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feeling fewer aches and pains. "I know I sound like a paid spokesman and I guess in some ways I am, but I just have felt more productive and engaged, more graceful with my reflexes and even seem to have a better posture," Shelley said. Insomnia can be caused by stress or trauma that throws off the brain's natural rhythms, Tegeler said. It can also be a symptom of those situations. Shelley said he didn't know of any stress or trauma that contributed to his sleeping-pattern disruptions. In many instances, the brain rebalances itself over a few days but, when it doesn't, it can become a chronic problem, Tegeler said. "This new technology is intended to facilitate greater balance and harmony in brain functioning, which may result in improved symptoms," he said. The technology works this way: Electrodes are affixed to the scalp and connected to a computer to detect the brain waves of various brain lobes. A brain wave is electromagnetic energy that can be broken down into frequencies. Higher frequencies have more cycles per second. To reflect the brain's own optimal wave patterns back to it noninvasively, the frequencies are assigned a musical tone and played back to the subject via stereo ear buds placed in the ears. As the brain resonates with the transmitted sounds, changes occur in the neural network. Shelley said the tones helped him to drain away his thoughts. "I either tried to go to a happy place during the sessions or thinking of something that requires balance, like walking on a tightrope," he said. Tegeler expects to have the final study results by September. He said most participants have received a level of benefit from the study. "They reported either greatly enhanced sleep or feeling more rested with the sleep they are getting," Tegeler said. Shelley said he is optimistic that the rebalancing of his brain will stay with him at least for a while. "It'll just be a matter of finding a doctor who uses the system," Shelley said.
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