Forty-two-year-old “Allison” was worried that she was about to lose her mind (or at least it felt that way). Stress ran unshackled throughout her body and brain, and she was unable to put on the brakes.
Allison was simply overwhelmed with life’s demands: She was running a business, renovating a new home for her family’s move from Miami to Jupiter, Florida and caring for an adopted newborn who had entered the family’s life with only two weeks’ notice.
“My body and mind were in overdrive,” she noted, “and I couldn’t sleep.”
Allison knew she had to do something to come back into balance, and that “something” eventually brought her to the Center for Brain Training.
She didn’t want to keep taking Xanax
Leading up to that, a psychiatrist had given Allison Xanax, which allowed her to get about six hours of chemically induced sleep a night, but it wasn’t quality sleep, and Allison didn’t want to keep taking medication.
The clock was her psychic enemy
Each day, as the clock advanced toward those dreaded night hours, Allison’s apprehension ramped up.
“As evening approached I would start getting full of anxiety about being able to sleep,” Allison recalled. “Sleep was like a snowball rolling down a hill. The worry got bigger and bigger and I couldn’t stop it. I was often in tears. I felt like I was permanently spinning.”
Searching for a natural solution
With an interest in alternative healing, Allison set out to do online research, looking for natural options that might vanquish her tortuous sleep problem. That’s when she discovered the Center for Brain Training.
“The Google reviews were excellent, and I liked what I read about their services,” she said. She picked up the phone and made an appointment.
“I felt calmer almost immediately,” Allison recalled about her first training experience at the center, which involved a session on the Lenyosys (BioRegulation) therapy machine.
Weaning off the Xanax was difficult
One of the challenges she brought to the center was her desire to wean herself off of the Xanax. It took her about three months to do so. Every time she’d reduce the Xanax, the anxiety would spike, and her training would have to be adjusted.
“The neurofeedback and PEMF smoothed out the bumps on that road to getting off the Xanax,” she said. “It turned a monster roller coaster into a regular roller coaster.
“Getting off the Xanax was very difficult, and I see why people have such a hard time dosing off a benzo-type medication,” she continued, “but my inner determination to get back to ‘normal,’ along with the support the Center for Brain Training, was key to this process for me.”
Pulling out all the stops
For the next seven months, Allison pursued a variety of biofeedback options at the Center for Brain Training, did meditation, added some supplements, including CBD oil, valerian root, magnesium and a REM patch. She purchased a Lenyo PEMF (pulsed electromagnetic field) fractal and used it at home every night. She also established a regular bedtime routine, which helped her calm the noise in her brain and rebuilt confidence that she could, in fact, get natural, restorative sleep.
Sleep normalized – at last
Eventually her sleep normalized and her debilitating worry about not being able to sleep evaporated.
“Days became about the days again rather than being a constant concern over the impending night,” she said.
Over time Allison also noticed that her entire nervous system felt calmer, and it was easier to generate positive thoughts.
“I’m so thankful that I no longer have to worry about the nights,” Allison said, “and I’m grateful to feel like myself again.”
She said she’s also very grateful for the professional and creative approaches taken by Mike Cohen (Center for Brain Training’s director) and Carolyn Cohen (Center for Brain Training’s co-owner) to help her problem-solve and resolve her sleep issues.
“Carolyn and Mike work beautifully together. They are the yin and yang of healing,” she said.