“My 14-year-old son has severe ADHD. We had tried every medicine available to deal with his ADHD. All of the medications had awful side effects, some of them increasing his anxiety until he had to be hospitalized. Finally, we settled on Vyvanse as the side effects were the least offensive of all the other medications that we had tried. On Vyvanse, C. developed trichotillomania (skin picking disorder). He compulsively picked and bit at his fingers, arms, and even feet, sometimes until he was bleeding and there were bloodstains on his clothes. This caused him severe distress, and I know that it negatively impacted his social relationships and his schoolwork. His ADHD coach, Dr. Marcia McKinley (with Psych Ed Coaches and BiofeedbackWorks), recommended that we try neurofeedback and specifically, low-energy neurofeedback system (LENS). We live so far away that more traditional forms of neurofeedback, which require several visits per week, would not be realistic; C. could do LENS just once a week on Saturdays, adjacent to his coaching session with Dr. Marcia. After just one LENS session, C.’s skin-picking had been reduced by at least 75%. After two sessions, his body was completely clear, and he isn’t picking at all. C. says that it is also getting easier for him to pay attention in school in the afternoons, when his medications have worn off. I don’t know how LENS works, but I know for sure that it does, and C. and I are very grateful that we found it!”
̶ Mother of C.
“I have bipolar disorder and ADHD. This gives me a lot of problems in paying attention in school and focusing on getting my homework done. My moods vary between anger, which scares other people, and sadness, which scares everyone. Sometimes I just want to play video games to hide from school and my family. After neurotherapy, I feel lighter, happier, and more in control of my moods. My school was ready to kick me out because my anger scared them so much, but now I am back in school. I’m also able to concentrate more on my work, both at school and home; I can even remember to get work done without my parents reminding me. My grades have gone up by a lot since I started neurotherapy. Plus, Dawn is really easy to talk with and give me good suggestions on how to work with my parents and teachers.”
̶ S.
“My daughter was diagnosed with epilepsy and ADHD. Medication controlled the seizures. However, she had difficulty in school with concentrating and staying on task. My husband and I refused to put her on medication for ADHD as well as seizure medication. No one knows the long term effects of combined medications and she is so young [8 years old]. After the first 20 sessions of neurofeedback we saw improvement in her school work. She was able to remember what she was learning. She brought her grades up in school. Instead of masking the problem with prescription drugs we have worked to correct the issue with this non-invasive treatment. At our last appointment with her neurologist we were told her EEG was normal and she no longer needed medication for seizures. Now she is totally medication free! Best of all our daughter’s confidence has soared and she has started school with such enthusiasm. This has been one of the best decisions we have made.”
̶ B. (Excerpt)