Hi, sorry for delay!
Sirhinojo wrote:
I read that one can fill in the questionaire sober, drunk, or other altered moods.

This is only recommended if a student is NORMALLY drunk or in altered states (because of state-dependent learning). Ideally doing an FA you don't want to change yoru state from what is 'normal' for you.
Obviously as an experiment you can also do the FA in different states afterwards to see what changes (in this experiment your original 'normal' FA becomes the control.

[s] The Functional Analysis is the tailored platform upon which we base our intelligence augmentation. 

It shouldn't be. An FA is one tool that we use for basic assessment; if you follow the tutorials through you will find many other such tools (including secondary FAs, tests & self-assessments.)The entire contents of our Captains Log should be at our disposal when making our personal plan.

[s] But has it been taken into consideration that although we can ONLY have direct access to our own experience and minds, unfortunately we are just as much prone to confabulation?

This too is mentioned in the tutorials, where we advise that the more honest we are able to be, the more accurate will be our results. Keeping the FA anonymous, advising that students can wipe it right after doing it if they want to, and our not keeping any records of them, helps people to achieve a more relaxed, honest space. You know that nobody else is going to see it; there is no need to lie. Later, we learn how it's getting in our own way to lie on assessments anyway -they are our tools, so why make poor quality, inaccurate tools for ourselves?

[s] Actually, I have a very "healthy" appearing FA.  But I still feel like I am plagued by low grade anxiety, melancholic sadness, as well as phases of mania.

Functionality is a continuum, with zero function (brain death) at one end and unilateral genius at the other. In that context, we ARE doing fine. The main reason we're doing fine is we're moving in the right direction. How well we're doing is not about what we've tested or hacked already or haven't, not about what FA results we got at one given moment in time, not about what tutorial we've got to, but all these things are tools and clues and inspirations for our knowing what to do next, caring enough to help ourselves, and keeping on going in that direction.

[s] I mean, actually, my FA results seem to say I am just doing fine, no?  But I know this isnt true.

I hope now you are aware that it IS  :  )  It would be untrue if it were the results for someone in a coma, or someone close to genius. We are neither, we are just 'doing okay', but going in the direction that brings improvement and avoiding the directions that make things worse (both are important).

 
[s] Thus I ask to know more about the basis of using the FA as a foundation for neurohacking.

My info on the FA background is below:


Use of FAs has always been standard in places I have lived and worked -it did not occur to me that they may not be used in other places. They are so useful that I cannot think why they would not be used!

In ordinary circumstances they are used to assure that there are no nervous system functional problems after an illness, injury or accident.

Here is one that seems to be used in the US (but I think you may have to pay for it?)
http://tbims.org/combi/FAM/

Here also is a good source for FAs of various kinds:
http://www.tbims.org/combi/list.html

If you do a net search on “functional analysis after brain injury” or “functional assessment after brain injury”, you will find some typical examples in current use. Here is one:
http://www.braininjury.ie/ViewCategory.aspx?ID=241  (TEXT REPRODUCED BELOW)

The assessment process after an acquired brain injury (ABI) is used to clarify what parts of the brain have been affected after the injury has occurred. In more recent times, test results have been compared to MRI scans to confirm validity.

1. Neuropsychological assessment – This is the assessment of cognitive domains such as memory, attention, executive function, verbal skills, functional academic abilities, speed of information processing and visuo-spatial ability.
This will lead to a clinical neuropsychological formulation that will identify the difficulties a person has associated with their brain injury. This will then facilitate the identification of appropriate evidence-based strategies to be devised and implemented.
2. Functional analysis of behavior – This assessment tries to identify why the behavior is occurring. The analysis is mainly done by the staff working with the client through the use of Event Recording Charts and ABC Charts. Functional Analysis is seen as the key element in the behavioral assessment which should precede any behavioral intervention.
 
3. Clinical Observations in various environments – This involves all the members of the multi-disciplinary team (MDT). The client will be asked to carry out various tasks (e.g. dressing, cooking, shopping, etc.) and observations by the various members of the MDT will inform the team in what areas the client is having difficulties.

4. Psychiatric Assessment – This comprises of a clinical interview with the Consultant Psychiatrist. Based on the information gathered during the course of the interview the Consultant Psychiatrist will discuss the assessment with the client and offer any medications that may be necessary in order to facilitate the person through their rehabilitation.

More reading material on FAs:

FA & function-based treatment
http://www.amazon.com/Functional-Behavi … amp;sr=1-1

FA in clinical treatment
http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0123725 … eader-link

Neurohackers use FAs for diagnosis of strong and weak features and network performance.

Best,
AR