by Tim Brunson, PhD

As it is applied in the United States, educational theory is severely in need of a major overhaul. Over the past four decades neuroscientists have made startling discoveries regarding how the brain perceives, interprets, and encodes. Additionally, research has continually revealed differences in such learning processes as a person transitions between infancy, early childhood, teenage years, and finally into full adulthood. Thus the currently emphasized two-phase approach should be questioned. It focuses on teaching process skills up to and through the 3rd grade then shifting to content acquisition. However, it fails to recognize the need for long-term process skill improvement and that as the brain continues to develop, there is a need to alter learning techniques so as to take advantage of increased neurological capabilities.

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OBJECTIVES: This study had two aims: (1) to explore the inner experiences associated with increased production of gamma brainwaves in an initial neurofeedback experience; and (2) to measure and compare neurofeedback-enhanced increased output from the prefrontal cortical region of meditators and non-meditators, using the Peak Brain Happiness Trainer(™) neurofeedback system. DESIGN: This was a controlled pilot study; it involved a single session per subject. SETTING: The research was conducted in a nonprofit laboratory in the United States. SUBJECTS: There were 12 adults in 2 groups (N?=?12): 6 practitioners of Transcendental Meditation(™) and six controls. MEASURES: The measures were self-assessed inner experiences and measurements of clarified gamma output at the prefrontal cortical region. RESULTS: (1) Self-assessed descriptions were comparable for both groups; (2) the associations of 16 supplied descriptors with the initial neurofeedback experience were comparable for both groups and showed highest scores for "happy" (p? J Altern Complement Med. 2011 Feb;17(2):109-15. Epub 2011 Feb 8. Rubik B. Institute for Frontier Science, Oakland, CA 94611-2802, USA. brubik@earthlink.net