Rumble stripped

My daughter was beginning to get uncomfortable in her car seat during a long car trip. To intensify her message that she wanted some kind of relief, she began successful efforts to make me uncomfortable. Now, I've moved from looking in the rear view mirror to turning in my seat to attend, unsuccessfully to her. Suddenly, we are overwhelmed by vibration and loud noise – the car had drifted onto rumble strips. Naturally, we both stopped everything, except driving, and performing something like a systems check. Is everything, actually, OK? In that instant we became alert, and focused. Driving on, we are, actually, all good. Any former discomfort was gone. Whatever was the matter, evaporated in the face of the interruption, leaving only clear attention to “Yes, everything's OK,” and gratitude for remaining on the road. She no longer needed anything.

Drifting drivers account for about one-third of all deaths and serious injuries on our nation's highways. Rumble strips are hailed as the simplest, most cost-effective way of preventing drifting. Safety officials know there are many reasons drivers drift: they may be distracted(including cell-phone/texting), drowsy, drunk, or drugged. But the strips still work. Rumble strips are a perfect representation of the simple and effective action in the neurofeedback process.

Neurofeedback can sound complicated, but it is so simple. The feedback acts like rumble strips. When your brain drifts out of its lane, you get a sharp message to pay attention! You are transported from inadvertent mental drifting to undisturbed focus. There are many reasons you may drift. Like highway designers, you don't need to know why the drifting occurs, only that the call to attention works. You may have compelling challenges at home or at work. There may be a health concern, or physical pain. We are all often too busy, working too hard, on too many things. Stressors are calling for your attention – Hey! Need some help here! - But a signal from right now always trumps those long standing issues. This is how we are designed.

Continuous attention is applied, both consciously and unconsciously to a never ending stream of signals – OK or not OK? The best help you can offer is to engage your attention fully on each thing. If OK, let it go. If not, do something. However, you can't really work on several of these things at once. Not effectively, anyway. You are most effective, most efficient when you stay in your lane. When necessary, take action. When choosing not to take action, put it on a shelf for now. While talking to your kids, is not a good time to drift into the work lane, or the financial worry lane. Neurofeedback helps you stay in your lane, and shift lanes when you want to.

The goal is concrete: It is for your brain to work the way you want it to. To do what you ask it to do, rest, think, or act effectively and efficiently, and to shift lanes easily, but only when desired. Of particular importance is the ability to get good rest. It is extremely beneficial to rest and sleep without finding yourself drifting across the double yellow lines into your life's oncoming issues. Neurofeedback helps you stay in your sweetest spots without being derailed by discomforts and worries.