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Today’s Biofeedback Makes It Possible without Medication
By Michael Cohen, Director and Chief of Neurotechnology Center for Brain Training
Anxiety…panic attacks…
They can make life miserable.
They can put a damper on enjoying the simple pleasures of life.
Either one on its own is
debilitating. Together they’re a double whammy.
Medications don’t always work. People are often at the end of their rope.
But finally, there’s hope – and it doesn’t involve medication.
Let’s talk first about anxiety.
Anxiety causes excessive worry. You feel overwhelmed by the normal demands of life. Anxiety can make it difficult to concentrate. It puts stress on personal relationships, too, and impacts sleep.
Panic attacks
Panic attacks are no fun, either. They frequently occur “out of the blue.” They cause intense fear or discomfort. They’re accompanied by physical symptoms – sweating, racing heart, stomach issues and tight chest and extremities. The physical symptoms typically hit sufferers before the emotional component kicks in.
Remedies
You can try self-calming techniques in both cases, like deep breathing, positive self-talk and visualization. However, these often don’t work well and aren’t designed to get to the root cause of the problem. The same goes for pharmaceutical solutions like Xanax. Medications don’t teach your brain to operate better and may not eliminate your symptoms.
Hearing from a friend or relative to “just calm down” or “just get over it” is not only non-productive but can create more anxiety.
If it were that easy, you would have done it by now, wouldn’t you?
At the Center for Brain Training we look at anxiety and panic attacks in a completely different way. We don’t see you as “weak,” “hysterical” or through any other judgmental framework that reflects on your character.
Here’s what’s going on in most cases: Your brain is having trouble regulating itself.
It goes on “high alert” all by itself, even though there’s no real threat of danger. That’s the root cause – and you can’t help it any more than you can stop your blood pressure from going up just by wanting it to.
Fortunately, neurofeedback and certain other forms of biofeedback including “body biofeedback” do a very good job of helping regulate the brain and calming the nervous system. Once those are under control, anxiety and panic attacks become less of a problem.
Neurofeedback and body biofeedback can help lessen your reliance on medications. Many of our clients are able to stop taking anxiety medication entirely (with their doctor’s supervision).
Our new technologies literally help you better handle your everyday “high stress” situations without being overwhelmed. They also reduce the chances you’ll have panic attacks.
Neurofeedback trains your brain to control stress rather than merely helping you manage it. Body biofeedback helps calm your nervous system and promotes better cell-to-cell communication. Research repeatedly shows that neurofeedback and body biofeedback are very helpful for any type of anxiety, even PTSD.
Combining neurofeedback with body biofeedback
Customizing our approach to each person is a hallmark of care at the Center for Brain Training.
When a client comes to us with both anxiety and panic attacks we frequently recommend a combination of neurofeedback and body biofeedback (also known as BioRegulation Therapy or BRT).
While neurofeedback calms the mind, BRT calms the nervous system and reduces the physical symptoms associated with panic attacks. One person described it as “healing from the inside out.” About 75 percent of our clients find that their physical symptoms diminish in a few sessions.
We don’t stop there, however, as we search deeper for other problematic roots.
The gut-brain connection
There’s been a radical shift in recent years in scientific thinking as gut-brain problems have been associated with anxiety and panic attacks. Many experts now believe that your mental health isn’t only in your head but can also be greatly influenced by your gut health. Improving gut-brain health can impact sleep, mood, anxiety and attention. We frequently recommend diet changes and special dietary supplements that can help improve gut health.
If you’re suffering from chronic anxiety or panic attacks, there’s something new that can change how you feel. Give us a call today to learn more.
About Center for Brain Training
Center for Brain Training is staffed by a team of compassionate professionals whose mission is to enhance the lives of people suffering from a variety of conditions that can be significantly improved with the help of neurofeedback and other brain technologies.
Michael Cohen
Director and Chief of Neurotechnology
Michael Cohen is one of the leading experts in brain biofeedback. For more than 20 years he has helped children and adults feel better who suffer with a wide range of problems including ADHD, anxiety, insomnia, and learning and processing issues. He has taught neurofeedback to over 2,500 healthcare professionals, including medical doctors, all over the U.S. and the world.
Center for Brain Training
550 Heritage Drive, Suite 140
Jupiter, FL 33458
561.744.7616
www.CenterforBrain.com
