Neurofeedback - healing the brain, healing the soul...
I've seen the power of neurofeedback first-hand. My dear friends, Lynette and Dessa, are both practitioners. Lynette is showcasing her amazing talents and story in her one-woman show
"THING TO THING TO THING" Friday Jan. 18th, 2008 at The Complex Theater in Hollywood, CA - 6478 Santa Monica Blvd.
She'll be performing one last show before upgrading to bigger theaters this April during Autism Awareness Month.
"Thing to Thing is a one woman show filled with the variety of a woman whose life has been multifaceted. This woman’s journey is revealed through slapstick, standup, music, characters, stories and neuroscience. It is a marvelous blend of intelligent information and goofy fun. Lynette has led an inspirational life. She shares her journey with honesty and bluntness. She hides nothing. In order to make a success of her life Lynette required self healing which led to the healing of others. She has a lot of wisdom to share. This uniquely talented woman presents her life with in a mosaic of mesmerizing energy, thigh-slapping comedy, tears of struggle and a love of others. There has never been any show more rewarding to be a part of."
"In 2003 Lynette Louise became the only professional from the Autism Treatment Center of America to be certified in two modalities: Option Process Mentor Counselor and Child Facilitator. Lynette has been practicing the Option Process since 1997 and working unofficially with autism since 1983 when she first began adopting children (four of which ‘were’ on the spectrum of Autism). Her incredible life story of raising two biological children and six adopted children is truly an inspiration.
After having helped hundreds of adults and children with a combination of playroom, dialogue, and family dynamics counseling, Lynette added Neurofeedback 3 years ago to the list of ways in which she can help heal the brain. Lynette, has also worked successfully with BiPolar, Cerebral Palsy, Alzheimer, Parkinson’s, Tourettes, Seizure Disorders ADHD, Depression, Addiction, and Traumatic Brain Injury."
reprinted from http://lynettelouise.com/Home.html
I distinctly remember meeting Lynette's most challenged son, Dar almost 10 years ago. He must have been 17-years-old at the time. He was naked, jumping up and down and grunting loudly. I couldn't help but love him. For many years, I was not able to understand a thing Dar said. Since he's had neurofeedback, Dar's speech has improved immensely. I can now understand him.
In Lynette's own words, "Of all the miracles I’ve ever seen happen for someone with autism my son Dar’s Neurofeedback story moves me the most. He was my first patient. He was twenty-three years old. He was easily frustrated, non-verbal, self- injurious, occasionally violent. When not in a fit of sensory overload he was totally sweet. Dar was 100% dependent on others. His hands were mostly closed he could manipulate very few objects and had an intense tremor whenever purposefully reach for something. I’d done everything I could think of to help him and still he was truly the most autistic man I have met to date. Then Dar did Neurofeedback. By the time he was twenty-six others could understand him a little, he could play his CD player and help fold cloths badly. He still gets better every day. All I do to facilitate that is Neurofeedback. At this point my family coexists in harmony with him and the neighbor kids occasionally invite him along. Best of all he doesn’t hit anyone not even himself. Dar requests Neurofeedback if he feels stressed, though we don’t always understand his request because Neurofeedback is hard to say. According to Dar Neurofeedback makes him ‘always feel better’. And that’s enough for me."
SO JUST WHAT IS NEUROFEEDBACK?
"Neurofeedback is biofeedback for the brain. Simply put it help strengthen the brain, calms it and improves its stability. Also called neurotherapy, neurobiofeedback or EEG biofeedback it is a therapy technique that presents the user with realtime feedback on brain-waves activity, as measured by brain wave sensors placed on the scalp, typically in the form of a video game or video display accompanied by a “beep” or music. The aim is to enable conscious control of brain-wave activity. If brain activity changes in the direction desired by the therapist, a positive reward or positive feedback is given to the individual, and if it regresses, no feedback is given. Rewards can be as simple as a change in pitch of a tone or as complex as a certain type of movement of a character in a video game. This experience can also be called operant conditioning for internal states.
Other areas where neurofeedback has been researched include treatment of substance abuse, anxiety, depression, epilepsy, and MTBI." read more at Brain&Body
YouTube has samples not only of the show (go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz5Ejtwost4), but also documentary style footage showing a beautiful young girl before treatment and after treatment (go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NofvYC9pxc). This clip clearly demonstrates the miracle of play and neurofeedback therapy mixed together.
For more information on neurofeedback and its applications you can visit these links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurofeedback
http://www.eegspectrum.com/
