Patty’s Journey with Neurofeedback 

Having been introduced to neurofeedback in 2018 at a conference on addiction, featuring best-selling author and psychiatrist Bessel Van Der Kolk, MD, I became quickly fascinated. He wrote the book The Body Keeps The Score. I saw the potential benefits that this modality of treatment could have for my clients, especially those struggling with the long-term effects of addiction and trauma.  Utilizing the training that I had in Sensorimotor and Somatic Experiencing was highly effective, but it still wasn’t enough for what some of my clients were needing. That is why neurofeedback seemed so important!  

As I watched my own husband’s health decline and the threat of him facing surgery for something that I felt was a strong somatic response, I KNEW that I had to find out more about neurofeedback.  My husband’s own worried, troubled, anxious thought patterns were effecting him physiologically, showing up in his body as illness, as somatic responses, to little-t “trauma” that had occurred throughout his life.  If you look up the word somatic, you will find definitions such as this. “Soma comes from a word meaning ‘body’ in Greek, so somatic means ‘of the body’ and is most often used in connection with one’s health.”

My husband agreed to become my first “crash test dummy.”  His words!  Not mine….   I’m so very thankful that we pursued this together!  We are both different people today, in different bodies and leading very different lives because of neurofeedback, much healthier lives!  

I can’t tell you the immense gratitude I have for the training and mentorship of Anna Morell and Leanne Hershkowitz and how much they have invested in me!  I have had the privilege of gleaning all of their direct experience / training / knowledge that they have acquired from Psychotherapist Sebern Fisher and Psychologist Clair L. Goldberg, two powerhouses in the field of neurofeedback. Their collaboration with me has given me opportunity to incorporate in my somatic training, and to enhance the effectiveness of neurofeedback to a greater level. It has been an amazing, awe-inspiring journey of watching our God-given healing ability of our own bodies at work!  

I’ll let my husband David tell you of his own experience and his journey with neurofeedback… 

David’s Experience with Neurofeedback 

I started neurofeedback to help me deal with achalasia which makes it difficult to swallow. The problem is made worse when I am agitated or tense. I was facing having surgery to correct the issue since I could barely swallow fluids, let alone food. I would also frequently wake up at night choking on my own saliva.

When I heard that neurofeedback could help reduce stress, I wanted to see if it could help with my achalasia. I have done many sessions as we experimented with what protocols gave the best results and I have been able to avoid the surgery. In fact, I am currently able to go out to eat again and feel pretty normal in most social situations that involve food. I rarely wake up at night now too. I could live out the rest of life like this and be fine.

There have been many other benefits too that are not related to swallowing. My thought processes are much clearer and sharper than they have been in a long time. I had a concussion in a bike accident a few years ago and haven’t been up to par in a while. Now I am able to tackle complex projects and see them through, just like I used to.

My wife reports that I am nicer and notably less agitated, especially in difficult situations. I truly feel like a different person when dealing with people. Difficult situations are just challenges that are fun to solve.

I have been able to get back on the bike and am trying to get my overall fitness back. My resting heart rate is lower than before neurofeedback. In fact, it can approach levels that it used to hit when I was in peak physical form even though I am not in that form right now.

I was wrestling with overeating for the amount of physical activity that I was capable of. I’m not struggling with that now. I am able to control what I eat in conjunction with increased physical activity.

Each day feels new and exciting. I never realized before how much of a rut I was stuck in. I love to get up early now and journal, read, catch up on current events and watch the sun rise outside the kitchen window.

Patty’s Perspective on Neurofeedback

My training in Somatic Experiencing has taught me so much in recognizing when my nervous system has been dysregulated due to not handling the stressors of the world well. The odd physical symptoms that we all experience at times, were not necessarily disease or illness in our bodies but somatic responses, like a warning system. This, at times, could lead to illness or disease.

My body would demonstrate these somatic responses as an increase in pain, or tension headaches, or a flare-up of eczema or skin rashes that I’ve dealt with my entire life. Another somatic response would be my digestion would be on lock-down.  If we don’t deal with the strong emotions that our bodies are feeling, if we don’t allow ourselves or give time and space to emote, our bodies will emote for us, sometimes in very uncomfortable and unhealthy ways. 

With my neurofeedback training, I have learned so much more about the nervous system and how it reacts and responds to the stressors of life.  The goal of neurofeedback is to TEACH our brains how to re-regulate themselves, how to deal with the stressors of life in a different, more efficient, more effective, more productive way.

Since starting to train my own brain with neurofeedback, I have noticed a huge change in my nervous system and how I handle the stressors of life so differently. It’s not that the world isn’t continuing to happen around me.  My brain has learned to adjust differently to the world and the circumstances and events of life.  

These are some of the areas in which I have noticed improvements in my own life – 

• reduction in chronic pain
• improvement in digestion
• better skin, clearing up of rashes / eczema
• better, deeper, longer sleep cycles
• reduced reactivity and greater emotion regulation
• better processing of grief
• headaches that are much less severe and less often
• anxious thoughts have much less impact

I am very grateful for the changes in my life, my husband’s life and those around me that are reaping the benefits of neurofeedback!