This page is very
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This page is very
much under
construction.
I work a lot using neurofeedback with ADHD/ADD and similar brain-related attentional challenges in children (starting around 5 years old), teens, and adults. I seem to have the most dramatic success with children. Adults respond well too, it just takes longer in most cases.
Our brains are amazing. Brains basically are involved in everything we do, from choosing what socks to wear to regulating liver enzyme processes.
I have some personal and professional biases that you need to know about if you decide to work with me on you or your child's attention-related challenges.
It is important not to get too caught up in labeling someone as "having" or "not having" ADHD or any other medically-defined "disorder". At this point there is no blood test nor brain scan that definitively can identify ADHD or most any other psychiatric diagnosis. It isn't like taking an x-ray of a broken finger. Diagnosis of mental and emotional challenges is very subjective and is hotly debated among experts. After all, diagnoses are a handy social convention we have invented that helps us talk about things. They don't really exist. HOWEVER-- Some process is happening that impacts the way a person is able to perform. We need to determine what that process is and decide what, if anything, we want to try to do about it.
Medication isn't always the best long-term answer. Financial interests often make medication the cheapest alternative. A monthly medication co-pay is usually lot cheaper than frequent biofeedback or psychotherapy sessions. Medication is, however, often the fastest and most convenient route to take.
Medication is frequently (not always) effective at suppressing symptoms, which, in dire moments, can be a lifesaver. Crutches are nice to have immediately after a knee injury, but eventually we want to rehab the knee and put the crutches in the closet. Likewise with the medication. But if there is no rehabilitation, how can we put away the crutches?
But the brain is a self-organizing dynamic system-- it is always learning. If we can create opportunities for learning, then there is a chance learning will happen. If learning happens, new patterns begin to become established. If we can get the brain or the personality in a new groove, the person basically has a new way of living.
I am very much an advocate for letting kids be kids-- many things parents worry about will be outgrown. However, some kids are really in trouble when it comes to being in a school with their peers-- sometimes the kid's behavior is so out of line that medication is recommended as a way to help the child perform more like everyone else.
If medication is needed, I am an advocate of using as low as dosage as is possible. Of course, such things are medical decisions and should always be discussed with your physician.
There is substantial evidence that brains are impacted by many variables-- tweaking variables like stress, sleep, nutrition, family processes, emotional wounds, work, or school situations, etc., can often result in significant mood and behavior shifts that might eliminate or reduce the need for medications.
Neurofeedback (brainwave training) offers some hope for parents who are concerned about a lifetime of medications for their children. Many kids I have worked with have been able to reduce or even eliminate their medication dosage after brainwave training. This includes children with Tourette's Syndrome, Asperger's, Anxiety disorders, ADHD, and other typical issues kids encounter. Sometimes kids have been able to stop medications with no intervention other than neurofeedback. At other times neurofeedback has been part of a comprehensive strategy for change that might have included interventions such as counseling or diet changes.
Psychotherapy can be of great help for many issues. Research from many different fields points out that psychotherapy can help heal many challenging issues. It is expensive and it can take some time. I have expertise in working with teens and adults- I don't do psychotherapy with children.
This page is very
much under
construction.
This stuff below is not finished--- read at your own risk!
Tourette's I am a member of the Tourette Syndrome Association. I work a lot with kids and adults with Tourette's using counseling and neurofeedback. At this point, 100% of the people I have worked with using biofeedback have reported major reductions or elimination of tics and obsessions.
http://www.tourettesyndrome.net/index.htm
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders
Impulse Control Problems
Depression
Autism
Anxiety