NEUROFEEDBACK is a gentle biofeedback intervention that leads to increased awareness, stable and positive mood, a calm body (breath, heart rate, muscles), flexible and calm thinking, and improved sleep. It is often used for stress reduction and anxiety, phobias, insomnia or interrupted sleep patterns, headaches, and PTSD/trauma symptoms. Clients typically report even during their first session feeling physically, mentally, and emotionally relaxed, coupled with feeling alert, focused, and present.
Infra-Low Frequency (ILF) neurofeedback regulates the arousal level of the Autonomic Nervous System, including the states of fight, flight, freeze, fall, rest and digest. Neurofeedback involves individualized placement of electrodes on the scalp with no electricity involved, giving the brain a mirror of current brain activity on a screen visually, with auditory and tactile feedback. Providing the brain feedback on small shifts allows for improved self-regulation and brain functioning over time with repeated exercise. Collaborative fine-tuning is guided by the client's response in initial sessions. Neurofeedback is useful alongside other forms of therapy and is a nice additional therapy option when other methods have not led to substantial change.
Infra-Low Frequency (ILF) neurofeedback regulates the arousal level of the Autonomic Nervous System, including the states of fight, flight, freeze, fall, rest and digest. Neurofeedback involves individualized placement of electrodes on the scalp with no electricity involved, giving the brain a mirror of current brain activity on a screen visually, with auditory and tactile feedback. Providing the brain feedback on small shifts allows for improved self-regulation and brain functioning over time with repeated exercise. Collaborative fine-tuning is guided by the client's response in initial sessions. Neurofeedback is useful alongside other forms of therapy and is a nice additional therapy option when other methods have not led to substantial change.
SAFE AND SOUND PROTOCOL (SSP) is a therapeutic filtered music program that was developed by Stephen Porges to shift the autonomic nervous system into a calmer state, by the influence to the vagus nerve, the longest cranial nerve in our bodies. SSP is an auditory neural exercise and was designed to reduce stress and auditory sensitivity while enhancing social engagement, flexible thinking, and resilience. The SSP music isolates specific frequencies that stimulate the vagus nerve, starting in your ear. Branches of the vagus nerve control the tiny middle ear muscles that close and open your Eustachian (auditory) tubes. Exercising these muscles reduces automatic defensive or fearful responses, either sympathetic (fight/flight/freeze) and/or dorsal-vagal/shut-down (fall) responses. SSP helps to strengthen our parasympathetic (ventral vagal) functioning, to allow our bodies to rest and digest. Improving vagal tone allows us to feel safe and regulated, by calming physiological and emotional states.
EYE MOVEMENT DESENSITIZATION REPROCESSING (EMDR) is an integrative psychotherapy approach that has been extensively researched and proven effective for the treatment of distressing and overwhelming experiences. After sufficient development and strengthening of internal resources, reprocessing of distressing memories may be appropriate. Bilateral stimulation allows for integration of the memory in the left brain alongside the emotional right brain, and creates calming within the brain stem and limbic system. EMDR can allow for relief of distress related to the past, nervous system calming, and revision of distorted beliefs.
ADAPTIVE INTERNAL RELATIONAL (AIR) NETWORK MODEL is a model developed by McClelland, Miller, and Solon at the Midwest Center for Trauma and Emotional Healing, for clients who experience neuro-dissociative states. Through development of adaptive internal relational networks, interactive adult awareness and advanced resourcing strategies, an internal stance of neutral noticing and awareness develops. Once this is established, memory reprocessing may or may not be necessary.
SENSORIMOTOR PSYCHOTHERAPY is a method developed by Pat Ogden. This approach utilizes relational mindfulness to explore and shift old beliefs, coping strategies and patterns and to work through the effects of trauma. It draws on body-oriented psychotherapy methods and is a gentle way to contact and shift both emotional and physical pain.
Nothing is more precious than being in the present moment,
fully alive, fully aware.
-Thich Nhat Hanh
