--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "sparaig" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "ruthsimplicity" ruthsimplicity@ wrote: > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "sparaig" <LEnglish5@> wrote: > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "ruthsimplicity" ruthsimplicity@ > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > I had a similar experience during a car accident many years ago. > > Time > > > > slowed, no panic, and I could watch dispassionately. Not to > > minimize > > > > our experiences, but I would think this is somewhat common in > > highly > > > > stressful situations. On the other hand, sometimes people panic. > > > > > > > > > > Not to pass judgement on what happened during your car crash, but > > there is a distinct > > > brainwave pattern seen during witnessing/samadhi during TM and reports > > of long-term > > > TMers of witnessing waking/dreaming/sleeping are highly correlated > > with this pattern. > > > > > > An extereme example of it is found in the right-side diagram of this > > URL: > > > > > > http://web.mac.com/lawsonenglish/Site/Meditation_EEG.html > > > > > > > > > This EEG pattern is associated with relaxed/restful awareness. It is > > POSSIBLE that you > > > happened to go into that state during a car crash, but more likely you > > had a dissociative > > > state, which has been correlated with asymmetric functioning of the > > brain where the > > > intellect is dominating or where the emotional side is dysfunctional > > (or both, I guess). > > > > > > The classic EEG pattern where the intellect is dominating would be > > where the gamma > > > frequencies are highly active in that part of the brain. Sorta like > > what is found in the EEG of > > > long-term practitioners of the Buddhist meditation found on the left > > side of the above > > > URL. > > > > > > Whether or not these two distinctly different meditative states are > > equivalent at some > > > deeper level is unknown at this time. > > > > > > > I agree that it likely was dissociation, but it certainly was an > > effective way of dealing with an accident and it ended as soon as the > > accident ended, with me able to remember every detail. Moments of > > dissociation are highly adaptive. > > > > I agree that the Alpha pattern is associated with rest, with brain > > "idling." But I when I think about the intellect dominating, I > > generally think beta activity, using your intellect to process > > information and problem solve. > > > > Gamma is associated with concentration. When you apay attention to an object of > attention, alpha gets blocked. Or, in MMY's terms, self-referral consciousness gets lost in > object-referral consciousness.
Well Gamma is associated with a lot more than concentration. Simple problem solving will yield beta. Heightened awareness will yield Gamma. Is that concentration? Can be. But concentration implies effort and that does not have to be at all the case. > > > > Fear and heightened states of arousal can correlate with beta and > > gamma activity. Also, heightened states of consciousness or awareness > > can correlate with gamma activity. So I can see that dissociation > > occurring during a car accident or when you face an emergency and need > > to act without panic, could be correlated with gamma activity. Do you > > have a cite which relates gamma activity to dissociation? > > > > I have a site that correlates increased assymetry in hemisopheric functioning with > dissociation... Just look for dissociative states and EEG on entrez-vous. Problem is dissociation means too many things. I would appreciate a link to the site. Otherwise I will poke around. > > > > Dissociative states where people space out and forget what they did > > probably correlates with increased alpha activity and not gamma > > activity all at. Two different kinds of dissociation, yes? > > > > Alpha would not be dissociation because it is RESTING. Disociation implies watching > something *going on*. with Pure Concciousness, there is nothing going on. When alpha is > blocked, somethign starts to "go on." > You miss what I am saying. There is more than one kind of dissociation. One kind of dissociative state is where people "space out" and forget what happened for a period of time. As near as I can determine this does in fact can correlate with increased alpha activity. The kind of dissociation where you "split" and watch what is going on is totally different and I agree could involve gamma activity. I would not say, though, that nothing is going on with alpha. In fact, I think something is always going on. ;) If nothing else, you are running the systems. Alpha isn't some magical state. I am not sure I buy that pure consciousness is somehow associated with alpha. I have to do a lot more reading and I sure have not read much in the past 20 years on these issues. You seem to have a lot of interesting resources. I am not really looking to argue, I just want to know what you are basing your opinions on so I can make my own evaluation. > > > However, I disagree that gamma activity is simply a matter of the > > intellect dominating. Like some TM'ers argue that alpha activity is of > > major significance (not just a matter of rest) , some buddists would > > argue gamma activity is of major significance (not just a matter of > > perception). > > Again, look at that url. The alpha synchrony there is 100% across a dozen or so leads. !00 > percent, as in, you can (as Fred Travis did in that illustration) draw a vertical line with a > ruler down the peaks of all leads... Yes, I do not disagree on the alpha coherence. The issue is what does it mean? And what does the gamma activity mean? <snip> > > > > So then, what would be the signs of witnessing sleep? May I also ask > > what is your background? > > > > Alpha synchrony + regular sleep EEG< I believe. 35 years reading this stuff and talking to > researchers about it. > > Thanks! So do you have a study? When will the alpha synchrony occur? What are the reported signs by the subjects if any? I assume that they generally report witnessing? Do they report any specific experiences during sleep? I have a break of 20 years in reading this stuff, but I am educated well enough to understand what I am reading and to evaluate the research. I also participated as a student in early meditation and biofeedback research, not sponsored by the TMO.
