Do you know of any examples of this type of approach? Especially ones that led to a new type of therapy that is either approved, in clinical trials or just thought of? Maybe cancer?
Albeit then also going forward to therapeutic interventions?
Quite rare, difficult to qualify & interpret!
Just learned:
''Sham stimulation'
as placebo effect equivalent —inactive, brief, or weak form of directed brainwaves— for: #tDCS Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation #tACS Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation #tRNS Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation
I sometimes wonder if existing therapies can best be framed in dynamical systems terms. Take ECT. Assuming that it sometimes works, perhaps it is primarily a perturbation that bumps a system into a nearby attractor?
Another example: a neuroscientist and Buddhist meditation practitioner named Patricia Sharp once described meditation as a way of destroying attractors that correspond to bad repetitive thoughts/behaviors, and then creating new ones.
Completely anecdotal and subjective, but this is how I would describe my experience after spending time in sensory deprivation tanks (which I do 1-2x month). There's a point during the experience where my mind just goes completely quiet. No more wondering thoughts or sense of self. I call it "annihilation" (for lack of a better word). Afterwards, there is a feeling of calm that persists for 1-2 days and my reactions to things feel just different, as if I've gone through a neural/mental reset. It's like I'm a slightly new person after each float in the tank.
We were talking about sensory deprivation tanks in our lab meeting on Wednesday (I think the discussion started with anechoic chambers). I have one just half a mile from where I live, never really been there though. Maybe I should.
@NicoleCRust I think the new push towards treatments with psychedelics will be interesting and in my opinion adheres to all three of your points.
Some cancer patients have preferred psychedelics as the best course for their pain relief as well during chemo.
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