I found and dusted off my old $15.00 Radio Shack (R/S) Stress Reduction "Blue Box" device which measures Galvanic Skin Resistance (GSR) to feed back stress level as a tone that rises and falls with tension/relaxation (or is it falls and rises?). Whatever!
But I seem to have lost the instructions, or perhaps they recycled themselves in the 20 years since I bought the device. I'm amazed that the 9 volt battery did not rupture and ruin it in all these many years burried in my dresser drawer :-)
It has two electrodes with velcro for attachment to a finger. Or is it to attach to two fingers? Or does it matter? That's my problem. I'm not sure any more how to hook it up? Anyone with the original Blue Box instructions or instructions from a similar GSR machine that you can share the basics of with me -especially the hookup technique? Do I need to "wet" the electrodes? Etc.
Thanks,
RocketHealer Jim++
Follow Ups:
Re: Looking for hookup instructions for R/S Blue Box GSR machine
Posted by Walt Stoll on November 01, 1998 at 08:56:57:
In Reply to: Looking for hookup instructions for R/S Blue Box GSR machine posted by RocketHealer Jim++ on October 31, 1998 at 06:20:03:
Dear RocketHealer Jim,
The electrodes go on two separate fingers----best to put an unattached finger in between but it will work with adjacent fingers.
No need to wet the electrodes but it does not destroy the effect if they are damp. I use mine dry. They need to be firmly applied. You do not need to cut off the circulation.
Just turn the dial till you hear the tone. What matters, as in ALL biofeedback techniques and machines, is the DIFFERENCE you make from where you start. NOT any absolute reading.
I have not used my Radio Shack unit for so long that I forget which way the tone goes when you are becoming more relaxed or more tense. However, you can find out by getting the original tone and then think "vividly" about your house burning down. Whichever way the tone goes is NOT the way you want for relaxation. You could even put the electrodes together (briefly) whichever way the tone goes is NOT the way you want it for relaxation.
INCREASING resistance is the relaxation response. Putting the electordes together = very low resistance (if any).
Let us know how you do.
Walt
Follow Ups:
Thanks - Unattached fingers are now on Sale!
Posted by RocketHealer Jim++ on November 01, 1998 at 10:02:24:
In Reply to: Re: Looking for hookup instructions for R/S Blue Box GSR machine posted by Walt Stoll on November 01, 1998 at 08:56:57:
Thanks Walt.
I found the "unattached finger in between" part interesting, especially on Halloween! :-) You can probably get the unattached fingers at a big discount now that Haloween is over.
No, I know that is NOT what you meant! :-) The idea is to average out the body internal resistance reading over some significant area of the body, rather than relaxing just one finger. (I've read that some people can make one finger get warmer, without affecting the rest of their body-or they can make one hand warmer and the other hand colder at the same time.) So I suppose that connecting to one finger of each of your two hands might be even better, but the electrode wires are not set up that way. Get out the 'ole wire-stretcher!
About the way the tone goes, that is really obvious with such a device. I just could not remember which way it was when I was writing my question.
Unfortunately, I find the rising pitch with higher stress (lower internal resistance) to be VERY stressing in and of itself. The tone obstinately rises when you *want* it to fall, this rising tone makes you more frustrated/stressed and it rises even more. It's a negative feedback loop which is UNSTABLE! Perhaps a different tone approach (electronic or psychological) would be better, something to be less stressful.
On this line, do all GSR units use this rising tone on rising stress, or do some use a different approach to the feedback? I can see that an analog dial or a series of LEDs would be less auditorially stressful, but then you would need to open your eyes to see the reading. Eventually that's ok, of course, as you get to where you can live life relaxed. I already notice some of that, even after my relatively limited SR time. It's a state that I can "swich" into in just a few seconds. It feels something like a physical shift occurs inside my head, from the front towards the back. And all of a sudden, my perceptions are much longer-range, like my aura goes way out beyond my body, for lack of a better explanation. I'm one with a lot more of the world when I'm meditating. Seriously I can hear things from clear in the other room while meditating, even though I don't care if I hear anything or not. It's definitely an experience of significantly widened sources of sensations and longer-range awareness for me.
Thanks,
RocketHealer BUZZZZZZZ Jim++
Follow Ups:
The above is an example why it is so tough to categorize/archive posts
Posted by RocketHealer Jim++ on November 01, 1998 at 10:07:49:
In Reply to: Thanks - Unattached fingers are now on Sale! posted by RocketHealer Jim++ on November 01, 1998 at 10:02:24:
I realized that in the above post, I digressed. Were someone looking at this post, considering it for potential archive, should it be filed under SR, GSR machines, Biofeedback, Effects of SR, Improving one's hearing, Philosophy, Auras, Silly RocketHealers, or some/all of the above?
Most posts involve several subjects all at once, and the subject area boundaries are fuzzy.
Jim
Follow Ups:
Re: Thanks - Unattached fingers are now on Sale!
Posted by Walt Stoll on November 02, 1998 at 09:00:15:
In Reply to: Thanks - Unattached fingers are now on Sale! posted by RocketHealer Jim++ on November 01, 1998 at 10:02:24:
Thanks, RocketHealer Jim,
I got my first grin of the day from the "unattached finger".
Two hands probably is marginally better but not much.
The more expensive machines have dials, flashing lights, etc., (take your choice with a flip of a dial). Remember that there are now alarm clocks without a tone that just have flashing lights. Somehow, we are aware of a little red light flashing on our alarm clock & it wakes us out of a sound sleep.
Experienced meditators soon find that they can maintain this state with their eyes open. Of course, by then, they no longer need a machine to tell them that they are "there".
Namaste` Walt
P.S. You are right also about the senses being more acute in the alpha state. MY expereince directly parallels yours.
Re: The above is an example why it is so tough to categorize/archive posts
Posted by Bill on November 03, 1998 at 14:28:19:
In Reply to: The above is an example why it is so tough to categorize/archive posts posted by RocketHealer Jim++ on November 01, 1998 at 10:07:49:
Hi Jim,
Just to satisfy your curiosity, I plan to archive this under "biofeedback" :)
Bill