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All opinions and views stated on this site belong solely to Corina Lynn Becker, and do not represent or reflects the views and opinions of any organizations, unless otherwise specified.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

B-Calm Sounds Review

If any of you wander over to my profile page here, you will see that I identify myself as being ADHD as well as on the Spectrum. So, I have problems with concentration and paying attention, alternatively randomly wandering off and hyper-focusing, and problems with some sensory issues. I may not be as sensitive as others on the spectrum, but I have my days where the smallest thing can distract me beyond reason and I get nothing done (batteries and spoons). Of course, this doesn't help my anxiety issues.

So I was really interested in B-Calm Sound when they were on the AWA Radio Show not too long ago. Okay, I'll admit it; I was skeptical. I've been in and out of anxiety therapy for a couple of years and for the most part, I've picked up a couple of breathing exercises, relaxation guides and alternating medications. I've also tried those nifty relaxation music tapes; I tended to turn them off since they were being the sensory aggravation. So you can understand I was initially skeptical about their AudioSedation tracks.

However, I was willing to give them a try. I browsed the site, looked over the sample clips, and asked about the "running shower" track that I heard about on the AWA show. I was interested in this particular track because I know from experience that I concentrate better while sitting in the bathroom with the shower going. However, it's not released yet, but lucky me, I get to review an advance copy. Woot!

So here goes:

My Review on B-Calm Sounds Running Shower as an Autistic and ADHD Adult

Since I'm taking courses, I decided to try the track out when working on my course work. So for a few days I listened while not taking my medication, and while I was taking my medication. Now, this is probably because of the difference between shower heads. I'm used to a stronger water flow, from both the shower and the faucet.
I'll also notice that during my initial testing period, I was going through a major mental block, so my concentration and attention, not to mention "functionality" was severely impaired, even on medication.

Description
The track is of a gentle, continuously running shower. When I put it on and started listing to it, I began to feel relaxed and more at ease. Actually, to be honest, when playing it at night, I started to feel sleepy.
I'll also note that the track acts as a filter more than a wall of sound. While the volume setting affects this, in general, I was able to listen to my parents, hear the dryer go off downstairs, and hear the doorbell while listening to the track. A slight side effect of it at this filter-type volume is that I would often think that it was raining outside.
Of course, that's if a person wants to use it that way. It's also very pleasant as a complete sound block.

Anxiety
So during my initial testing, which I gave feedback to B-Calm, I found that my anxiety was noticeably decreased, both with and without my medications. Now, it didn't completely eliminate the anxiety, but it did help me to relax, take a deep breath and keep things under control.

Concentration
I found that, other than relaxing me, the track did not do much for my concentration during my initial testing period. This may have been because of what I noted above, that I was going through a mental block. Also, as I continued to test out the track outside of the mental block, because of the type of work that I was doing while listening to it.

What I discovered was that as a concentration aid, the track had very little effects (both on and off medications) when I was doing work, such as writing assignments, articles, doing research and exercises. For that, it was useful for reducing and managing anxiety, but I saw no noticeable difference in my concentration.

However, I saw results when I started listening to the track when doing course readings and going through my lecture notes. It wasn't as strong as when I sit in the bathroom, listening to the tap in the bath running, but I could read and understand the materials easier. I saw a definite improvement to my concentration.

Conclusion
In conclusion, I would say that the track is very promising, as an anxiety reduction aid and selectively to help concentration, even by way of reducing stress. I think that there can be some improvements, such as a stronger "water flow" that would produce greater results, at least in myself, but as is, the track does act as a filter for stressing sounds and reducing anxiety. Personally, I am very pleased at the results that I have had with the track.



A note of caution for my readers, I would not recommend using this instead of medications or other treatments for anxiety. This is just a tool to help, not completely remove, and this is my opinion as an individual.

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