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Electrical Brain Stimulation for Alexithymia?

Tootse

Tootse

New Member
Has anyone, by chance, with Alexithymia heard of or experienced a swell of emotions after using an electrical brain stimulator?

I recently got the Fisher Wallace Stimulator for my own depression and insomnia (Cassandra Syndromer here). My husband with ASD1/Aspergers decided to try it out for himself just to see what it does. After using it every other day for about 2 weeks, to our BIG SURPRISE he's been actually experiencing emotions other than anger. Which is HUGE for him. Other than anger his *emotions* have always been flat lined. No other emotion. He was the first to acknowledge *feeling* different and questioning whether the device may be what brought this about.
The machine is supposed to lift mood to help people with depression to feel better. Maybe it elevates or magnifies emotions?‍♀️
Mind you, we've been married for over 3 decades. Other than anger, he's never experienced any other emotions. So far he's experiencing happiness and sadness....along with the correlating facial expressions. And he actually is surprising himself by noting in the middle of the new emptions... "wow! I haven't felt this before."This is HUGE!
Anyhow, I was wondering if anyone else had similar experience or has heard of such experience.
 
Yes, I made a thread about this very thing. I was terribly depressed for several months, only to feel better within two days from one of those machines. Now half my family uses it.
 
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Fino said:
Yes, I made a thread about this very thing. I was terrible depressed for several months, only to feel better within two days from one of those machines. Now half my family uses it.
Click to expand...
I searched for any posts but nothing came up.
I'm glad to hear it helped you. It's helped me too.
Do you by chance have Alexithymia? Did it help you feel emotions you hadn't felt before?
 
I've had neurological tests all year because of problems with balance and gait.
Nothing much has shown up except for progressing neuropathy.
Some articles on-line have been showing TMS and/or CES, has been
helping neuropathic patients.

It sure wouldn't hurt to try it for depression and anxiety.
Has anyone heard of it having a side benefit for neuropathy?
 
SusanLR said:
I've had neurological tests all year because of problems with balance and gait.
Nothing much has shown up except for progressing neuropathy.
Some articles on-line have been showing TMS and/or CES, has been
helping neuropathic patients.

It sure wouldn't hurt to try it for depression and anxiety.
Has anyone heard of it having a side benefit for neuropathy?
Click to expand...
I'm sorry you're having those issues. I know that must be troubling. I too have serious balance issues.
Regarding your question on whether the brain stimulator helping with neuropathy, I don't recall passing over any info in my research. Maybe do some research yourself. Best wishes on finding some useful info and feeling better.
 
Tootse said:
I searched for any posts but nothing came up.
I'm glad to hear it helped you. It's helped me too.
Do you by chance have Alexithymia? Did it help you feel emotions you hadn't felt before?
Click to expand...

Well, I had been experiencing anhedonia all that time so it restored basically all of my emotions back to normal. And yes, I do have alexithymia.
 
Fino said:
Well, I had been experiencing anhedonia all that time so it restored basically all of my emotions back to normal. And yes, I do have alexithymia.
Click to expand...

Does that mean you now find small talk enjoyable? Also, do the effects decrease over time?
 
My understanding of the difference between anhedonia and alexithymia is that with anhedonia you were previously experiencing feelings and that those feelings stopped. However, with alexithymia the neurological connections hae never been there to have the feelings in the first place.

I know this might be a bit simplistic, and I might be trying to split a hair here.
 
Fino said:
No, I don't find small talk any more enjoyable. And the effects don't seem to have decreased over time.
Click to expand...
That's a huge improvement though. Isn't it? Why aren't these benefits of electric brain stimulation being advertised or being noted for further research?
 
Matthias said:
Did it improve any aspects of social anhedonia such as experiencing greater enjoyment spending time with friends or family?
Click to expand...

No, but medication I take does that for me.

Tootse said:
That's a huge improvement though. Isn't it? Why aren't these benefits of electric brain stimulation being advertised or being noted for further research?
Click to expand...

Yeah, it was life transforming. I believe it is being researched to some extent, along with similar treatments. It should be one of the first things that comes up if you research non-medication treatments for depression.
 
Fino said:
No, but medication I take does that for me.



Yeah, it was life transforming. I believe it is being researched to some extent, along with similar treatments. It should be one of the first things that comes up if you research non-medication treatments for depression.
Click to expand...

It's interesting that CES improved non-social anhedoinia but not social anhedonia which confirms what I read about those two types of anhedonia having different causes. I still think it's great that it makes your non-social activities more enjoyable and hope it will continue to work.
 
IMO this is nonsense. As an autistic person I have emotions, at least all the emotions concerning to my self. I can get happy or angry about everything that sourounds me, neither more nor less than everybody, including those emotions about the people. Besides, if I experience any kind of neural stimulation, such as a glass of wine, a compliment or a mild electrical shock, my selfmade emotions will enhance. To my understand, the autism is not an issue about emotions, but about communication. As we don't have emotional communication, as the neurothipicals do, we just don't react emotionaly in time, lacking the chance of communication. Wath we would need is a kind of machine for emotional telepathy, instead of any emotions enhancer.
 
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