Hi dude,
Re: I do not possess access to a piano or guitar or something

yes you do!:
http://virtualpiano.net/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DF0z94pIsAM
or
http://www.thevirtualpiano.com/
and
http://www.adamsguitar.com/

back later,
AR

Hi dude,
Great! Can we have a free copy?  :  )
AR

Hi dude,
It's called anxiety. Not the same things as stress (see tutorials).
What's happening is the blood flow to your frontal lobes is being shut down, so they can't do their job of rational thinking, strategy, etc because they are not getting what they need (and they can't until you relax).
What's also happening is your immune system is compromised and all growth & development is postponed until the problem goes away. If it happens a lot, we risk premature aging & decline, so it's worth tackling as soon as we can.
The first step to tackling anxiety is noticing that it's happening, so you've done that bit. The second step is deciding to do something about it, you've probably done that bit too.
Next you need to explore methods of stopping it 'before it starts' -by noticing the warning signs and adopting a new habit that changes the resulting behavior.

Since this seems in some way related to needs, it may be useful to check whether your biological needs are being adequately met by your current lifestyle.

There are a lot of different methods and everyone is different, so you may need to explore several methods before finding out what works for you.
Many of these methods are discussed on this site and in tutorials, however if you discover anything not yet mentioned that works for you, let us know because it may help others also.
Best regards,
AR

Hi dude,
Good for you; this is progress. But we don't start work on the network with the 'highest' non use or wronguse. We start with the earliest network to show any non use or wronguse.

So look at your results again and find which is the earliest (lowest number) network with any issues. Most people find that's 1&2, for some it's 3.

Most people also find their highest non use or wronguse is in 4, 5 or 6. But we must work from the bottom up if NH is to be effective. This is because front networks (4, 5, 6) need the support of rear network skills in order to develop. When we sharpen up the rear network skills, we find N6 is in much better shape all by itself, because its been developing all the time we were working on 1, 2 or 3. The good news about bottom-up restructuring is that a lot of the frontal networks sort themselves out as we work on the rear ones. They've just been sitting there waiting for the supporting nets.

Being able to be more honest for example means we have better self esteem (N5); but that relies on work we have done on emotional stability (N3) -so probably your anxiety reduction has upgraded N3 (which itself probably needed that more stable low GI chemical environment and better connections with N1 & 2, to get going).

We may not think of being honest with ourselves as an ability or skill, but it is, and many people are never mentally coherent enough to be able to do it. So that's good progress already.

If you have a particularly overactive N6 it is nice to be able to ground yourself a bit. Once again, working on rear nets and anxiety reduction will do this.

There are exercises for N6, and they will be in tutorials 16-18. As far as I know, none of us here is yet ready for them, still having earlier networks to work on. Meditation works well for some to get a good 'starting space' in N6, others find solving puzzles more enticing. N6 is supposed to be coordinating and communicating output, so any activity which requires these skills is going to help development. 

Also remember, we're not supposed to be 'avoiding' bad habits; we're supposed to replace them with better ones. So what have you replaced soda with? (if we don't replace, habits will creep back in over time).

Incidentally on the same subject for me, has anyone found a good replacement for cream buns & ice cream? Fruit & yogurt or fruit & cream sorta goes halfway; it's the 'cake' part that's the problem.

Best,
AR

Hi dude,
Re: I'd like to apologize for not replying for a long time.

...Hey, I sometimes take years to answer an email  :  )

Re:what's mainly holding me back are N1, N2, and N3.

This is often the case, and it's important to address it because otherwise we risk burnout. In your case N3 doesn't look so bad, but increasing front network function without firm reliable foundations is always a risk, and it's probably unwise to be exercising front nets overmuch in this situation.

Do you know why you have had difficulties with low GI? Is it the actual foods you were choosing or the amount of time spent preparing food, or other reasons? (having just pigged out on fresh raspberries & yogurt I find it hard to imagine why anyone would not like this, but am well aware some people would indeed think, yuck!) LOL  :  )  I'm bad at maintaining adequate food intake when into projects too, but I do find the quality of what is produced diminishes, and the quality of attention/concentration definitely does too, when I don't give the brain what it needs.

If you've been experiencing nausea, that could be due to the vortioxetine + not eating enough. Sudden Serotonin increase (or sudden decrease) on an empty stomach is famous for giving folks that 'seasick' feeling.*

Re: whether the effectiveness of vortioxetine after prolonged daily intake get reduced.(?)

vortioxetine is a relative newcomer in psychopharmacology and has multiple complicated effects. One main mechanism of regulation RELIES on effective downregulation; not @ 5-HT receptors themselves, but of the receptors producing enzymes which 'mop up' used serotonin (a bit like acetylcholinesterase inhobitors increase Acetylcholine). The concept is that downregulation should result in permanently raised levels of 5-HT, which, strictly speaking, implies that the drug could be discontinued after it has done its job of removing excess inhibitor enzyme receptors. I notice there is little mention of this in the literature, however, so you may need to pursue further research.

good sources of info:
http://neurotransmitting.com/the-seroto … explained/
http://www.researchgate.net/publication/274399863

This (vortioxetine)is a complex drug affecting a lot of neurotransmitters; not just serotonin. Trying out new stabilizers at the same time as taking on studies is not something I would attempt, but obviously you know yourself better than anyone else does, and if you can find something that works for you, stick with it.

At the same time though, (especially if as you say you now have adequate anxiety reduction & input control) look into why depression should arise in the first place. It would be a shame to spend years trying loads of different stuff to solve a problem if the problem turned out to be caused by something else you are doing or not doing, such as lack of quality food or natural environment deficiency (which are also aspects of input control, of course).

Some of us do indeed have genetic whoopsies or past environmental damage which necessitate continuing medication, but sometimes adjusting environmental factors can assist balance.

Overall though it sounds like you're getting there; sometimes it can take a while to find something which works really well, but it's worth trying stuff out. You do have to give it a chance to prove its worth, though, without introducing any confounding variables, so I wouldn't recommend trying anything else new (such as CBT) until you have made sure the current meds suit you and are working well, and given your system time to get used to them. Also, cognitive therapies may not be the best choice when what the FA indicates would be more sensorimotor or spatial input is required. ...Gardening might be a good choice?

Finally, the accuracy of the initial 'beginners' FA is limited. The intermediate FA is more revealing (but that doesn't mean you should rush through tutorials just to get there). So remember that this is just a rough guide and trust your intuition regarding beneficial input activities.

Hope all goes well for ya,
Best,
AR

*Weed smokers will recognize this as the second day after running out, when your stomach goes all queasy and if it could talk, it would be saying, 'Oy, where's my serotonin gone??'  :  )

Hi dude,
Sounds like you have a whole new bunch of adaptive skills now so well done you  :  ) 

I have a similar issue with sweet stuff in the evenings, mainly because it help keep me awake but doesn't make the demands on the bladder that coffee does. So we could maybe make use of similar substitutes?

I've found melon is wonderful, cold, sweet and thirst-quenching. Peaches are also pretty good. Some drinks are also nice with honey -particularly cocoa, or chilled lemon tea. My colleague likes green tea with honey, but to me it just tastes like water with honey in. The famous one is of course honey & lemon with spice which can be done hot or cold, but there is always the temptation to chuck a shot of cognac in there because it tastes so good.
Home-made ice-lollies or ice cream are great after a meal, you pour cream & honey (add cocoa or mint or whatever fruit you want) into the lolly molds or bowl and set them in the freezer, and then you try not to eat six at a time.
Yogurt is great too with added fruit, but its hard to get yogurt without crap in it where I live. Chilled fruit & cream is another goodie, raspberries/blueberries/strawberries are wonderful.
Weak alcoholic drinks are another possibility; half water/half wine makes a nice chilled post-prandial bevvy and (if its red wine) is much better for you than cola etc.

If you have a regular sweet drinks habit, start by substituting on every other day, then doing the whole weekend, and so on. At the same time start looking at the unpleasant health effects of soda, as this can definitely reduce our desire to drink them. Type 'coke is a joke' into your search engine and see what comes up.

Re: more on 'heating effect': if you're actually getting severe hot rushes after food, it might be wise to get your thyroid & prostate & hormone levels checked, especially if you're in the 40-60 age bracket, and most especially if the heat effect is mainly in the shoulders and upper torso. Also remember that food is digested optimally when we're resting after meals. If you're taking vitamin Bs or drinking alcohol with meals, that could also increase the heating effect, especially in the face.
Hope this helps,
Best,
AR

before I started eating low GI,  i was reliant on fast release sugar to have any kind of energy.  If I went too long without eating, I would get light headed and have to sit down somewhere until I had something sugary to eat or drink. I believe these were all signs of low blood sugar.
   When I started to eat low GI I didn't eat often enough and when I did eat, a similar feeling of flushed light headed hunger would occur.   
I think what was happening was the glycemic load of food caused a large release of insulin which in turn caused blood sugar to drop because my body was expecting a bolus of sugar to hit the bloodstream which never came. (or rather, came far more slowly than anticipated.)
   this did resolve over time by eating more often and, eventually I developed far greater metabolic flexibility and can now go long periods of time without hunger. When i do get hungry, it is uncomfortable, but not debilitating. 
if any of this seems familiar, you might try eating more often for a while as an experiment.

Hi,just wanted to intoduce myself !

Im a big lover of neuro science and how the brain functions,
I have been playing with supplements to increase health and brain function and mood, for almost 10 years, I have taken many super foods: like cacao, goji berries, maca, ect… seems to improve my levesl of energy to optimum, when doing smothies!
Recently I whent to university and reshearching on smart drugs, and started to upgrade them with herbs, such brami, and mushrooms like lions mane that improve brain functions.
Im exited to be here and learn! And use this knowledge to the best of my potential!