Q - My husband has had hives for over two months now. He is under the care of his general practitioner, and lately an allergist. Antihistamines have not helped, so the only answer was to go on Prednisone. Two weeks ago he started on 50 mg a day, and the hives cleared up immediately. He then went on 25 mg daily as directed by the doctor. It was fine for a few days, but now after a week the hives are back. We are suspecting that it is stress that is causing this. He is in his 50’s, can you help?
A - We see many clients with stress-exacerbated conditions. The first step is to have a brain assessment to determine what neurological condition is associated with the stress. |
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Q - My 15-year-old son has suffered emotional trauma, and also suffers from the inability to focus. He constantly daydreams, and he has been diagnosed with dyslexia. Maybe once a month or so, he hears his name being whispered (nobody whispers this). I have applied to the Crime Victims Assistance Program, and he is eligible for 20 one-hour counseling sessions. I heard Dr. Swingle on the radio and I think that this therapy may be of benefit to my son. Do you work with the Crime Assistance Program?
A - We treat many children who have been exposed to traumatic stress. From your description it seems that he may also have an attention deficit, unless the focus problem came on after the trauma. We treat many children with multiple problems including ADD, trauma, learning disorders and depression. The 20 hours of counseling could be used provided it is for a registered psychologist. The first step is to schedule a brain assessment to determine the exact nature of the problem. |
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Q - I am interested in help for anxiety and panic attacks- for both my 21-year-old son and myself. We live in Penticton. How does it work when patients are far away?
A - We treat clients from all over the world who stay for several weeks of intensive treatment. Since you are relatively close, it may be best to come in for a week of treatment, and then return after a few months for a second intensive week. |
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Q - I am inquiring about having my 13-year-old son tested. He has what I believe is an anxiety disorder. We have been struggling for almost five years with this. We have home schooled for a couple of years because of this situation and I am desperate to find some other alternative.
A - I would certainly recommend that you have a neurotherapy assessment. We see many children with conditions similar to those you describe. There can be many different areas of brain dysfunctions associated with these conditions. An EEG (electroencephalograph) assessment will determine precisely what areas are implicated and how the situation can be corrected. If you let us know your location we may be able to refer you to qualified people in your area. Do NOT take your child to anyone not certified to practice neurotherapy. |
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Q - Can you help a 22 yr. old male with borderline personality disorder (BPD)?
A - Yes. We see many clients with the personality disorders. Neurotherapy is very efficient as an adjunct to behavior and psychotherapy in these cases. Particularly if the usual trauma pattern is seen in the brain assessments, neurotherapy is very efficient for releasing the traumatic content and facilitating the integration and processing of the psychological baggage that is always involved. We use many adjunct procedures for dealing with the emotional content coincident with the neurotherapy. These procedures include eye movement desensitization, bilateral stimulation procedures, hypnosis, emotional freedom technique, craniosacral therapy, accustimulation, as well as various behavioral and psychotherapeutic therapies. As you know, personality disorders are difficult to treat and although a most efficient therapeutic methodology, neurotherapeutic treatment of these disorders is not a brief process. |
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Q - Hello, would you comment on the benefit for a PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) male with no sense of smell, taste and short term memory problems.
A - Neurotherapy is a very effective treatment for PTSD. I have treated hundreds of PTSD clients ranging from combat vets to abhorrently abused children. My guess is that your lack of smell, taste and short term memory problems all stem from the same brainwave inefficiencies. With severe PTSD we find an absence or, at times, a reversal of a particular brainwave response. That response is associated to flashbacks. Now flashbacks can implicate any of the sensory modalities so when in flashback, clients often report that they not only "see" or relive the traumatic experience visually but they also report that they can taste, hear, feel and smell the event. The blunting of the brainwave pattern found in the brainwave trauma pattern is the brain's mechanism for trying to blunt the flashbacks. In addition to blunting the visual, blunting the other modalities may occur as well. Incidentally, it is that same brainwave pattern that is implicated in short-term memory. First step is to have a brain assessment to determine if the suspected inefficiencies are, in fact, observed. Correcting the inefficiencies markedly accelerates treatment of the PTSD. |
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Q - Would your treatments be effective in treating a severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) that our daughter (now 42) has had since she was a teenager?
A - Neurotherapy can be a very effective treatment for OCD when used in conjunction with other forms of therapy. OCD involves both neurological and a behavioral or psychological component and both must be addressed for successful treatment. The neurological basis for the disorder usually involves two areas in the brain: the frontal midline which is located over the anterior cingulate gryus and the back of the brain (Occipital lobes). The one area is associated with the perseverative aspects of the disorder and the other brain area (Occipital regions) is associated with the anxiety components. Neurotherapy corrects these neurological conditions. Behavioral therapy is then required to change the habit component of the OCDE behaviors. With reduced anxiety, increased stress tolerance and lessened perseverative thought processes, the behavioral treatment component is far more likely to be successful. |
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Q - I am currently taking medication for anxiety - clonazepam, celexa and lamotrigne combined with some Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)- continuing problems - diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) - treatment is continuing slowly - interested in an assessment.
A - Assuming that you do not have a history of traumatic brain injury the cost of the initial brain assessment is $180. |
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Q - Can you detect and treat dissociative disorders with neurotherapy? Would a person with multiple personalities have different EEG results, depending on which personality was "out"? I am aware that I dissociate easily and I suspect I may have multiple personalities, although I have not been properly assessed. My symptoms are subtle (to other people) and I have an atypical trauma history as an adult. I often feel like a chameleon living a surreal life and I frequently have to fight with my own brain because it seems to have a mind of it's own. Or perhaps I have just one very complex personality suffering from lingering PTSD. In any case, I am certain there is something really out of whack with my brain and I am looking for relief from the symptoms that are holding me back in life.
A - We see many clients with dissociative disorders. You probably have seen the literature that the EEG is often quite different depending on which alter is manifest, although it is not unusual for DOD people to have a single EEG profile. Trauma is always part of the clinical picture and resolving the trauma and integrating the alters is the thrust of treatment. The neurotherapy is of considerable benefit in this process. When dealing with more serious problems such as DOD with alters, we generally go immediately to a full brain map rather than start with the basic intake assessment. The reason is that with DOD with alters, the brain site to brain site interactions are important and to determine these interactions we need all nineteen sites of simultaneously recorded brainwave data. |
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Q - I am currently being treated for traumatic stress and suicidal depression. It has caused me to take a leave of absence from my professional degree program of study and am currently on extended disability. I am under the care of a psychiatrist, psychologist and my pastor. I am taking Prozac (with some effect) and Klonipin (which seems to hold me together). We will be changing the medication soon, as I was unable to decrease my dose of Klonipin and rely only on the Prozac. Many of my current symptoms and stresses seem to stem from one core issue developed in my childhood. I was sexually abused as a child by a trusted and loved relative. Even more hurtful, those who should have protected me did nothing. The trauma was repeated in high school with my classmates. I have just begun EFT with my therapist, though I remain skeptical about it's effectiveness. I have been practicing it several times per day, but the mere thought of these issues continues to bring panic and intense emotion. How does your therapy differ from EFT, and what would you recommend to be the most effective treatment?
A - Although we often use EFT, it is not a central component of neurotherapy. Neurotherapy starts from the premise that there are neurological predispositions to conditions such as depression, poor stress tolerance, and emotional volatility. Experience combines with these predispositions to create conditions such as post traumatic stress disorder, depression, severe anxiety, sleep disturbance, severe emotional swings, and the like. Hence our treatment deals with both major components of these problematic conditions. The first step is determine the neurological conditions underlying the problem. This is accomplished with a brainwave assessment (an EEG)to identify the exact nature and location of the neurological anomalies. Neurotherapy corrects these problems in brain functioning. In addition to the neurotherapy, we focus therapeutic attention on the emotional/cognitive/behavioral aspects of the problem. This may include cognitive behavioral therapies, EMIR, AFT, hypnosis, emotional release techniques, bilateral stimulation, experiential psychotherapies, and the like. Brainwave activity associated with exposure to an emotional trauma is corrected relatively early in neurotherapy with the result that the traumatic content is processed. This may simply involve increased dream activity and being more mindful of the traumatic content for a day or so. In very severe cases some form of therapy is appropriate at this time to facilitate the rapid processing of the emotional content. This therapeutic assistance can be any of the above mentioned varieties depending on the nature of the trauma, brain functioning, nature of the traumatic event, etc. As you will note, we do not rely on a single therapeutic method but use many forms of therapy as adjuncts to the neurotherapy. |
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