A prison built of thoughts, impulses, or images

While most prisons are built of bricks and mortar, those with the symptoms of Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are locked in a prison created by his or her brain.

With obsessive thoughts, life is dominated by brain-created anxieties around preoccupation with contamination or dirt, making sure everything is orderly and symmetric, driven by impulses of aggressive or horrific feelings, or plagued by sexual images or thoughts. For those with compulsion actions, behaviors such as washing the hands may occupy much of the day, leaving little time for other activities. Classically, compulsions are stereotypical behaviors that must be repeated at frequent intervals: Washing and cleaning, counting, checking, demanding reassurances, performing the same act over and over again, or ritualized orderliness. In either case, the results are the same: Life's door has been slammed shut and locked.

Where is the jailer?

If the brain creates the prison, where or what is the jailer? That is, what causes these overwhelming thoughts or behaviors? This is likely to be due to an overactive neural loop locking in three brain areas: The caudate nucleus, orbital frontal cortex, and cingulate system.

• The caudate is located deep within the hemispheres of the brain. It is responsible for control of voluntary movement and automatic thinking. The caudate reminds us to wash when dirty, to check the doors before going to bed, and alerts us and focuses our attention on anything that is out of order.


• The orbital prefrontal cortex is the front of the brain just above the eyes. It is responsible for our ability to think, to assess what is going on in our environment, and to plan and strategize.


• The cingulate cortex, located deep in the frontal lobes, helps us focus our attention and tune into our own thoughts.

With OCD, the caudate triggers the urge to 'do something,' giving the orbital prefrontal cortex a feeling that 'something is wrong,' which then activates the cingulate cortex, which keeps attention focused on the feeling of unease. The cycle repeats when an uneasy feeling once again triggers the caudate to do something.

Locked in or locked out?

Normal "working" brain wave activity in the electroencephalogram (EEG) is of low amplitude and highly variable. The low voltage allows speed and efficiency; the variability represents the diversity of nerve cells able to be fired. From this mix, the brain efficiently activates and utilizes the resources it needs to perform its vast variety of tasks.

In those with the redundant thoughts or behaviors of OCD, however, most often Spindle activity is often seen over the front part of the brain instead of low voltage irregular activity. Spindles are oscillating waves, smooth and rhythmic, that appears in short repeating bursts lasting a second or longer. While these Spindles may make it look like the brain is extremely busy, they are "idling waves," that is, "non-working" activity. The smooth cycling can be compared to a basketball dribbling. The ball is moving constantly, but no score can be made until the dribbling stops and the motion is changed to put the ball into the basket. In other words, the rhythmic brain activity must shift to the lower amplitude desynchronized activity for work to be done.

How do these spindles relate to OCD symptoms? Spindles are normal at certain brain locations under specific conditions, which gives us a clue as to their function. A principle example is during sleep, when Spindles appear independently over the central sulcus (a "strip" running from the center of the brain toward the ears on both sides) and the frontal lobes. The central sulcus manages motor (movement) and sensory (sensation) information coming in from the body to the brain. The frontal lobes are responsible for our being consciously aware of the world and our acting within it. It thus appears that when our brain wants us to go to sleep, it uses these rhythmically oscillating Spindles to disengage the deeper brain automatic from the thinking cortex. With the frontal lobes losing communication, we become unconscious and unaware of our world.

The frontal Beta Spindles seen in those with OCD are thus likely to be a sign that the frontal lobes have lost their two way communication with the cingulate system and/or caudate. This results in the cingulate and caudate being allowed to "run free" without inhibition and control by our frontal cortex. With our deep brain in charge, we lose our ability to consciously manage ourselves in our world.

Get out of Jail free card

The objective of NeuroMatrix Neural Efficiency Training(TM) is to reduce the Spindles while strengthening the frontal lobes' ability to detect and manage the information coming in from the deep brain. When this is accomplished, it puts the person back in charge of their life again.

What is NeuroMatrix Neural Efficiency Training(TM)?

NeuroMatrix Neural Efficiency training(TM) offers the greatest opportunity of actually remediating the brain dysfunctions producing the symptoms of OCD. The Quantitative EEG (computerized brain wave analysis) detects, and, in a highly specific and detailed way, defines where and in what way the brain is inefficient and producing the symptoms. NeuroMatrix Neural Efficiency Training(TM) then addresses and trains these dysfunctions specifically.

Based on 20 years research, NeuroMatrix Neural Efficiency Training(TM) sessions include:

• Proprietary, clinically proven Neurofeedback (brain wave training) protocols created and developed by Dr. Marvin Sams, a medical professional with almost five decades of clinical and research experience.


• Exclusive Audio-Visual Entrainment (flashing light and pulsing sound) programs developed by Dr. Sams help "pull" or "nudge" the brain out of "stuck" brain patterns.


• Transcranial DC Modulation remediates brain function with a gentle DC current across the scalp. Over 60 scientific studies document its ability to modulate and stabilize brain function.


• Heart Rate Variability, a biofeedback based breathing technique, is taught for greater emotional resilience and applied intelligence.

To measure progress, a Quantitative EEG is done before each session and statistical comparisons are made to the initial QEEG evaluation and the previous session. Normative Reference Database reports are also run frequently to evaluate improvements in under and over firing brain areas, Coherence (communication networks), and Phase (speed of information transfer). This attention to detail allows the determination of how much progress has been made session to session. This important benefit is offered only at The Sams Center.

Symptoms are typically reduced as training progresses, usually starting around sessions 10 to12. Importantly, as the brain gains experiences by interacting and communicating with people and the environment, it is further expected that improvements will continue over the next several months after training is complete.

NeuroMatrix Neurofeedback training(TM) versus drugs

The guiding principle behind NeuroMatrix Neural Efficiency Training(TM) is that performance (attention, focus, learning ability), mood, memory, behavior, and emotional resilience are all created by our brain. If we are doing well in each of these key life categories, it means our brain is doing its job efficiently. If, on the other hand, we are struggling with attention, learning, mood, anger, memory, or behavioral problems, it is an indication that our brain is neurologically inefficient in one or more working areas and doing its job poorly. This can be caused by either physical or emotional trauma, or for some other reason such as genetic or environmental causes.

In other words, what the medical or psychological community label OCD, Bipolar, ADHD, and Depression, for example, are terms for clusters of symptoms that point to specific areas of dysfunction in the brain. The medical community's "solution" for such neurological problems is drugs to blunt the symptoms. As you may be aware, side effects from these drugs are numerous, including permanent brain dysfunction. Information about these unsettling side effects can be found on Google or other search engine by typing in the name of the drug followed by "side effects" and in such books as Medication Madness by Peter Breggin, MD, and Prozac backlash by Joseph Glenmullen, MD. Other titles on the subject are available at the Amazon and Barnes and Noble web sites.

NeuroMatrix Neural Efficiency Training(TM) is safe and effective. The objective is to bring the brain into as close to normal functioning as possible. When this is accomplished, symptoms are decreased and may be eliminated altogether. Many have thus been able to avoid the use of drugs while others have been able to wean off drugs with their physician's guidance.

Training Schedule

If you live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, we schedule to your convenience. At least two to four sessions a week are recommended.

For those coming from outside the Dallas/Fort Worth area, a typical stay is two weeks. We do two sessions a day, working six days a week.

Many complete NeuroMatrix Neural Efficiency Training in 24-30 sessions. Those with a traumatic brain injury, complicated symptoms, or a long history of drug use may take a few more sessions. Should this prove to be the case, training can be completed on a brief return visit in a few months or weeks, or with a special at-home trainer.

Fees

E-mail us from our Contact Page or call 972.733.3009 or 972.612.0160 for our current fee schedule.

To schedule an evaluation

Just call 972.733.3009 to arrange a convenient time for you or your family member to start.

For more information

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