Biofeedback Equipment: Thought Technology Ltd.

Thought Technology's Sports History

Thinking happy thoughts: MindRoom in the works for Canucks
By Iain Macintyre, vancouver sun columnist December 10, 2009

VANCOUVER — In director Stanley Kubrick's classic 1971 film A Clockwork Orange, a violent criminal named Alex DeLarge undergoes experimental aversion therapy as authorities try to psychologically reprogram him.

DeLarge, brilliantly played by Malcolm McDowell, has his eyelids clamped open and is forced to watch graphic nasty bits of ultra-violence on film while suffering drug-induced nausea all to the music of Beethoven. DeLarge quickly associates his suffering with violence and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and is cured. Completely disarmed psychologically, he returns to the community stripped of any coping skills and soon tries to kill himself.

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Berlin, Germany ---- Holding their BFE Lifetime Achievement Awards for their contribution to the field of Biofeedback and Neurofeedback in Sport, in both Professional Football and the Olympics are Dr. Bruno Demichelis and Dr. Vietta 'Sue' Wilson. Their lectures opened the Biofeedback Foundation of Europe's 11th annual Meeting Scientific Program, in Berlin.

Dr. Bruno Demichelis gave a ninety minute lecture on AC Milan's use of the Mind Room and Sport Psychology /Sports Medicine. The MindRoom, which includes Thought Technology’s ProComp Infiniti/ BioGraph Infiniti, is considered their secret weapon that helped them defeat Manchester United 3-0 and win the Champions League Football final May 23rd, 2007 in Athens, Greece. Dr. Demichelis demonstrated the remarkable increase in Heart Rate Variability that the AC Milan athletes had achieved, and how important all the players now take this part of their training, as well as their successful use of Biofeedback and Neurofeedback to prepare for penalty kicks and ‘regenerate after a strenuous workout’. take this part of their training, as well as their successful use of Biofeedback and Neurofeedback to prepare for penalty kicks and ‘regenerate after a strenuous workout’.

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A Montreal firm developed the Mind Room, which helps Azzurri players put soccer into focus
AARON DERFEL, The Gazette

Published: Saturday, July 08, 2006

When Italy plays against France tomorrow in the World Cup final, some of its best players will be relying on a secret weapon.

Shoes with special cleats? No. Shorts that make a forward run faster? Not really.

Rather, the secret weapon in question is called the Mind Room and it was developed in Montreal.

For months now, at least four players on the Italian national team have been training in the Mind Room to prepare themselves mentally for clutch moments in the World Cup. Although the Mind Room is located in Italy, the biofeedback equipment was invented by Thought Technology Ltd. of Montreal.

Forward Alberto Gilardino, defender Alessandro Nesta as well as midfielders Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso all swear by ProComp, the main device in the Mind Room. Although Nesta is injured, the other three are likely to play in the final.

"These guys have been trained by Bruno De Michelis, the head of sport science of AC Milan, to be able to focus, to concentrate and to get into the zone for their peak performance," said Lawrence Klein, vice-president of Thought Technology.

"There is no question that mental preparation is the key difference, because these guys are all extraordinarily fit and talented. Our instrumentation helps the athletes reach that optimal state of mind."

In the Mind Room, the athletes lie on reclining chairs, their bodies strapped to the ProComp device that measures seven physiological signs - from their brain waves and muscle tension to their breathing and heart rate. De Michelis then trains them to use their minds to reach a meditative state.

The next step is to teach the athletes to maintain that state while visualizing in their minds their athletic performance. They often watch videos of their performances on the pitch.

If they have a particular problem - like missing a penalty kick or hitting the crossbar - De Michelis will train them to relax mentally. He does this by first getting them into the meditative state, then showing them a video of their flawed performance for a couple of seconds. Naturally, their muscles will immediately tense and their blood pressure will go up as they watch the missed goal, but De Michelis will get them to relax again.

The psychologist will repeat this until the player can watch the flawed performance from start to finish while maintaining the meditative state.

The idea is that when they go out on the pitch and have to make the penalty kick, they'll be so focused, so prepared mentally, that they won't miss. They'll be able to bring down their heart rate when they don't have to run to conserve energy, and they'll do that without even thinking.

"The athletes will be able to reach that state of mind when presented with challenges," offered Hal Myers, the inventor of ProComp, who holds a doctorate in experimental medicine and is a part-time collector of Victorian-era medical equipment that adorns his office.

Klein and Myers, both sports buffs, founded Thought Technology in 1974 to devise instrumentation for stroke rehabilitation and other medical conditions. But they soon realized that their biofeedback technology can easily apply to athletics. Their modest offices occupy the second floor of a nondescript brick building in Notre Dame de Grace - hardly the place one would expect to find soccer's secret weapon.

Reached by phone in Italy yesterday, De Michelis said that a number of companies specialize in bio- or neurofeedback, but he considers Thought Technology's instrumentation to be the most reliable.

"These devices are just tools to train better mentally," he said. "Integrated training gives you the capacity to recover through relaxation, to practise better, to concentrate better and to visualize in order to improve your skills."

Not all of Italy's players have used the Mind Room, only those who belong to AC Milan. So how have they performed?

During the World Cup, Pirlo has been making razor-sharp passes on the pitch. Although Gilardino has been used mostly as a substitute, he set up a crucial goal against Germany in the semifinal.

As for Gattuso, he has run hard in the midfield, often winning the ball. The Washington Post has described him as among the best players in the tournament, known for his "tenacious tackling."

The Post predicted that "the battle between Gattuso and (France's Zinedine) Zidane will be one of the key duels of the final."

A final that might be decided more in the mind than on the pitch.

aderfel@thegazette.canwest.com

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One of my greatest thrills was touring AC Milan's Milan Lab at Milanelo, seeing our FlexComp Infiniti™ being used to assess muscle fatigue by the best athletes in the world. Twice a month all players are measured, and their training is adapted depending on these results. Bruno Demichelis spent 8 hours, discussing in depth the most advanced application of Sports Science we have encountered. He showed me his copy of Mind Over Muscle in his office – and how far he has taken its applications using our ProComp Infiniti to individualize training with the team. As a North American I can only begin to appreciate the magnitude of the impact this will have on billions of ‘Football’ (soccer) fans around the world. He then visited us twice, for 10 days, to develop the most advanced Sports Science system on the globe.

Lawrence Klein
Vice President, Thought Technology Ltd.

INTRODUCING BRUNO DEMICHELIS

Peak Performance with Telemetry Ad

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Simic Revenge : “Now I have the winning head”

It’s due to Milanlab and to the “Mind Room”…

Dario Simic has just returned from Basel with a game winning goal and some self-confidence that may have been previously lacking, as the Croatian national team on which he plays defeated Argentina 3-2. He said: "I have been through difficult times and I really don't know how I found the strength to go on. This goal has given me confidence. I was able to stay focused thanks to having faith, and to MilanLab.

In tough times, how do we stay in control and prevent ourselves from falling too low? "What helped me very much was the program used by our psychologist Bruno De Michelis.

Everything starts in the mind: "Players on the big clubs must be able to overcome difficulties and to get rid of the stress that accumulates when you have to play, train, and travel. It is also difficult to stay in top form without too much playing time and to remain alert for when you are called upon to enter a match. I must say Milan was there for me and had confidence in me."

Since my turn around things have been going much better. I scored the winning goal against Argentina.

De Michelis said of Simic: "The real hero is Dario. With only a few sessions in the Mind Room we were able to find the right formula to analyze and improve his mental state. In this way, he has improved his capacity of movements, his stress control and the way he behaves in the moment he his called upon to shine. The moment that decided the match against Argentina is proof of this.

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Dr. Vietta ‘Sue’ Wilson is a renowned sports Psychologist at the 2005 Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology (AAASP) which has emerged as the largest applied sport, exercise, and health psychology organization in the world. Vietta E. Wilson, Ph.D., has taught at York University, in Toronto, for over 30 years. She has worked since 1971 in sports (Olympic performers from archery to yachting), education (elementary to university), medicine and business. She has taught sport psychology, counseling and biofeedback assisted self-regulation courses at the graduate and undergraduate level. Her current research is psychophysiological profiling and EEG brain mapping of elite performers. She is a co-author of Learned Self Regulation, Owners Manual for the Brain and Body and the author of the "Optimal Health and Performance Suite" for BioGraph Infiniti.



Here is Milos training EEG. He is a Junior Davis cup player. After training EEG on screens, move to training EEG while thinking of receiving the serve (note the cast - brain training continues while he is recovering from a broken foot)

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Wes Sime

"With the telemetry I can now take the assessment and training to the court, field or gymnasium. Which is the last step in the link of training athletes in sport psychology."

The most exciting innovation in psychophysiology for sport is the wireless Infiniti Biofeedback System from Thought Technology. Combining EEG assessment of high level focus and concentration during pre-shot routines together with peripheral feedback of stress and tension throughout the body is going to be the wave of the future.

Tele-Infiniti
ProComp2

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Military Pentathlon Gold Medal Team

Norbert G. Laderoute, former athletic director of the Canadian Combat Arms Training Center at Gagetown, New Brunswick.

"In 1980-81, while a BPER (Base Physical Education Recreational Officer) for CFB Gagetown, I acted as the coach/psychologist for the Biathlon (cross country skiing & sharp shooting) in CFB Valcartier, Quebec."

"The team approached me as they heard of my success with the Canadian Military Pentathlon Team and Bisley Rifle Team and they wanted help in their training as 'they could not hit the side of the barn door' after their cross country skiing."

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Women's Canadian Olympic Downhill Ski Team

In 1982, Currie Chapmen, then coach of the Women's Canadian Olympic Downhill Ski Team, used a dozen Mind Over Muscle programs, with GSR2's, for the entire team. Major Nory Laderoute and Lawrence Klein had conceived of MIND OVER MUSCLE in answer to Mr. Klein's question; "Would racers be faster through the gates if they memorized the course in a state of relaxation with biofeedback as opposed to trying to do it in a normal waking state?" After their success with the Canadian Military Pentathalon team, Laderoute and Klein worked with the women's team to tone their visualization and mental training skills. Laurie Graham, Jerry Sorenson and Lisa Zavajarvi all won numerous world cup downhills.

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Dr. Erik Peper

In 1988 Dr. Erik Peper, past president of the Biofeedback Society of America and Director of Holistic Healing Studies at San Francisco State University was co-psychologist with Gold Medallist Andrea Schmidt who used Mind Over Muscle/GSR2 with the US Olympic Rhythmic Gymnastic team. His studies were published in SOMATICS Journal and led to several trips to Tokyo, Taipei, and Hong Kong, teaching hundreds of psychologists, coaches and athletes at their National Sports Institutes, and conducting numerous TV and newspaper interviews.

Peak Performance Training with Electrodermal Biofeedback

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Dr. Shane Murphy, psychologist for the US Olympic Ski Team

In 1984 Dr. Shane Murphy, psychologist for the US Olympic Ski Team, bought a dozen Mind Over Muscle/GSR2 for the Colorado center. Subsequently the US Olympic Center purchased Thought Technology's 8 channel ProComp multi-modality computerized system to evaluate and train the athletes.

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Coaching Association of Canada

In 1982 the Coaching Association of Canada began selling the Mind Over Muscle system to the coaches in over one hundred sports. That same year every Olympic Coach in Canada was given Mind Over Muscle/GSR 2 by the Coaching Association of Canada.

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Montreal Police Officers

In 1984, 15 Montreal Police Officers ran for a Guinness World book of record, 7500 km 'continuous marathon' to the Los Angeles Olympics. The 15 policemen used the Mind Over Muscle program to focus their minds and use energy more efficiently.

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C.J. Mueller, Speed Skier

While on his tri-annual ski coaches course, Lawrence Klein bumped into speed skier C.J. Mueller. I cleared off the wax bench to make way for his "sheath" of 240 cm skis. "How fast? Klein asked. "124.4 mph," was Mueller's reply. "Exciting" Mueller ventured, "Ah, its all hurry up and wait; wait for the wind to die down or the course to be repaired, the snow to stop." "Great time for visualization and biofeedback" said Klein. Mueller had never heard of either. They never ran that race, but Klein gave him a Mind Over Muscle/GSR2 program. On August 1, 1987 Mueller sent the following letter. "Dear Larry, ...You first showed me the GSR2 in 1985, and I began to use it at that time. In 1986 I finally broke the 200 km/hr barrier. I also won for the first time in an international event, taking 1st in New Zealand in September. Then in 1987, I won again, this time in Finland. And on April 17th, I became the first skier to break the 210km/h, 130-mph barrier, skiing 212.0 km or 131.74 mph. The GSR2 helped to make this achievement possible. Many, many thanks."

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Dr. Jean Louis Etienne

In 1986 Dr. Jean Louis Etienne became the first man to ski solo to the north pole. To quote from the Medical Tribune special edition that devoted an entire 36-page edition to his accomplishmen, beside a photo of the GSR/Temp 2X it summarized "....this article describes the role of biofeedback in helping Dr. Etienne prepare his North Pole expedition. Biofeedback was used to achieve cold weather adaptation and to control stress associated with the anticipated hazards of the trip. Cold adaptation facilitated by skin temperature biofeedback was practiced in a walk-in fridge in which he was able to raise his hand temperature 2.2 �C (5F). Additional psychophysiological training with GSR and a portable skin temperature device at home further increased the explorer's sense of self control..."

After reviewing the clinical use of biofeedback for conditions such as Raynaud's disease, this article describes the role of biofeedback in helping Dr. Etienne prepare his North Pole expedition. Biofeedback was used to achieve cold weather adaptation and to control stress associated with the anticipated hazards of the trip. Cold adaptation facilitated by skin temperature biofeedback, was practiced in a walk-in fridge in which he was able to raise his hand temperature 2,2�C. Additional psychophysiological training with GSR and a portable skin temperature device at home further increased the explorer's sense of self-control. Finally, the role of psychological variables such as self-control is discussed as a determinant of any expeditions success.

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Japanese Olympic Medallists

Over half the successful Olympic medallists in Seoul, from JAPAN, were trained on Mind Over Muscle/GSR2, in Japanese! Although the GSR2 was on the cover of SONY Magazine and sold in the giant Seibu-Parco department store it is still the Japanese elite athlete who is the main focus of our Japanese distributor - who coaches hundreds of Olympic athletes in psychological techniques.

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Grand Prix Racing Drivers

In 1991, Dr. Dan Marici, head of Sports Psychology at McGill University, also psychologist for the Canadian Olympic downhill ski team, used a dozen Mind Over Muscle/GSR2 with the entire men's Canadian Olympic Team. Soon after Ed Podivinski won bronze at Lillihammer. Dan was also psychologist for several Grand Prix racing drivers including Emerson Fittipaldi and the late world champion Ayerton Senna. GSR is only one modality used with athletes. Dan has two of Thought Technology's 16 channel multi modality Flexcomp computerized systems.

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European Academy of Sports Vision

Since 1992, Sports Vision, in partnership with Bausch & Lombs, has tested the visual acuity of thousands of Olympic athletes. Sports Vision has 5 centers in Italy and uses Procomp, along with a variety of other techniques, to teach visual acuity. Sports Vision told us that a great Italian ski champion used a MyoTrac in training. The EMG, attached to his chest, emits a warning signal if he breaths thoracically (in the upper chest) to encourage diaphragmatic breathing.

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Sylvain Guillon, Olympic Gold Medallist

The 1994 Olympic Nordic Combined Gold Medallist, Sylvain Guillon, practices his jumping with a MyoTrac2, strapped to his back, to measure the EMG timing of his thigh muscles during the 120 meter ski jump. Recording the firing of his quadricep muscles helps him analyze the amplitude and timing of his pushoff, to enhance the value of his practice jumps.

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Pat Hickey

Peak performance starts in the mind
By Pat Hickey

"If there is one point that is being amplified by the Dubin Inquiry, it was the fact that athletes are forever seeking an edge, that something extra that spells the difference between being an also-ran and a medallist."

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