Arielle's dashboard

Hi Kevin -

We don't currently have a discount program available specifically for chemotherapy patients.

We do have a great discount going now through September 14. You can receive 25% off all of our products using this coupon code: HOLIDAY25.

A good way to keep up to date on discount offers is by signing up to our Newsletter.
http://www.positscience.com/newslette...

Hmmm... I've having trouble reproducing the problem. It is going rather quickly, so I find that I need to keep my mouse hovering over the page. Which browser are you using? I've tried it on Firefox and Internet Explorer and it seems to be working. – Arielle, on November 23, 2009 17:34

Hi Wenda -

I've heard similar accounts to what you've described. There are many things that can affect your training, (diet, exercise, time of day, etc...), but assuming that these variables were not a factor in your performance, let's look at this a little more deeply. As your brain makes adjustments and corrections, it tries new approaches. It is a common experience to discover a change in the way you hear something...and this may actually be a good thing. Rather than using your accuracy in response as a gauge for your success, I'd suggest keeping tabs on something in your life that you are seeking to improve (like remembering names of new people you meet).

Comparing brain fitness to a physical fitness regimen is not far off. It is definitely necessary to keep learning new skills in order to keep the brain adept and responsive. And often times, when you take a break and then return to your task, something will be different. This doesn't necessarily indicate regression, rather it indicates personal change. For example, taking a break from my yoga practice has the positive effect of allowing me to arrive with a fresh perspective when I return. I can discover weak spots I didn't know existed, and likewise discover new points of strength.

The goal of the program is not necessarily to hear every sound perfectly. Rather, it is to continue to focus and respond to the stimulus. This action is what triggers neuronal growth and gets us closer to our end goal. The end goal can be described more clearly as general benefits in daily life (increased focus, better memory, etc.) rather than the ability to respond correctly to all of the stimuli. In fact, the algorithm in the program is constantly making sure that around 20% of our answers are incorrect. Because you keep learning and adapting, the stimuli adjusts and changes as well.

It's not necessary for you to continue to work at this program every day of your life for the rest of your life, however it will be necessary for you to experiment with brain health for the rest of your life. The Brain Fitness Program is a great way to sharpen your auditory processing skills and your short term memory. A next good step might be to pick up a language or a musical instrument. And perhaps 6 months in to your new language, it might be a good idea to revisit the BFP and sharpen your auditory skills again. It's hard to say exactly how long the benefits will last because part of the equation is how you apply the skills throughout your life.

Let me know if this resonates with you or not. I understand your frustration, however I'm hesitant to think that it's actually possible that you "lost" the gains you've made so far. The gains go way beyond performance within the program. They extend to many areas of your life, often different for each person. Not training for a week might break the habits you've learned within your training program, but I doubt they can break new potential you've developed for learning and development in your life.

Best,

Arielle

Your grandmother will need to speak enough English to follow the instructions and, in 2 of the 6 exercises, the characters and stories. The audio exercises can be very beneficial regardless of native tongue. However, since your grandmother does speak some English, the exercises may be additionally beneficial because she will also need to focus on exercising her language skills. Brain plasticity is based on the changes your brain undergoes as it learns new skills. Not only will your grandmother be challenged by the auditory exercises, but she will be challenged by the English instruction as well. I'd say it might be a great experience for her, and it definitely has the potential to be very beneficial.

I've included a couple short articles about the health benefits of learning new skills.

1. How Learning Changes Your Brain:
http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2008/...

2. The Benefits of Learning A Musical Instrument As An Adult (very similar to language study!)
http://bobbletown.com/2008/02/04/bene...

Hi Harriet -

This is going to sound a little funny, but it's going too fast on purpose. You can only click one item on each page. However, the instructions come faster than that, which means you need to remember several instructions ahead of when you can actually act on them. Therefore, you might be told to click on the shovel, the rock, and the stake as you're viewing a single page. However, you can only click on the shovel on that page. You'll need to wait for the next page to click on the rock, and then the next page to click on the stake. The catch is that the instructions won't stop. And this is how the game works your memory!

I wouldn't expect to remember more than a few at one time, especially not in the beginning. This is the challenge. It's similar to Listen and Do in the Brain Fitness Program.

Don't give up...it's fun once you get the hang of it. Let me know if you have more questions. The game is brand new, so you'll be one of our first experts.

Hi Harriet -

Are you using a Mac or a PC?

For Mac, try the solution on this topic:
http://support.positscience.com/posit...

For PC, try the solution on this topic:
http://support.positscience.com/posit...

Hi Lori -

Not yet, but perhaps at some point in the future. I'm going to change this topic into an "idea" so our development team can track it as a feature request. Is this something that you'd consider "nice to have" or a "must have"?

That's great, Leigh! If you'd like to share any tips or strategies you've been using, we'd love to hear more about your training in this month's Tips & Strategies contest... Check it out if you'd like to vote for the winner and/or submit a tip yourself.

http://support.positscience.com/posit...

Thanks, Alan! – Arielle, on November 22, 2009 04:11

Hi Isabel - This is such a great tip! If you want to submit it as part of the contest, it will need to be added as a "Reply" (as opposed to a "comment"). The reason for this is that we can't add stars to comments. If you'd like to submit this, just copy and paste it into a reply at the bottom of this topic thread. If not, that's okay too, I just wanted to make sure you knew the limitations of the technology here. I'm going to try your tip, by the way, and I'll probably apply it to a few different frustrating experiences in addition to brain fitness training! =) – Arielle, on November 22, 2009 04:09

Hi Tom -

Have you installed any new programs or made any changes to the computer recently? Has this happened repeatedly or just once?

My guess is that something else running in the background is interfering with the program. If this just happened once, I'd advise restarting the computer and running the program again. It's usually good to run the program on a computer that has been rebooted recently.

If the problem is persistent and you have a security program running, make sure that you have the following files added to the exceptions list. (File path for Windows is C:\Program Files\Positscience\2_0\Neuroscience and for Mac is Applications/PositScience)

Activate.exe
Launchpad.exe
HiFi.exe

If you are still unable to complete the exercises after trying the steps above, please call our support center during business hours (M-F 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM Pacific time) and one of our technicians can assist you in diagnosing the problem. 1-800-514-3975.

Hi Steven - I am really sorry about this. DriveSharp is a version of InSight that includes the 2 InSight exercises (Road Tour and Jewel Diver) that improve driving skills. If you have InSight, you already have DriveSharp.

Please contact us via phone 1-800-514-3975 or email customerservice@positscience.com to request a refund.

Hi John - I opted you out of all future mailings.

Deborah - I'm not sure how your comment was missed. I apologize for the delay. Are you still having problems with Cortex? Did you install the latest version via download from My Account? – Arielle, on November 18, 2009 23:01

You can purchase our Total Training Package, which includes InSight and Brain Fitness Program. Read more here: https://store.positscience.com/

(DriveSharp is similar to InSight, but only includes the 2 visual exercises that are focused on driving. Therefore, you would either purchase DriveSharp OR InSight, but not both.)

The programs are installed on the hard drive.

Hi Gordon -

Thanks for posting this issue. We are looking into a better way to process 3-pay that doesn't incur a hold of total funds.

I'll update this post when we have a resolution.

Arielle

Hi Cheryl - I recently published a chart of average score based on age. You'll find it here: http://support.positscience.com/posit...