Sean Mackey

Sean Mackey
Sean Mackey, OBEwas an Irish engineering professor...
anyone brain controls perform
We really don't know, but then we really don't know how anyone controls their brain to perform an action.
believe brain brains change chronic considered control families huge impact incredibly individual learned patients science subjects testing treatment
We believe these subjects and patients really learned to control their brain and, through that, their pain...Pain has a huge impact on individual patients, their families and society. I got incredibly jazzed by the results. We could change people's lives. However, significantly more science and testing must be done before this can be considered a treatment for chronic pain.
activity attention brain focus
And then when they would focus their attention away they would see that the brain activity would go down.
ability asked brain brains change changing increased instead meaning patients relatively subjects terrible thinking turned
As an example, we asked them to think about changing the meaning of the pain. Instead of thinking of it as a terrible experience, to think of it as something relatively pleasant. Then the patients were turned loose. Over time, subjects showed an increased ability to change their brain and by doing so to modulate their pain.