The Brain Integration Technique (TIC), what it consists of

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Anthony Golden
The Brain Integration Technique (TIC), what it consists of

The Brain Integration Technique is a revolutionary and novel neurotherapy, it consists of the application of techniques in acupressure points in order to optimize functions by allowing better communication and hemispheric alternation. It takes into account the principles of applied physiology and kinesiology, such treatment is non-invasive, it helps to "reintegrate" brain function, hence its name..

Contents

  • What is brain integration therapy?
  • Background of the brain integration technique
  • Neurophysiology of Brain Integration Therapy
  • Hemispherical glasses technique and one eye at a time
  • Brain Integration Therapy Protocol
  • Brain Integration Therapy and stress management
  • Other conditions successfully treated through ICT
  • In which conditions has ICT not shown effectiveness?
  • ICT to develop memory and other skills
  • Goodbye to stormy memories!
  • Attention deficit disorder (ADD) and ICT
  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
    • Links

What is brain integration therapy?

Brain integration therapy has been greatly helped by the success it has had in improving learning difficulties, memory, attention, emotional regulation and proprioception mainly.

The patient may have some control over some variables, however it is the therapist who develops the protocols and algorithms or sequences, by default, taking into account the neuropsychological evaluation, patient progress and other weighting factors, which serve as a guide for determine an enhancement program for the flow of electromagnetic signals in the brain.

It has been observed through hundreds of investigations of high efficacy on problems that treated in a classical orthodox way would take a long time. The brain integration technique improves the performance of some cognitive processes in a short time and with changes that last through it, as it helps to reorganize brain activity.

These protocols can be applied by health professionals such as doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists and psychopedagogues mainly, since muscle tests and very specific acupressure techniques are carried out, helping to reintegrate brain functions at a neurological, emotional and electromagnetic level..

"The brain integration technique helps the brain to potentiate its cognitive functions, by covering more brain regions, it can improve reading and writing skills, learning ability, comprehension and creativity, among others".

Studies showed that ICT contributes to the detection of dysfunctions in mental processing, the neurological process of sensory integration, improves performance in other cognitive processes such as: sensory perception, attention, motivation and different primordial processes such as proprioception.

Background of the brain integration technique

Richard Utt of the Institute for Applied Physiology in Tucson, Arizona, developed Applied Physiology (AP) techniques using tests to assess acupressure and muscle responses, thus accessing the primary neurological processing modules. He observed patterns of cerebral dysfunction and cortical activity compared to acupressure points. Richard Utt (1978) together with Sheldon Deal and George Goodheart applied kinesiology also for research purposes.

ICTs began to be studied in Melbourne, Australia (1988), later it was applied and extensively investigated by Susan McCrossin (1998), with encouraging results, offering a good treatment option for those who had learning, memory, attention, lack of emotional regulation, disruptive problems, and poor impulse control.

It is based on the methodology of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR, for its acronym in English) is linked to the EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) created by Gary Craig, in which "tapping" is used. on meridians where our vital energy flows, according to traditional Chinese medicine.

Neurophysiology of Brain Integration Therapy

Through brain integration therapy, stress areas are identified in the corpus callosum, located in the interhemispheric fissure, this acts as a hemispheric interconnection bridge, since it allows and improves both communication and coordination between the hemispheres cerebral. When damage is generated in a critical structure such as the hippocampus, problems with short-term memory and auditory memory processing can develop.

The hippocampus is an encephalic prominence that is located within the intermediate temporal lobe of the brain, it is part of the limbic system, so it helps emotional regulation, it intervenes in the learning process, other tasks of the hippocampus have to do with memory and proprioception, which is the awareness of our body position in the space that surrounds us, human beings receive information through the senses which reaches the brain for processing, applying ICT can restore or increase functioning.

With the help of neuroimaging, it is now possible to appreciate the patterns of electrical activity produced in the cerebral cortex when the subject is performing an activity. When there is damage to the hippocampus, a memory deficit and difficulty in establishing new memories can occur, as in Alzheimer's, where the hippocampus is affected, contributing to the confusional state of the patient.

Likewise, with the help of technology, an assessment of the integrity of brain functions is carried out through a protocol, which consists of a series of specific muscle tests, the response of the ligaments is monitored, paying special attention to the muscle feedback system, so you can accurately determine the configurations of brain functions.

The improvement can be appreciated by neuropsychological evaluation, it usually includes a battery of psychometric tests, the observation of somatic responses, state-of-the-art brain mapping such as Electro Encephalogram (EEG), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or evoked potentials, which we visually report steady state (SSVEP), thereby helping to build highly specific maps of cortical activity by identifying precise areas.

Hemispheric glasses and one eye at a time technique

ICT is used together with the technique of hemispherical glasses, created by Raquel C. Ferrazzano de Solvey, Pablo Solvey and Daniel Asís (2000), the use of glasses produces stimulation in the central nervous system (CNS) and differences in terms of to the perception that helps to modify cognitions, emotions and somatic responses, impacting on the nasal part of the retina of the opposite hemisphere to the one to be activated, thus producing a cognitive restructuring.

The one eye at a time technique was developed by Audrey Cook and Richard Bradshaw (2000), it consists of observing with one eye alternately using special glasses, thus "seeing" the problems that the neurotherapist presents to patients so that solve them, in this way, the person can “see a problem” from different perspectives, facilitating the resolution, the one-eye-at-a-time technique is often used in ICT.

The technique of hemispherical glasses and the technique of one eye at a time, belong to the Center for Advanced Therapies.

Brain Integration Therapy Protocol

The application of the protocols with brain integration therapy are different for each patient, they depend on different variables such as the specific needs of each person, their evolution and the etiology of the problem..

What are the ICT sessions like and how long do they last? Some protocols include four sessions, in more serious conditions they range from eight to twelve sessions approximately, with a duration that can range from one hour of treatment to 8 to 16 hours. In children, each session is shortened and breaks are given to the little one.

Brain Integration Therapy and stress management

How does ICT help stress management? When the person is subjected to a great deal of stress, cortisol is secreted, activating the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. The anterior limbic and brain regions are very sensitive to hormones released by stress, generating changes in neurobiochemistry, as can be seen in:

  1. Acute stress: responses to this type of stress include different brain regions such as the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, hippocampus and hypothalamus.
  2. Chronic stress: neurotransmitters and systemic hormones interact to produce functional and structural modifications. ICT allows to take advantage of the adaptive plasticity in the brain that arises because of the same chronic stress.

Through the use of brain integration therapy, the tone of the emotional information coming from the amygdala can be "attenuated", thus helping to reduce anticipatory anxiety and catastrophic thoughts; in turn, levels of stress, body anxiety and emotional discomfort begin to decrease, giving way to a cognitive restructuring that will allow a more adaptive and functional response.

Other conditions successfully treated through ICT

The brain and the body have the capacity to store memories of physical pain and emotional suffering, with ICT it is possible to alleviate the discomfort, since it is easier for the person to let go of traumatic and painful memories with their respective emotional packaging, through the reprocessing of these events, in order to change the maladaptive emotional and somatic responses that patients usually manifest, thus contributing to the balance and well-being of the person.

Below I show some conditions for which ICT has been shown to be effective:

Some conditions treated with a good prognosis by BRAIN INTEGRATION THERAPY (ICT)

  • Attention deficit disorder (ADHD)
  • Autism spectrum disorders (ASD)
  • Learning problems
  • Improves reading-writing skills
  • Dyslexia
  • Motor coordination
  • Some head injuries and brain injuries (except when with organic brain damage and critical areas of the brain are compromised).
  • Dysfunction in the communication of the corpus callosum
  • Sensory processing dysfunction
  • Anxiety disorders
  • "Panic attacks" or crisis of anguish
  • Fears and phobias
  • Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  • Victims of abuse and violence
  • To overcome traumas, separations and grief
  • Lack of emotional regulation
  • Insomnia
  • Anxiety, Anger, and Stress Management
  • Depression
  • Chronic pain

In which conditions has ICT not shown effectiveness?

Patients with learning disabilities caused by acquired brain damage (ACD) present an alteration in brain structures and this is reflected in physical, cognitive, behavioral and emotional functioning.

Subjects with severe closed head trauma, which causes a death rate and disability in developed countries, did not show improvement with TIC, nor did those individuals whose conditions implied organic damage to the brain in critical areas, it can occur when they present a high degree of severity from head injuries, anoxia or hypoxia, brain tumors, strokes, and seizures, to name a few.

However, when the damage is in a center of non-critical functions and the affected areas are not very large but rather small, the brain, thanks to its amazing plasticity, can find ways to process the information received, trying to "compensate" for Somehow the damage, in order to carry out their regular functions, although many times and depending on the organic damage in the brain, their performance is diminished, they can benefit from the brain integration technique as a complement to their treatment..

When there is no organic damage to the brain, patients with learning disabilities have shown improvement with the brain integration technique. In these cases, hippocampal function can be improved by applying "formatting" techniques and through acupressure, the results in mapping neuroimaging and post-protocol psychometric evaluations reflect reestablishment or improvement.

ICT to develop memory and other skills

The subjects presented greater facility to remember words with their correct spelling, spelling of words or "spelling", reading comprehension, to learn multiplication tables, showed a normal range in the auditory function of short-term memory and improved their percentiles in terms of to reasoning ability is concerned. The results can be seen in a short time, studies have shown that the benefits are also manifested last and can be maintained.

This allows children and adults with attention, learning and memory problems (mainly) to improve their performance. For many patients, the reestablishment of the hippocampus implies a return or inclusion to academic and work life on a regular basis, as well as to other activities that require proprioception, such as playing basketball.

Goodbye to stormy memories!

The application of brain integration techniques (ICT), allow better interhemispheric communication, corrects cognitive distortions at the neurobiological level, improves the internal processing system, leads the brain to an adaptive state of self-regulation, intense emotional reactions to disturbing events or their memory, because sometimes the memories can be so intense that they can cloud judgment and use a lot of energy, affect decision-making, even paralyze the person or cause them to fall into non-functional avoidance behaviors, through ICT, it is possible reduce the negative impact and somatic reactions that you want to modify, performing a cognitive reassignment.

Attention deficit disorder (ADD) and ICT

Research done by Sussan McCrossin with people suffering from ADD, showed improvements in cognitively demanding tasks, a development in reasoning ability and the application of adaptive strategies for problem solving, this in subjects who received treatment with brain integration techniques (ICT). ); In patients with ADD, prefrontal activity is usually decreased, however, thanks to the brain integration technique, there is an increase in prefrontal activity necessary for decision-making and planning.

Another study in patients with attention deficit disorder (ADD), after following the protocols with the brain integration technique (TIC) showed improvements in their reading comprehension, at the beginning of the experiment they presented from zero to 33% in reading comprehension and after treatment with brain integration therapy they managed to achieve 100% of it. In the memorization of series of digits, their capacity was enhanced, the subjects who showed insufficient memory to perform basic tasks with digits, at the end of their sessions with ICT, the performance of this type of tasks became higher of the average with respect to his age.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Children diagnosed or misdiagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who used methylphenidate for years to treat their hyperactivity, were able to quit, brain integration techniques (ICT) helped to lessen the negative effects of withdrawal of the drug and to improve his "problems" of discipline and hyperactivity.

Patients who used dextroamphetamine, levoamphetamine and methylphenidate, which are psychostimulants often used to treat ADHD, these people can find an excellent treatment option without the pernicious effects that the aforementioned drugs have on their health.

People with ADHD who received treatment with brain integration techniques showed improvement in understanding: between cause and effect, mathematics, reading and concepts, as well as better visualization, memorization, spelling of words or “spelling” and good execution of a series of instructions given by the neurotherapist.

Links

  • https://www.neurologia.com/articulo/2000518
  • https://www.learningimprovementcenter.com/what-is-crossinology/
  • https://www.psicoactiva.com/blog/hipocampo-septum-relacion-la-memoria-la-informacion-emocional/
  • www.terapiasdeavanzada.org/
  • https://www.psicoactiva.com/blog/la-emocional-fragility/

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