of my sessions.

Go through the following steps. Every time you change focus on a different sensory system, your brain waves will spike in the alpha range.

1. Visual Sense: Sit in a comfortable position and just look at what you are seeing as if for the first time. Just notice all of the details, the colors, brightness, textures, the clarity and the sizes of what you are seeing.
2. Auditory Sense: Now, while still looking at whats in front of you, notice the sounds in the room. Listen, you may even be hearing the sounds of silence. All of the sounds are incredibly interesting. You are still aware of what you are seeing, and now you have added the quiet interest in sounds.
3. Body Sensations or feelings: Now, slowly allow your attention to shift to the sensations in your body. Notice the way that your clothes feel on your skin, your arms at your sides, and the weight of your body on your butt and thighs. Feel your breath going through your nose and into your lungs. Scan your body from top to bottom and just notice any sensations.
4. Smelling and Tasting: Now bring the smells in the room to your attention and just notice the variety of smells. And now notice any tastes that you have in your mouth and on your tongue.
5. Sense of Time: Notice your awareness of time. Be totally in the present, aware of time moment by moment. You are aware that there is a past and that there is a future, but you are happy to be right here in the now and that is where your attention is focused. Notice your presence in the room now.
6. Sense of Balance: There is a little known literal sixth sense, and that is your vestibular sense or your sense of balance. This system is located in your inner ear and sends signals to the neural structures that control your eye movements and the muscles that automatically keep you upright. This is your sense of where your body is in relation to the ground to help control your posture. Just notice that now, where you are in relation to the rest of the room, the floor, the ceiling and all the empty spaces around you.
7. Awareness of Thinking: Become aware of your thinking now. Notice your self talk. Notice how your mind generates thinking. Its that thinking that pulls you away from experiencing now more often. Now, imagine putting all of your thinking into a round sphere and visualize it in front of you. Look at it, listen to it, feel it. Now, put it back in your head.
8. Self Awareness: Now notice your sense of self, of who you are. Find where that sense of you resides in your body. Most people visualize it in their heart, mind or solar plexus. Its the place where your sense of who you really are is located. Notice all of the details that make you uniquely you. All your ambitions, hopes, dreams, likes, dislikes, fears, and guilt. Now move that out from your body in to a sphere in front of you for a few moments and notice it, love it, feel compassion for it. Then return it within you.


Now, cycle through the steps again or at least the first four. The entire process should only take a few minutes, and you can do it virtually anytime, anywhere.

This exercise works because it purposefully spikes the alpha-wave brain activity allowing you to experience a peak state whenever you want.

A tremendous added benefit of this sensory shifting exercise is that is particularly helpful for people that tend to have a difficult time focusing their attention, or ADHD. This exercise is an adaptation of a process that Thom Hartmann, (thomhartmann.com) a leader in the field of attention deficit disorder, uses. He adapted his exercise from one that Dr. Les Fehmi, (openfocus.com), a pioneer of neurofeedback developed over 40 years.

Exercises similar to this one dramatically changed my TOVA Score: http://learningarcade.googlepages.com/TovaComparison.html

Adapted from a blog posting by Denise K. Pederson, Chief Coach, Coach Companion

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• neurofeedback
• therapy
• fehmi
• open
• focus
• brain
• hartmann
• add
• adhd
• coaching
• Pederson

[LearningArcade]

I'm going to re-record this exercise with something much quieter in the background. Thanks to the thousands of you who listened, subscribed and offered your constructive criticism.

[LearningArcade]

one of these days I will redo this with better, quieter music. The exercise and one year of Open Focus with Dr. Fehmi were the most effective way I've found to help quiet down the 'noise' of ADD. Thanks to all who have watched, listened, commented.

[EidikosFrourosDIAS]

thank you!

[mannamik]

Have loved using Open Focus since mid-90's...did not know you were on youtube, Great news.

[GaelissFelin]

Thank you very very much for posting this. I have a hard time focusing on things and the exercise in this video really helps and makes me feel happy for a long time after.

Btw, if you can't hear the instructions or focus on the exercise, not the pictures, it helps to close your eyes: that helps me more.

@MartianPlanner2 : hypnotism, if that can indeed be associated to what's in this video, isn't the same as mind control. In fact, hypnotism has been used for a variety of medical treatments.

[clonbrook]

I really enjoyed this, thanks

[decolad97]

WTF

[skyjuke2006]

unluckly, I cannot understand clearly her instructions!

[cbmp23]

it helped until the picture of the lady popped up.......

[murdoc750]

time to do some homework o yeahh

[sewerface]

Yeah, this music has _got_ to go.