Brain Hacking for Anxiety: A Wellness Lesson for 2024
The fusion of technology and mindfulness has created an ally in the battle against anxiety. At NeuroLeap, created by neuroscientist Kumaar Bagrodia, advanced imaging techniques help identify neural pathways in the brain and decode its functioning. A 30-minute test and analysis by Bagrodia showed me elevated levels of overthinking and anxiety, and therefore, reduced executive function. I’m in therapy trying to tackle exactly these issues, but therapy is hard. This kind of tech targets the subconscious mind directly, using a simple rewarding system to change the neural pathway. The same thing was happening with my cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), but that was using my conscious mind to forcibly change my subconscious thoughts. But “anxiety is a problem of the subconscious”, says Bagrodia. “You didn’t wake up in the morning and say, I’ve got to be anxious. Your subconscious patterns, personality, ideals and values have been created over the years through repeated interaction and feedback from people around you.” Targeted rewarding of my subconscious has already helped me stay in the moment marginally better than I used to a few months ago. Next? Anxiety and overthinking.
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