Presenter Bio:
Penijean Gracefire is a neural frequency analyst and published author who rides motorcycles, drinks tea, and designs therapeutic interventions using 3D brain imaging technology. As a licensed mental health clinician, she integrates emotional experience with electrophysiology to alter neural dynamics in real time, helping people recover from trauma or improve brain flexibility and resiliency. Penijean’s groundbreaking work has led to industry-wide changes in neurotherapy, and is the basis for current standards in international certification. Her passions include spectral analysis, donuts, and taking things apart to see how they work.
Course Description:
In this first case study of its kind, we examine the neurophysiological underpinnings of romantic love and attachment and discuss how emerging biomedical technology is changing the conversation around whether or not we can measure and interact with the more elusive elements of human emotion. This project brought together an fMRI researcher, a mental health clinician, and a professional rapper with the intent to explore recent developments in real time 3D brain imaging and neuromodulation techniques. Our question: is it possible to use science to fall out of love? The initial idea was inspired by Dr. Helen Fisher’s work using fMRI to identify the neural correlates of romantic rejection, so we replicated this study with our rapper as the subject, and confirmed that her fMRI scans registered activity in the same brain regions indicated by Dr. Fisher as engaged when the subject was experiencing unrequited affection or the distressing end of a romantic relationship (Fisher, 2006, Baumeister, 1993;). Informed by both peer-reviewed publications, and a quantitative EEG analysis of our subject’s brain, we constructed a neuromodulation design based on sLORETA Z-scored feedback. This protocol was intended to support “romantic resiliency”, the capacity to adapt to abrupt or painful changes in one’s emotional landscape in ways which optimize the possibility of experiencing healthy romantic connections. After nine feedback sessions, we scanned her brain using the Fisher protocol again, and found significant reductions in activity in the brain areas previously identified. This talk will review the methods and technology used in this initial case study, show the pre and post fMRI and qEEG findings, summarize findings from additional subjects in later case studies, and discuss the relevance of this data to the fields of EEG biofeedback and mental health.
Level: Intermediate
Any provider working with children and youth with pain.
Who Should Attend: Any provider working with children and youth with pain.
CE Credits: 1.5 credit
Psychologists: The Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. AAPB maintains responsibility for the program and its content. This webinar offers a MAXIMUM of 1.5 hours.
BCIA Recertification: Hour-for-hour attendance in breakout sessions/workshops may be used to fulfill the continuing education requirements for recertification with certificate of attendance.