Toolkit to deal with motor tics
Dr. Huberman, as a lifelong sufferer of tics in the form of head-jerking, which I assume is Tourette’s Syndrome (although not clinically diagnosed as such), I see similar behavior with my 9-year-old son. This breaks my heart because I was not able to overcome this difficulty myself, so I feel powerless against it. I do not acknowledge it when I see it, which is also what his doctor suggested. If my son happens to bring it up I simply suggest that he perform some stretching exercises of the neck instead, to perhaps alleviate the build-up of tension that needs to be released. I don't know if this will be helpful. I would very much love to get your input on this matter, understand the mechanisms at work, and perhaps obtain the toolkit to deal with it effectively as he grows up into adulthood. Thank you for your time.
Neurotransmitters and orgasm
For over forty years, I've been saving my seed, cultivating and harvesting my sexual energy. I've always understood this in terms of a graphical metaphor, but in the last few years, I've wanted to understand the neurobiology of what I'm doing. I have many techniques for thwarting ejaculation with one last ditch technique when about to cross the point of no return. If I quickly and vigorously shake my head back and forth a couple times, just for a second or fraction of, an ejaculation can be avoided. My hypothesis is, that for ejaculation to happen, there's an organization of synapses in the brain and for the organization of synapses, there has to be an organization of neurotransmitters/neuromodulators. I'm Thinking that by quickly shaking my head, I'm mechanically scattering the neurotransmitters/neuromodulators; maybe even misaligning the pre and post synaptic neurons. Is my hypothesis plausible or just the imaginations of a lunatic? This is complicated by male ejaculation and orgasm being two separate events that can happen each without the other, even though most men experience them as the same thing. I'd love to hear a podcast on the neurochemistry of male sexual stimulation, ejaculation, and orgasm. I'm particularly interested in the roll of prolactin. It would really help me understand what's going on inside my body as I work with my sexual energy. My graphical metaphor, in case you're interested: Imagine a building with a boiler system. The boiler is in the basement and pipes run throughout the building providing heat and doing work, like running turbines, etc. Now imagine a boiler at your pelvic floor. There's a baseline level of flame heating the fluid making steam that pressurizes a system feeding your body mind and spirit. The fire can be modulated most dramatically, by sexual stimulation. As the fire increases, the steam pressure increases. To protect the boiler from over pressurization, there's a relief valve. Ejaculation is the relief valve popping off. If you learn to process the pressure by putting it to work powering the physical, mental, and spiritual endeavors of your life, there's no need to engage the relief valve. Cultivating sexual energy is turning the fire up as high as possible and directing the steam pressure to where you need it most.
Tools for brain states and the visual system
Can you please review or publish more work on how we can leverage the visual system to influence the state of our brain and body? I’ve implemented the visual practices that you’ve mentioned (space time bridging, focusing on a spot before a work bout, and toggling my vision between near and far objects for a minute or two) and I find that they enhance my ability to focus and task switch. Is this just the tip of the iceberg?
The Reticular Activating system and its role on "beliefs"
I work in the recovery field. The treatment center I went through (and work at now) went over the reticular activating system in the "addiction education curriculum". In summary, it explains that you basically view the world through "belief colored glasses" and that is the work of the RAS. If you believe something, your brain is primed to bias the information you get towards your beliefs (adaptive or maladaptive). I have done my own thorough look of the literature on the RAS and I see nothing about belief systems in there. I want to make sure that this isn't false information before continuing to teach it to people in early recovery. I would think based off some of the "mindset" episodes, that it may be accurate but there was no mention of the RAS in those episodes. Been looking for an answer on this, thank you!