Risk Assessment
The risk assessment consists of several questions that aim to identify if a client is suitable for a session/s with the Our Brain Entrainment / Hypnagogic Light Therapy (Light Therapy Lamp).
For each question the client is asked to truthfully circle YES or NO and if they
answer YES to any question then they are NOT suitable for a session.
1) Have you ever personally suffered from epilepsy or had a seizure?
Seizures can be triggered by a number of situations in people with a history of them and or epilepsy.
Not all sufferers of seizures will be triggered by flickering light. In fact, it’s a relatively small proportion of them that are sensitive to light and contrasting patterns.
But flickering light is one of three main tests used by experts to see if someone suspected of being prone to seizures is in fact likely to have one and therefore requiring medication (the other two being hyperventilating or rapid breathing and sleep deprivation).
Even if the person has never been triggered to have a seizure by light before the risk is too high with a powerful device like Our Brain Entrainment / Hypnagogic Light Therapy (Light Therapy Lamp).
2) Do you have any family history of epilepsy or seizures?
As with any condition, if there is a history in the family of seizures or epilepsy then there is a higher risk that it might happen with a family member.
3) Are you taking any medication for anxiety or depression?
Certain medications can make people more prone to having a seizure and certain medications can also increase levels of hormones like serotonin which Our Brain Entrainment / Hypnagogic Light Therapy (Light Therapy Lamp) use can also increase.
For example, most antidepressants (SSRI’s) work primarily by increasing the availability of serotonin. There is a very small chance that someone on SSRI’s who gets an extra boost of serotonin from another source could get a toxic level of this in the system which can be dangerous to their health. It is very unlikely, but we still have to be aware that it may be possible.
According to epilepsy.com (a wealth of useful information) there is a rare but possible reduction in threshold to seizures that can occur with the use of:
– Anti-asthma drugs like Aminophylline and Theophylline
– Hormones like Insulin, Prednisone and Estrogen because of the way they affect blood sugar levels
– Antibiotics like Penicillin, Isoniazid, Lindane, Metronidazole and Nalidixic acid
– Neuroleptics like Clozapine, Phenothiazines and Butyrophenones
– Immunosuppressants like Chlorambucil and Cyclosporine A
– Antidepressants
– Local and general anesthetics like Lidocaine, Bupivicaine, Procaine and Enfluraneketamine
– ANY sort of recreational drug or alcohol
– And a few other again rare but possible effects by way water toxicity (see epilepsy.com website for
full list)
There are so many medications that we do not know the side effects of, that we have to decide based upon safety and not chance.
4) Do you have any psychological or psychiatric conditions?
Our Brain Entrainment / Hypnagogic Light Therapy (Light Therapy Lamp) is not a replacement for therapy nor does it claim to be. Yes many people do get almost miraculous healing benefits from Our Brain Entrainment / Hypnagogic Light Therapy (Light Therapy Lamp).
Because of the types of states that people can go into while having a Our Brain Entrainment / Hypnagogic Light Therapy (Light Therapy Lamp) session.., it is possible that repressed, unconscious, and/or hidden memories can be brought to the surface and made conscious.
This can be disturbing for people and they may not be ready to face such things. Again you cannot know in advance if this will happen and this is where training is invaluable.
But, if the person is already aware of or being treated for a psychological condition then the risk is higher that they may have an unpleasant experience.
5) Have you ever had any head or brain injuries, or had brain surgery?
Any sort of brain trauma or injury can increase the risk of seizures even after full recovery. Seizures are of course a result of out of control brain electrical activity and so it is not surprising that a shock to the brain physically can result in problems with this electrical activity.
6) Have you ever had a stroke?
People who have had a stroke (a temporary interruption of blood flow to the brain) are statistically more likely to be at risk from seizures afterwards even after a full recovery.
7) Are you taking any photosensitive medication?
This is more precautionary than dangerous in most cases but again it’s possible that certain medications, even common ones, can increase the sensitivity to light. The usual risk is sunburn from UV light which Our Brain Entrainment / Hypnagogic Light Therapy (Light Therapy Lamp) has filtered out anyway but even blue light can have a slight effect on the skin.
Our Brain Entrainment / Hypnagogic Light Therapy (Light Therapy Lamp) is unlikely to cause any issues here at all but below is a list of possible medications that can increase sensitivity to light in case someone is concerned about that.
– Alpha-hydroxy acids in cosmetics
– Antibiotics (ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, levofloxacin, ofloxacin, tetracycline,
– trimethoprim)
– Antifungals (flucytosine, griseofulvin, voricanozole)
– Antihistamines (cetirizine, diphenhydramine, loratadine, promethazine,
– cyproheptadine)
– Cholesterol lowering drugs (simvastatin, atorvastatin, lovastatin, pravastatin)
– Diuretics (thiazide diuretics: hydrochlorothiazide, chlorthalidone, chlorothiazide.;
– other diuretics: furosemide and triamterene)
– Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen, naproxen, celecoxib, piroxicam,
– ketoprofen)
– Oral contraceptives and estrogens
– Phenothiazines (tranquilizers, anti-emetics: examples, chlorpromazine, fluphenazine,
– promethazine, thioridazine, prochloroperazine)
– Psoralens (methoxsalen, trioxsalen)
– Retinoids (acitretin, isotretinoin)
– Sulfonamides (acetazolamide, sulfadiazine, sulfamethizole, sulfamethoxazole,
– sulfapyridine, sulfasalazine, sulfasoxazole)
– Sulfonylureas for type 2 diabetes (glipizide, glyburide)
8) Are you pregnant?
There is little to link pregancy with increased risk of a seizure other than altered hormone levels but the risk to an unborn baby from the mother possibly having a seizure is too great a risk to even consider.
9) Have you had laser treatment to your face within the last month?
As with question before this is about possible skin reactions. With laser treatment the skin will already be sensitive and so adding more light exposure may affect the healing process.
10) Are you under the influence of recreational or psychoactive drugs?
This is obvious. The body and brain is already in an altered state beyond being able to predict what affect stimulation might have. Recreational drugs alter brain chemistry. So does Our Brain Entrainment / Hypnagogic Light Therapy (Light Therapy Lamp). Mixing the two could lead to a bad experience and can increase the risk of a seizure.
11) Are you under the influence of alcohol?
Same as with question 10) alcohol alters brain chemistry and we cannot predict what the effect might be. Judgement is also impaired which could lead to deciding to stay in a session even if normally the person would stop due to discomfort.
Informed Consent
By purchasing the brain entrainment and breathwork session, you confirm that you have been informed about the risks associated with brain entrainment. You fully understand that brain entrainment light therapy is not suitable for everyone especially those who have a history of epilepsy, seizures, are taking medication for anxiety or depression, have psychological or psychiatric conditions, have head or brain injuries or surgeries, had a stroke in the past, is taking any photosensitive medication, pregnant, or had recently received laser treatment to the face within the last 30 days or is under the influence of alcohol.
You also confirm that you have fully read the information provided here, you understood the questions and info and have decided to book after answering truthfully to not having any questions answered with a yes. You hereby confirm that the nature of the brain entrainment experience has been clearly explained to you and that you fully understand that this light session is not a medical or psychological therapy and is not intended as a treatment or remedy for any condition/s.
You also fully understand and confirm that whilst you never suffered from epilepsy or seizures, that there is a statistical chance of 1 in 3000 that you could be sensitive to flickering light and that this in rare cases could lead to a seizure.
You understand every session is guided and supervised by a trained and knowledgeable practitioner that will guide you through the breathing exercise and brain entrainment experience.
You confirm that you are a competent adult of at least 18 years of age. If the session is for a 16-year-old person, you’ll need a guardian to sign the waiver.