Frequently Asked QuestionsQ: What is your basis of assumptions that values lower than 5K ohms indicate a high level of brain arousal ( tense level) and values higher than 25K ohms indicate low arousal and withdrawal from the mind (calm level)?A: The use and callibration of the GSR meter is based on experience with many subjects undergoing psychotherapy. When a topic is encountered that causes tension, such as the remembering of a traumatic experience, the basal resistance falls, sometimes quite dramatically. Similarly a 'fall' occurs if some information that is withheld is nearly being found out, or if a serious upset is being recollected (from current experience or the past). There are many other such 'case' issues which cause this instantaneous meter response. At the point of overwhelm by such emotional arousal, the resistance measures about 5K ohms; below that the person is unable to look further at the topic or experience. What can happen then is a complete shut-off where the resistance climbs up to 25K ohms or beyond; the person is in a state of dissociation, unable to confront the issue and in this 'safer' space, may feel subjectively better, although still suffering from the repressed undercurrents of the issue being addressed. This highly suggestible state is similar to that achieved by deep hypnosis or certain meditatation practices where consciousness is much reduced. (Note that Monroe techniques that attain a 'mind awake-body asleep' state do not suffer from this dissociation and accompanying high basal resistance, and neither do truly enhancing meditation techniques). A client may indeed begin in this low consciousness state, with a high basal resistance, and as the right topic is found and he is gradually directed to confront the issues or experience involved, the resistance will lower. With guidance, though, he will not become overwhelmed but be able to look fully at the experience and become neither tense nor overly relaxed about it, as he realizes how his subsequent thoughts had not been rational, resulting in the bad feelings associated with it. So a mid-range resistance is the healthiest state. Normally, though, when an issue is first brought to a client's attention, the subject itself will cause an increase in arousal (instantaneous drop in resistance) that is 'reactive', i.e. a stimulus-response reaction from the pre- or sub-conscious - this suppressed emotion one can call 'charge'. Then he will back off from it somewhat, causing a rise in resistance. Then, as it is therapeutically addressed, the resistance moves back to a mid-range position. With competent therapy, a client is not so badly overwhelmed when addressing the issue that the resistance 'falls out the bottom' as described above. So you can see that the GSR meter is a valuable aid in the psychotherapeutic process, both in detecting the most 'highly charged' issue to address (usually the most accessible, though with suppressed emotional undercurrents); and also to guide the handling of the issue, leading to an equanimity in facing up to it fully. In the optimal balanced state it is also found that left and right brain hemispheres are equally aroused and phase-synchronous in their wavelengths - this can be monitored with the Bilateral Meter. There are no suppressed 'fight or flight' emotions and at the same time there is full involvement and alertness. States of genuine 'high consciousness' that are not dissociative but are insightful are indicated by balanced measurements on both the GSR and Bilateral Meters, and a needle movement that gently 'floats' or oscillates in an unforced manner. There is more to states of 'high consciousness' than left/right brain synchrony. Peak experiences, states of release from previous suppression, OOB, lucid and transcendent experiences, all involve 'unusual' brain-wave patterns - the balance of delta, theta, alpha and beta frequencies - that mirror the state of consciousness. Monroe brain-wave entrainment brings about hemispheric synchrony but also affects the brain-wave pattern. For example, OOB and lucid dreaming experiences may be triggered by attaining the mind awake-body asleep state: the mind is kept awake by beta stimuli even while the body sleeps due to delta waves, and visualization is stimulated by alpha frequencies. Certain patterns may be measured (using real-time EEG equipment) in successful meditators which show that they are not dissociated or mentally switched-off (with corresponding high basal resistance) but instead they retain full alertness and attentiveness even though the body is deeply relaxed. Q: How and where you get these values? (experiment,statistical analysis and etc.)? A: The range 5K-25K is from practical observation of many clients; below 5K and above 25K the client is less able to address any issue objectively. Q: Can you site the medical explanation on how skin resistance is being measured? A: The level of brain arousal affects emotional state and fortuitously this affects skin resistance - a symptom convenient to measure through two electrodes in contact with the skin, across any two points on the body. For example, the two points may be adjacent on one hand or across from one hand to the other. If an EEG is used simultaneously, you will observe the increase of brain arousal corresponding to the changes of measured skin resistance. The best point at which to measure skin resistance is the thumb and forefinger because this part of the body is most heavily represented neurologically in the evolutionarily advanced thought centers of the brain used to manipulate objects, and therefore closely in touch with will, left brain focused action and right brain contextual holding. Q: Can you give other reasons for the occurrence of tensions? A: The initial 'backing off' of reduced confront (rising resistance) is the result of denial of responsibility in the area addressed, a feeling of being at receipt of another's cause. The aim of the case handling is to turn this around so that the person takes responsibility for his own decisions, actions and feelings; this increased confront results in a mid-range resistance. The kind of things that can make a person feel at effect are painful experiences and outcomes, suppression of needs and wants, withheld communication, frustration through attempted manipulation of another, or another refusing to listen, or a problem that seems insurmountable. When emotional tension is suppressed, it doesn't go away, it festers and affects rational thought. When the suppressed topic is touched on again in therapy, it will be clearly visible as an instantaneous fall in resistance, corresponding to arousal of the sympathetic nervous system 'fight/flight' response, and visible on the meter through the psychogalvanic response affecting skin resistance. Relaxation of this tension occurs much more slowly through the parasympathetic nervous system, as homeostasis is restored. A useful illustration of how tension and relaxation need to be balanced for optimal functioning is seen in the sexual response. Sexual arousal is a parasympathetic function and so is destroyed by tension, such as may be caused by anxiety or upset and the associated suppression of feelings and communications. At the same time there has to be enough tension - interest and involvement - for sexual arousal to occur, so a dissociated withdrawn state is equally unfunctional. When these issues are resolved sexual function returns to normal. Q: What biological component(s) of our body carries the skin resistance? The skin is just the surface contact with electrodes; in fact it is the entire body resistance that is being measured, and this is affected by nervous system reponses as a whole - it isn't just a response of increased conductivity caused by increased sweat emission. In addition the nervous system is an electrical system affected by the more subtle energies of the body's chakra system as well as thought energies and communication flows and blockages. The mind and the spiritual consciousness (to a greater or lesser extent) directing it is not merely contained in the physical brain; rather the nervous system is a conduit between the etheric or metaphysical and the glandular and muscular actions of the body. The body, too, has its own dynamics, genetically based and centered on survival, and this body-mind interacts with the etheric; indeed in many persons it is dominant. Q: My currently area of study is looking into the advantages and disadvantages of having a high and low cortical arousal. You mention that many papers have been written on this subject in the last 25 years. I was wondering if you could specify some of these papers and information sources so that I can expand my knowledge in this area. A:The nitty-gritty of it is that very low arousal (high basal resistance) is over-relaxed, effectively switched off. Very high arousal (low basal resistance) is a state of extreme anxiety and overwhelm. Optimum mental functioning occurs mid-way between the two, varying as appropriate between more aroused (focused, enthused, alert) and less aroused (relaxed, enjoying). Lowered arousal after a state of anxiety can of course be a welcome relief. We can think things over. But low arousal can after a while become boring and then we look for a new activity, goal, or involvement. We reverse our state of arousal in this way quite frequently. My book 'Transforming the Mind' talks about this Reversal Theory in more depth. Here is a list of some of the papers written on the subject of Galvanic Skin Response...
Guest, Hazel (1990)
Toomin, M.K. & Toomin, H. (1975)
Thayer, R.E. (1989)
Gale, A. (1989)
Stern, R.M., Breen, J.P., Watanabe, T. & Perry, B.S. (1981)
Lykken, D.T. (1981)
Svebak, S. & Stoyva, J. (1980)
Blundell, G. & Cade, C.M. (1979)
Seligman, L. (1975)
Abrams, S. (1973)
Jung, C.G. (1907)
Tarchanoff, J. (1890) Q: I'm wondering about using the Clarity Meter instead of muscle testing for meridians, alarm points, food allergies, etc. Will this device work as a substitute for muscle testing? A: That's a good question and I don't know the answer from my direct experience, since I don't know enough about kinesiology - for instance, does muscle strength increase or decrease along with the tension (fight/flight response) that the GSR indicates? The GSR would, I believe, respond one way or another to the kinds of stimulus that kinesiology muscle testing measures. It would be necessary to do tests using the meter alongside muscle testing to find out what works and doesn't and what the equivalent indications are. However I would have thought that since the GSR also responds to emotional thoughts, that it would be easy to be confused by associations the client has that are separate from the stimulus being examined. EMG, a type of feedback that uses muscle tension, would seem to be more appropriate. These are some links that are relevant... www.futurehealth.org Hank Levin of Clarity Meters contributes the following reply... The mechanism of detection utilized by the Clarity Meter incorporates the deeper knowingness of the client, as does the technique of muscle testing. That said, there is a diversity of opinions by practitioners of muscle testing about how it actually works. Some consider that it is a very mechanical physiological process, and therefore not only reliable but quite objective (not easily influenced by the practitioner). Others consider that it taps only into the client's deeper consciousness if the test is being done on the client, and into the practitioners consciousness if the test is being done on him/herself, as in some diagnostic procedures. Yet others consider that regardless of who's muscle is being tested, the test taps into both the deeper consciousness of the client and that of the practitioner, and as such, it may be accurate enough to be useful, but not far enough beyond being influenced by either party to be considered totally objective. In my opinion, though I have seen muscle testing used reliably and effectively, I consider that it is highly reliant on the training and perspectuity of the practitioner. My own chiropractor uses it extensively; however, he is a highly studied professional, and demonstrates abilities in the areas of anatomy and nutrition that are both intellectually impressive and intuitive. I myself do not have enough knowledge of the systems that incorporate "acupoints" or "meridians" to know how you use them; however, I have done some experimentation with food allergies, as well as toxins and body contaminents. I made up lists of contaminents, starting with the periodic chart of elements; then proceded to common household and industrial materials and solvents, as well as foods, and assessed those lists on the Clarity Meter. I also had other practitioners assess the lists. I was impressed with the results, and I think that much more research needs to be done in this area. However, I do find that the meter will also read on the client's misunderstanding of a word--if he does not know what "berrylium" is, the meter will read on that word. At that point, the practitioner needs to ascertain whether the meter read on the misunderstood word, or on the knowingness that there is a contaminent present.This is done by simply checking with the meter. On one occasion berrylium--a highly toxic metal--was indeed identified, and was found to be a common hardening alloy in dental fillings. The meter will also read on the client's protest. For instance, if the client has enough emotional objection to being found allergic to sugar (not unthinkable, as most of us are now addicted to it), it might read on "sugar." This might have to be clarified by the practitioner. However, I believe muscle testing is subject to the same limitations! I have also used the meter successfully for gold, silver and mineral prospecting. I ran an assay laboratory for a time in Southern California. The techniques for using the meter in these circumstances is rather similar to its application in health matters. I will be writing a book about that eventually. In conclusion, I would say that the use of the Clarity Meter (or other similar devices) in health assessments is a promising area that deserves much further investigation. It is my conclusion that its success is very much contingent on the knowledge of the pratitioner (and perhaps to a less extent that of the client) of the information being assessed or investigated. However, even if studies showed that its use was statistically accurate enough to be useful, because no "scientifically" acceptable explanation can be given for how it works, it would be illegal (and otherwise politically inadvisable) to recommend it for diagnosis of health conditions.
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