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By Michael Cohen, Director and Chief of Neurotechnology
Panic attacks can be debilitating. They can 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.
Do you or someone you love suffer from panic attacks?
Do you live in daily fear that a panic attack can occur any time, any place?
You’re not alone. Every day millions of people in the U.S. experience panic attacks, and the problem is getting worse. In fact, it seems to be an epidemic.
You can reduce the number and intensity of your panic attacks without medication or therapy.
Over the past 10 years I’ve seen a significant increase in the number of teens and adults coming to me for panic attacks, and I hear the same thing from my colleagues.
No one knows for sure why these numbers are increasing. I speculate that it may have something to do with environmental factors, like the decreased nutritional value of food and more pesticide residues in our food. It may also have to do with the proliferation of smart phones, the internet and social media – too much screen time and too little sleep.
Drugs don’t work for many people
Many of the people who come to the Center for Brain Training have already gone to doctors or emergency rooms and been prescribed drugs, like Xanax, which didn’t work very well. They’re at the end of their rope.
The Center for Brain Training Experience Clients have a very different experience at our clinic.
Holistic. No drugs. No therapy. No judgment. Customizing our approach to each person is a hallmark of care at the Center for Brain Training.
We offer a unique approach to dealing with panic attacks that combines neurofeedback with body biofeedback, also known as bioregulation therapy. This combination helps re-set and calm the nervous system and breaks the cycle.
It works for about 80% of our clients. By the fifth session, most people have noticed improvement. (We may recommend that some people, depending on their situation, do as many as 15 more sessions to ensure that the benefits hold.)
The gut health factor
Many experts now believe that mental health isn’t only in your head but can also be greatly influenced by your gut health. Emerging research is showing that an unbalanced gut microbiome (microorganisms that live in the digestive tract) can be highly related to panic attacks and anxiety symptoms.
As part of our comprehensive approach, we frequently recommend diet changes and special dietary supplements that can help improve gut health. We also sometimes refer our clients to a functional or integrative medicine doctor to rule out underlying physical causes.
Case histories of panic attack sufferers
“Nicole” had worked for years as a waitress to put herself through nursing school. When she got her dream job, it soon became a nightmare. Severe anxiety and daily panic attacks made walking into the hospital every day an exercise in courage. She worried that her mental state might impact her ability to care for her patients. A year of experimenting with different medications didn’t help.
Desperate, she tried neurofeedback. After her third session she felt calm enough to discontinue her medication. After her fifth session she was panic-free with significantly less anxiety and was able to discontinue her neurofeedback training.
Brett* had become so paralyzed by panic attacks that he had been unable to work or drive for two years. He was on heavy-duty mood stabilizers, an antipsychotic medication and other drugs. The medications helped somewhat but not enough for him to function. After one month of intensive neurofeedback training, his panic attacks and extreme anxiety diminished, and he was able to drive again.
“My skin was crawling. I was sick to my stomach all the time and my whole body felt like it was shocking me.”
That’s how Aaron* described the debilitating and tortuous months when he was so engulfed by the flames of panic and sudden-onset anxiety that he couldn’t sleep, stopped eating and shut out everything and everyone he cared about.
After doctors – and medications – couldn’t help, he found his way to the Center for Brain Training. After three months of neurofeedback, body biofeedback and CBD oil he was “back to his old self 100 percent.”
*Names changed to protect confidentiality
Michael Cohen Director and Chief of Neurotechnology
Mike 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
Phone: 561-744-7616
Text: 561-291-9562
www.CenterForBrain.com
