Analyzing John Brooks Dream about the winning goal in the US World Cup match

Analyzing John Brooks’ Dream About Scoring The Winning Goal

United States' John Brooks celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the group G World Cup soccer match between Ghana and the United States at the Arena das Dunas in Natal, Brazil on June 16, 2014.Ricardo Mazalan—AP

• Alice Park @aliceparkny
 

June 17, 2014

Two days ago, US soccer player John Brooks dreamed about the game-winning he goal he made. Here’s what science says about that

Wouldn’t it be nice if our dreams were like a crystal ball that foretold our future? That every night as we slumbered, we’d learn if we’re going to get a raise, or win the lottery, or, if you’re like soccer player John Brooks, find out you will use your head to score a last-minute goal in a World Cup game?

Last night, the soccer player scored a goal in the 86th minute, which was an unlikely turn of events because he was not a starting player—in fact, he’s a back-up defender, and defenders hardly ever get substituted. When asked about the goal, he said he dreamed it—even the part about it being after the 80-minute mark and using his head to get the ball in the goal.

Of course his dream was not literally “predictive” but it begs the question: Can dreams prime us for success in waking life?

THIS IS NOT ACCURATE. HIS DREAM WAS 'LITERALLY PREDICTIVE.' HE DREAMED HE WAS GOING TO BE SUBSTITUTED. (HE WAS) HE DREAMED HE WAS GOING TO WIN THE GAME WITH A HEADER. (HE DID) HE DREAMED HE WAS GOING TO DO IT IN THE 80TH MINUTE (IT WAS THE 86TH). HE TOLD HIS FRIENDS ABOUT IT (WITNESSES).  IF THIS ISN'T PREDICTIVE, THEN WHAT IS?

Dreams (are) a combination of what we have already experienced and the things that occupy our minds during the day, says Antonio Zadra, professor of psychology at University of Montreal who studies dreams. “People have dreams related to their current concerns and preoccupations,” says Zadra. “In all of these players’ cases, [playing in the World Cup] is an ongoing drive, so it’s not surprising that it impinges on their dreams.” 

MIGHT HAVE ASKED MARIO BEAUREGARD, NEUROSCIENTIST AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MONTREAL, AUTHOR OF "BRAIN WARS" IF CONSCIOUSNESS IS RELEGATED TO THE BRAIN; HIS RESEARCH SHOWS THAT IT IS NOT. SAME AS DR. BRUCE GREYSON AT UVA. SCIENCE SHOWS THAT CONSCIOUSNESS IS NOT NECESSARILY CREATED IN THE BRAIN.

And Brooks, like any good player, would likely want to prove his prowess on the field, making it likely that would show up in his dreams. And it makes sense that he dreamed of making the goal in the 80th minute, late in the game, since he isn’t part of the starting lineup.

HE COULD HAVE CHOSEN ANY MINUTE UP TO THE 90TH TO WIN THE GAME. WHY CHOOSE THE 80TH? THE QUESTION SHOULD BE - WHY WAS HE SIX MINUTES OFF? NOT "WAS HIS DREAM PREDICTIVE?"  IT WAS. THIS SCIENTIST QUOTED IS INACCURATE. ARTICLE DIDN'T FACTOR IN THAT IT WAS RARE HE WAS SUBSTITUTED, AND NO SUB HAS EVER SCORED A GOAL IN THE HISTORY OF THE US TEAM.

Still, says Zadra, dreams can be self-fulfilling. Similar to the way that visualization works, Zadra says that having positive dreams can feed into real-life outcomes. “During REM sleep, all the areas of the brain responsible for controlling motor behavior are activated as if you were awake,” he says. “If you are dreaming of skiing or scoring a goal or playing the piano, your brain is actually commanding all the motor areas as if you were awake.” Part of the brain stem inhibits the actual movement so you don’t hurt yourself while you sleep, but as far as your brain is concerned, you “live” whatever you dream.

“If Brooks dreamed that he scored the goal, all of that feeds into his instinctive reactions, and it’s one more positive thing going into the instinctive and instantaneous decisions that he makes on the pitch.”

Of course, the flip side is that negative experiences in dreamland can have make you feel less confident and potentially less capable in waking life. So while it’s not exactly “scientific, “what your first coach and your parents always told you is probably good advice: think positive, and good things will happen. Maybe.

'HOW DID JOHN BROOKS KNOW HE WAS GOING TO WIN THE GAME?' IS THE QUESTION. I WISH IT HAD BEEN ASKED.

Okay, that's Time Magazine's version.

They didn't address the dream AT ALL.

This athlete, who was the least likely man to score a winning goal in this game - a team HE'D NEVER PLAYED WITH THE US TEAM IN A MATCH.  Let me repeat that. It was his first time playing with this team in a match.

He dreamed it was a HEADER. Not a kick with his foot. Not a bicycle kick, or something really spectacular like Pele's many winning kicks.  It was EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED.
He dreamed it was in the 86th minute. He was 6 minutes off.

The point is - this is an one more FLIPSIDE example - ABSOLUTE PROOF - that consciousness isn't created by the brain.  This event happened two days prior in his head. He witnessed the future - or the future presented itself to him in some manner, like the slice of a hologram.

I myself have had the exact same thing happen to me.  When I was going to school in Rome in 1975 I dreamt I met Lina Wertmuller on an elevator and she was wearing white framed glasses. I told my friends. I had never met her, but knew of her films.  Two years later, I saw she was in San Francisco where I was working and asked a magazine if they wanted me to interview her. (I remembered the dream). They asked me to interview Giancarlo Giannini instead. So I did. But the day I went to meet him in the lobby of the hotel, I was in the elevator when it stopped on her floor and she got on wearing white framed glasses. EXACTLY AS I'D DREAMED IT TWO YEARS BEFORE.  Not kind of. It was not my desire to know her, to meet her, to have anything to do with her at that point in time. I had yet to be in film school.  But after the interview, I did pursue a career in film, which I've been doing for the past umpteen years.  So - the dream occurred, it eventually did have an effect on my life. BUT IT WAS NOT WISHFUL THINKING.

How could John Brooks have created this dream in advance and then it occurred? Modern materialist science has no answer for it.  And within this Time Magainze article, they don't offer one.

Well - there is an answer. It's in the research done by Bruce Greyson at UVA. It's in the research done by Gary E Schwartz at University of Arizona. It's in the research by neuroscientist Mario Beauregard. and it's in the research I've done for the book and film FLIPSIDE.

CONSCIOUSNESS IS NOT NECESSARILY CREATED BY THE BRAIN.

Let me say it again. Consciousness isn't necessarily in our brains in the first place.  John Brooks dreamt he was going to score the winning goal, with a header, after being substituted into the game, in the 80th minute. He told his friends about the dream. They can corroborate what he said.  HE SAW THE EVENT IN ADVANCE.

It was not WISHFUL THINKING.  There's nothing wishful about it. Why not wish for a running kick? Why not for a "Bend it like Beckham" goal? Why the 80th minute? Why after a substitution? 

No sub in the history of the United States team has EVER SCORED A GOAL during match play.  So there's no reason for him to have dreamt it, because it had never, ever happened. And the likelihood of his being called upon to score the goal is extremely small.  The odds of this happening are not calculable.

So why not say so?  Why pretend that it's something in the realm of possiblity when it's not?

The answer is that if you examine the data, the research behind NDEs and LBLs, you'll find that consciousness may not be created by the brain.  If you want a scientist lecturing about it, WATCH THIS.  If you want to learn about it for yourself, then READ THIS.

Happy to say that I will examine this case and many many others in the next installment of FLIPSIDE

IT'S A WONDERFUL AFTERLIFE.

Thank you. (Oh, and nice goal John. Thanks for sharing your dream as well!!!!)

Want your name in the next book?

Please donate to the finishing of this book!  Thank you!

http://www.gofundme.com/FlipsideTheSequel

The Finish Line

We're almost there.

Why two volumes? Why not?  Twice as much fun. Here's the artwork from Doug Martin. Keyhole. Universe. Flipside. What's not to love?

I'm told that "Flipside The Film" will be available through Netflix in August. Whee!

Volume one includes interviews with scientists talking about how consciousness appears to exist outside the body.  It includes between life sessions, near death experiences and more.

Volume two includes interviews with people who've had both near death experiences and between life session and more.  For those of you who've been eager to hear the latest research about the afterlife, this will combine both science and eyewitness reports.

Hopefully will be in print in a couple of weeks.  Thanks for your patience!  

(and if you'd like to DONATE to help us along here's the link:)
http://www.gofundme.com/FlipsideTheSequel

Prozac for Kids - A Warning for Parents everywhere

In the book "Flipside" I talk about how there is an alternative to SSRI drugs as described in the research of Richard Davidson at the University of Wisconsin. He's proven scientificially that meditation can "alleviate or cure symptoms of depression." 

I'm writing about the topic in my next book "It's A Wonderful Afterlife" about SSRI drug use in children in light of the recent shootings across the nation.  (I'm not a Doctor, nor do I dispense medicine. I'm a journalist and filmmaker who is reporting what is out there.)

Every mass shooting we've had in the country since Columbine has included SSRI drugs. 

Meaning the shooter had a history of mental illness, and either a history of being given seratonin release inhibitors or some other drug that affects the ability to know right from wrong.  It's not my opinion, it's part of the record and autopsy reports.

Combine 14 hours of playing "Warcraft" (as in the case of the recent shooting in Santa Barbara) along with easy access to guns and we have a perfect recipe for continuing mayhem.

While researching this information for my next book, in a section about why the "veil" appears to be thinning between the afterlife and our world - there's a discussion of how prescribed drugs appear to be affecting our life path.  I searched the National Institute of Mental Health's website for some details and found this article - no longer online but cached.  

It details how Doctors (may be or) are over prescribing these SSRI drugs to children.  It's in the document.  It's being done.  And it's not part of the national discussion on gun control AT ALL.

I post this article here because it needs to be read to any parent who is considering a Doctor's recommendation to use SSRI drugs with their children.

(On a personal note, I was approached by a teen in Santa Monica, who begged me to help him stop his parents from forcing him to take prescription drugs.  It was out of the blue, I happened to be driving by and saw a distraught mom crying with her son. He came to my car window and said "Please help me. My parents want me to take these drugs for what they claim is a mental illness. I don't want to take them."  I asked the mom if they were SSRI drugs. She said "I'm not comfortable discussing this with you."  On her cellphone I could hear her husband saying "Who the hell are you talking to?"  The father was in the pharmacy, buying the drugs. I wrote down Davidson's name and handed the mom the note to do the research.)

I am not arguing that SSRI drugs like Prozac can't help people.  There are many adults that claim that they do.  But we are talking about giving these drugs to humans under 25 years of age. And the NIMH's own document shows that there is a danger in doing so.  Not my opinion - their own words:

<<<<<"Antidepressant Medications for Children and Adolescents: Information for Parents and Caregivers"

"Depression is a serious disorder that can cause significant problems in mood, thinking, and behavior at home, in school, and with peers. It is estimated that major depressive disorder (MDD) affects about 5 percent of adolescents.

Research has shown that, as in adults, depression in children and adolescents is treatable. Certain antidepressant medications, called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), can be beneficial to children and adolescents with MDD. Certain types of psychological therapies also have been shown to be effective. However, our knowledge of antidepressant treatments in youth, though growing substantially, is limited compared to what we know about treating depression in adults."

(So they admit that there's little research on the topic, but it doesn't stop them from giving these drugs to children) 

"Recently, there has been some concern that the use of antidepressant medications themselves may induce suicidal behavior in youths. Following a thorough and comprehensive review of all the available published and unpublished controlled clinical trials of antidepressants in children and adolescents, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a public warning  in October 2004 about an increased risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior (suicidality) in children and adolescents treated with SSRI antidepressant medications. In 2006, an advisory committee to the FDA recommended that the agency extend the warning to include young adults up to age 25."

(In fact, they issued "BLACK BOX" warnings on the drugs because kids might kill themselves (or others))

"More recently, results of a comprehensive review of pediatric trials conducted between 1988 and 2006 suggested that the benefits of antidepressant medications likely outweigh their risks to children and adolescents with major depression and anxiety disorders. The study, partially funded by NIMH, was published in the April 18, 2007, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.1

What Did the FDA Review Find?

In the FDA review, no completed suicides occurred among nearly 2,200 children treated with SSRI medications. However, about 4 percent of those taking SSRI medications experienced suicidal thinking or behavior, including actual suicide attempts—twice the rate of those taking placebo, or sugar pills."

(I gather that's not enough to stop them from prescribing them.)

"In response, the FDA adopted a "black box" label warning  indicating that antidepressants may increase the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior in some children and adolescents with MDD. A black-box warning is the most serious type of warning in prescription drug labeling.

The warning also notes that children and adolescents taking SSRI medications should be closely monitored for any worsening in depression, emergence of suicidal thinking or behavior, or unusual changes in behavior, such as sleeplessness, agitation, or withdrawal from normal social situations. Close monitoring is especially important during the first four weeks of treatment. SSRI medications usually have few side effects in children and adolescents, but for unknown reasons, they may trigger agitation and abnormal behavior in certain individuals.

What Do We Know About Antidepressant Medications?

The SSRIs include:

fluoxetine (Prozac)

sertraline (Zoloft)

paroxetine (Paxil)

citalopram (Celexa)

escitalopram (Lexapro)

fluvoxamine (Luvox)

Another antidepressant medication, venlafaxine (Effexor), is not an SSRI but is closely related.

SSRI medications are considered an improvement over older antidepressant medications because they have fewer side effects and are less likely to be harmful if taken in an overdose, which is an issue for patients with depression already at risk for suicide. They have been shown to be safe and effective for adults.

However, use of SSRI medications among children and adolescents ages 10 to 19 has risen dramatically in the past several years. Fluoxetine (Prozac) is the only medication approved by the FDA for use in treating depression in children ages 8 and older. The other SSRI medications and the SSRI-related antidepressant venlafaxine have not been approved for treatment of depression in children or adolescents, but doctors still sometimes prescribe them to children on an "off-label" basis. In June 2003, however, the FDA recommended that paroxetine not be used in children and adolescents for treating MDD.

Fluoxetine can be helpful in treating childhood depression, and can lead to significant improvement of depression overall. However, it may increase the risk for suicidal behaviors in a small subset of adolescents. As with all medical decisions, doctors and families should weigh the risks and benefits of treatment for each individual patient.

What Should You Do for a Child With Depression?

A child or adolescent with MDD should be carefully and thoroughly evaluated by a doctor to determine if medication is appropriate. Psychotherapy often is tried as an initial treatment for mild depression. Psychotherapy may help to determine the severity and persistence of the depression and whether antidepressant medications may be warranted. Types of psychotherapies include "cognitive behavioral therapy," which helps people learn new ways of thinking and behaving, and "interpersonal therapy," which helps people understand and work through troubled personal relationships.

Those who are prescribed an SSRI medication should receive ongoing medical monitoring. Children already taking an SSRI medication should remain on the medication if it has been helpful, but should be carefully monitored by a doctor for side effects. Parents should promptly seek medical advice and evaluation if their child or adolescent experiences suicidal thinking or behavior, nervousness, agitation, irritability, mood instability, or sleeplessness that either emerges or worsens during treatment with SSRI medications.

Once started, treatment with these medications should not be abruptly stopped. Although they are not habit-forming or addictive, abruptly ending an antidepressant can cause withdrawal symptoms or lead to a relapse. Families should not discontinue treatment without consulting their doctor.

All treatments can be associated with side effects. Families and doctors should carefully weigh the risks and benefits, and maintain appropriate follow-up and monitoring to help control for the risks.

What Does Research Tell Us?

An individual's response to a medication cannot be predicted with certainty. It is extremely difficult to determine whether SSRI medications increase the risk for completed suicide, especially because depression itself increases the risk for suicide and because completed suicides, especially among children and adolescents, are rare. Most controlled trials are too small to detect for rare events such as suicide (thousands of participants are needed). In addition, controlled trials typically exclude patients considered at high risk for suicide.

One major clinical trial, the NIMH-funded Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS)2, has indicated that a combination of medication and psychotherapy is the most effective treatment for adolescents with depression. The clinical trial of 439 adolescents ages 12 to 17 with MDD compared four treatment groups—one that received a combination of fluoxetine and CBT, one that received fluoxetine only, one that received CBT only, and one that received a placebo only. After the first 12 weeks, 71 percent responded to the combination treatment of fluoxetine and CBT, 61 percent responded to the fluoxetine only treatment, 43 percent responded to the CBT only treatment, and 35 percent responded to the placebo treatment.

At the beginning of the study, 29 percent of the TADS participants were having clinically significant suicidal thoughts. Although the rate of suicidal thinking decreased among all the treatment groups, those in the fluoxetine/CBT combination treatment group showed the greatest reduction in suicidal thinking.

Researchers are working to better understand the relationship between antidepressant medications and suicide. So far, results are mixed. One study, using national Medicaid files, found that among adults, the use of antidepressants does not seem to be related to suicide attempts or deaths. However, the analysis found that the use of antidepressant medications may be related to suicide attempts and deaths among children and adolescents.3"

(Congress held hearings in 1991 about the rash of suicides which resulted in these drug makers being forced to put "Black Box" warnings on them.  In 2010 Congress held more hearings into why so many soldiers were doing the same while using the drugs.)

"Another study analyzed health plan records for 65,103 patients treated for depression.4 It found no significant increase among adults and young people in the risk for suicide after starting treatment with newer antidepressant medications.

A third study analyzed suicide data from the National Vital Statistics and commercial prescription data. It found that among children ages five to 14, suicide rates from 1996 to 1998 were actually lower in areas of the country with higher rates of SSRI antidepressant prescriptions. The relationship between the suicide rates and the SSRI use rates, however, is unclear.5

New NIMH-funded research will help clarify the complex interplay between suicide and antidepressant medications. In addition, the NIMH-funded Treatment of Resistant Depression in Adolescents (TORDIA ) study, will investigate how best to treat adolescents whose depression is resistant to the first SSRI medication they have tried. Finally, NIMH also is supporting the Treatment of Adolescent Suicide Attempters (TASA ) study, which is investigating the treatment of adolescents who have attempted suicide. Treatments include antidepressant medications, CBT or both.">>>>>>> (end of article)

So there you have it.  They know they're being over prescribed. They know that doctors are prescribing SSRI drugs to children that haven't been tested.  And I'll be damned - they're not warning the parents. 

 WELL I'M WARNING THE PARENTS.

If your kid is precribed SSRI drugs GRAB THE DOCTOR BY THE shoulder and shake them. SHOUT "ARE YOU CRAZY???? WHAT ABOUT MEDITATION? HAVE YOU LOOKED INTO THE RESULTS THAT SHOW THAT MEDITATION CAN ALLEVIATE OR CURE THE EFFECTS OF DEPRESSION????"

Then hand them an article you've downloaded from the internet about the work of Richard Davidson at the University of Wisconsin which proves his results in a scientific setting.

I don't know how else to put it. 

The Finish Line

We're almost there.

Why two volumes? Why not?  Twice as much fun. Here's the artwork from Doug Martin. Keyhole. Universe. Flipside. What's not to love?

I'm told that "Flipside The Film" will be available through Netflix in August. Whee!

Volume one includes interviews with scientists talking about how consciousness appears to exist outside the body.  It includes between life sessions, near death experiences and more.

Volume two includes interviews with people who've had both near death experiences and between life session and more.  For those of you who've been eager to hear the latest research about the afterlife, this will combine both science and eyewitness reports.

Hopefully will be in print in a couple of weeks.  Thanks for your patience!  

The Audiobook for Flipside

Post by Rich Martini.