The Request We Hear Weekly
“Turn It Up. Give Me Everything You’ve Got.”
Respectfully, No.
We hear a version of this almost every week, usually from someone who has fully committed to the bit. More signal. More intensity. Crank it until the machine apologizes. Look, we get it. More usually works. Harder workout, bigger dose, louder alarm clock, that emergency second espresso when the first one clearly lied to you.
Except with microcurrent neurofeedback, more is not the move, and we are not just being precious about it. There is an actual principle behind this, and it shows up all over biology. Once you hear what it is called, you will start noticing it everywhere, including in your own life choices you did not realize were running on the same rule the whole time.
The Nerdy Part (We’ll Keep It Quick)
There is a term for this in biology: hormesis. Researchers have been documenting it for decades, across fields from toxicology to exercise physiology, which is a fun phrase to drop at a dinner party right before everyone’s eyes glaze over. The short version: a lot of stressors on the body do not work on a straight line where more is always better. They work on a curve. A little bit of a stressor can wake your system up in a good way. Push past a certain point, and that same stressor turns around and works against you.
You have already felt this, you just did not have the word for it. A short, hard workout makes you stronger the next day. An all-day workout makes you limp. A cold plunge for sixty seconds wakes up your whole nervous system. Staying in for twenty minutes just makes you a popsicle with opinions. Same underlying principle, different flavor of discomfort.
Hormesis is associated with sauna use, cold exposure, fasting, and exercise, basically every wellness trend that makes you briefly question your life choices right before you feel amazing. It is a well-documented biological principle, covered in peer-reviewed research like this overview of the hormesis theory of stress adaptation and this review of hormesis against stress and disease, not just inside wellness-world buzzwords.
This is the same curve we are working with at Clear Mind Utah. The signal itself is already tiny, about 1.5 millivolts, roughly one-thousandth the voltage of a single AA battery. So “turning it down” is not dialing back some huge current. It is fine-tuning an already-gentle signal to land in the part of the curve where your system actually responds.
“It’s contradictory to what people expect. A lot of people want it turned up all the way, give it to me good. But that’s not how we were trained to use microcurrent neurofeedback. A lot of the time, less is more. Sometimes we turn it down to get more effect, not less.”
Troy Gundersen, co-founder of Clear Mind Utah
Here’s What Turning It Down Actually Looks Like
One Honest Caveat About Turning It Up Too Far
We are not cautious about this for dramatic effect, we save the drama for the office group chat. More signal than your system is ready for can overshoot, and you can end up feeling wired, foggy, or off instead of settled. That is exactly why intensity is calibrated at intake and adjusted session to session instead of maxed out by default, and why the over-stim protocol itself is short on purpose, twenty-five seconds, not some long drawn-out correction. If anything about a session feels off, tell us. Side effects are uncommon but real, and we would rather hear about it than have you grit your teeth through it. You can read more on our safety page.
Curious What “Calibrated Right” Actually Feels Like
Come Feel The Difference Yourself
The Rapid Reset Session is where most people first feel the gap between “turned up” and “calibrated right.” No pressure, no hard sell, just time to feel what calibrated actually feels like.
Begin Your Rapid Reset Session →Where To Go From Here
Who This Helps, and What to Explore Next
If you have ever walked out of a session wondering why it felt quieter than you expected, or you have been side-eyeing the word “gentle” wondering if it is secretly code for “does not really do anything,” this is for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
About the Author
Troy Gundersen
Troy is the co-founder and owner of Clear Mind Utah, a family-owned microcurrent neurofeedback center in American Fork, Utah. He and his wife Valerie opened the center after experiencing firsthand how a stuck nervous system can quietly take over, and how much is possible when it finally shifts. Troy works alongside Val and their daughter Sydni to help adults and families across Utah County find their way back to calm. Learn more about the team →
Individual experiences vary. This technique is offered as general self-care information and is not a substitute for medical or mental health treatment. Clear Mind Utah provides microcurrent neurofeedback as a wellness and nervous system support service. We do not diagnose, treat, or cure any medical or mental health condition. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please contact a qualified professional or call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
