Hey everyone,
I wanted to ask your opinions and advice on using either Trans Cranial Direct Current Stimulation or Low Level Light/Laser Therapy to improve the overall health and function of my brain. I'll try to be as concise as I can.
- I've had HPPD for about 12 years. It's not what I'd call "severe" relative to some people's personal accounts of the disorder, but it's enough that I feel my quality of life would improve without it.
- I may have some "comorbid" symptoms: Anxiety (though some of that is due to other unresolved issues in my life, which I'm working on); bouts of depression (same); as of late, other perceptual issues (I don't want to call it "derealization", but from a visual perspective and otherwise, I have felt things don't look or feel quite "real"); poor sleep quality (waking every night between 3 and 4 AM, after which point I seem to dream excessively and spend the rest of the wee hours in a dream/wake cycle which isn't helping my mental state in the day); overly vivid dreams (some far out stuff, man), with uncomfortable feelings that often accompany the content of the dreams themselves; and finally, a visually overactive mind. By that, I mean that my brain seems to frequently generate images, storyboards, shapes, etc. I can create pictures of, it seems, just about anything, quickly, in my head.
Some might say that sounds fun or is a gift, but between the HPPD symptoms (static, flickering, afterimages, mild tracers in high contrast lighting and constant pseudo fractals that resemble the phosphene effect you can get by pressing on your eyeballs), it's a bit much to take when I just want to rest my eyes and mind. I don't know if this overly visual aspect is due to the HPPD or not, but I could definitely do with it being turned down several notches.
So. TCDCS and LLLT sound interesting, but I'm not sure where I'd begin. Could any suggestions be made as to specific devices, montages to use/choose from, which parts of the brain might be good to stimulate or quell, etc.?
Supplement-wise, right now I take Magnesium Bisglycinate (300 to 500 mg at once); Lemon Balm and Motherwort Tincture; and I tried/am trying "Intellect Tree" seed oil (cold-pressed, not solvent extracted) - and though it seems to enhance cognition in an interesting way, it has sometimes made me feel a bit "off", and I'm not sure if its dose-dependent cholinergic action (if I recall what I read correctly) could increase the seemingly excessive REM sleep I seem to have/decrease slow-wave sleep (which I think I need more of).
I'm considering trying Selank (subcutaneous). Any thoughts on that, given what I've described?
I stopped using Kava for its anxiolytic effects for the time being; it seemed to worsen the HPPD symptoms after a while. I was using it numerous times/daily, so I'm not sure if my brain is sort of readjusting itself to the absence of the kavalactones.
Anyway, on the note of sleep, that's something I should be doing now. Your thoughts are very much appreciated.
Edited by R.ticle One, 14 June 2014 - 02:31 AM.
