Thresholds

Here’s the way I look at the question of automatic versus manual thresholds:

1. Assuming one is talking about amplitude training only (i.e. not synchrony, variability or other options), generally a more healthy and mature brain produces lower amplitudes and lower variability. Even if you say you are training theta down and SMR up, you will most likely see BOTH go down, though theta will go down more, so the relationship between them changes.

2. Since the brain changes every day, every hour, if you just set a manual threshold and use it for the same client every session, some days it will be too high, some days it will be too low, some days it will be effective.

3. The argument for manual thresholds is that once they are set, the brain is working against a fixed target. More feedback means it is moving in the desired direction. The argument for auto thresholds is that, whatever the brain is doing, they always adjust themselves to where the brain is now, so there are no periods of 95% feedback or 40% feedback which can be boring or frustrating.

4. The brain-trainer approach as set in protocols used to train amplitudes is to start all thresholds in Auto mode to allow the software to adjust to the brain’s activity at that moment. After 20-40 seconds, all INHIBIT bands are switched to manual automatically. All REWARD bands remain in Auto mode. With this approach, as the frequencies we are challenging the brain to reduce work against a fixed target. At the same time, by leaving the Rewards in auto, we avoid the potential for those frequencies to go down (along with the rest of the EEG, which is probably what we want: see 1 above) and block feedback when the brain is doing exactly what we want it to do.

My approach in general is to start thresholds in Auto mode and let them stabilize with the client just watching the screen. The software figures out where the brain is today and tells us where to set the targets to achieve X% success. I then prefer to set inhibit thresholds to Manual. This places the targets for the things we want to reduce at a baseline level. If the client succeeds in reducing the target activity, his/her percent of success increases and feedback is stronger. If the target activity increases, the scoring level falls.

I like to leave the reward frequencies in auto mode. When the brain reduces activity in active frequencies, in many cases it reduces in ALL frequencies–including those you want to increase. For example, training to reduce the theta/beta ratio from 4, you might begin with Theta of 12 and beta of 3. If you reduce theta to 8, beta may go down to 2.5, but the ratio will change to 3.2. Unfortunately, if you set your reward targets and fix them in Manual mode, as the client reduces amplitudes, the beta target will begin to block him from feedback–even though his brain is doing exactly what we want it to do.

Remember that the more thresholds you set (the more training targets), the harder it is for the client to score. If you have one target (for example a squash or squish, and you set the target to provide feedback 60% of the time, it will give you feedback 60%. If you have two thresholds–2 inhibits or 2 rewards or one of each–and you set each to 60%, you may get 60% feedback if your brain always moves the two in the right direction at the same time. But it’s more probable that some portion of the time when you are beating one target, you won’t be beating the other, and you won’t get feedback–and vice-versa. In fact, worst case scenario, you could end up only getting feedback 36% of the time (60% X 60%). Add a third target, and the problem increases. The more targets you set, the higher the reward rate must be set. With 3 training frequencies, you could set targets at 90% success each and be guaranteed that (if they are all automatically adjusted) the client would receive feedback at least 72% of the time.

The scoring rate is very dependent on the client. An inattentive person might simple float away if he is scoring 90% of the time regardless of what his brain is doing. I might use a scoring rate of 50 or 60% to keep that person “honest”. A more hyper or anxious client could well get very frustrated with less than 80% reward and start “trying” which reduces performance.

When and How to Adjust Thresholds

I ask most clients to try to recall some experiences when they experienced the target state–sometime being very focused, often being in a zone of still presence in the moment without thinking or trying.

I explain to them that the training, pretty much whatever the protocol, will likely be focused on achieving that state. The feedback mirror will be positive whenever they produce the frequency or connectivity or whatever they are training that is consistent with that state. Those are the peak states toward which we are training.

So at the beginning of the session, I ask them to try to find that state in themselves and then begin the session.

The software begins knowing (from the design) what the target feedback level should be, and it will set the target(s) so the client will receive the target levels with today’s brain at the time the session begins. After 30 seconds, it fixes those targets.

Then, if the brain is moving in the desired direction, there will be more feedback. As it moves away from the target, feedback will decrease. Obviously for most of us it will rise and fall around the starting point. Sometimes, however, it will rise steadily as the brain really enters into that state more effectively. Other times it will fall pretty steadily as the client loses the state.

If the feedback is rising and the client is getting lots of feedback, 85-95% for example, many trainers will feel that they should adjust the thresholds to make them harder. The client is getting too much feedback. My inclination is NOT to do that. If the brain is moving in the right direction–has moved in the right direction from where it started, I WANT it to get lots of feedback. If I suddenly change the target, so it is doing what the training is asking it to do–then suddenly it gets LESS feedback, the game suddenly has changed, and it makes no sense. That’s not good feedback. Sometimes I will pause the session and ask the client what the feedback is telling her about how well she is doing. Then I’ll say that I can make it harder, if she wants to begin with more demanding targets. Some clients in some sessions will want that, but when the feedback changes, they know why. Some prefer to keep it very high, which I respect, but they know that they CAN ask to change it if they wish. I might do that ONE time with a client, because once the brain gets into that state, and I interrupt it to ask my question, it won’t necessarily be easy to get back to the state, and that can be very frustrating.

If the feedback is going down, as it will from time to time–up and then down then back up again–that’s common with training.

If the feedback is reducing and staying down for a minute or so, I may pause the session and ask the client if he’s noticing that. I’ll remind him that the targets were set based on where his brain was when the session began, so whatever he is doing as a part of training is going the wrong direction. I’ll explore with him for maybe a minute whether he is thinking more or trying more to how he has changed then ask him to see if he can go back to where he was in the beginning. In that case the interruption is okay. When he nods or whatever to tell me he thinks he’s there, we restart the session. Sometimes he’ll get the feedback levels back up within 30 seconds or a minute. Sometimes he’ll stay low or go lower. In that case, I’ll reset the threshold(s)–usually only one or two–and let him move ahead without knowing that I changed the rules a little. The more the feedback doesn’t improve, the harder the client is likely to “try” and thus move even further away from the target state.