Patricia*, 52, was having disruptive hot flashes several times a day. “The hot flashes would last for 45 minutes to an hour, and I’d have to get up and shower and try to get back to sleep. The lack of sleep was affecting how I felt during the day, and I worried that it might impact my ability to help clients.”
After five sessions, the hot flashes were gone and stayed gone for more than six months. They came back after that but were much less severe and far less disruptive than they had been before she trained with neurofeedback.
Of course, the hot flashes were embarrassing and inconvenient, but that wasn’t the only issue. As a psychotherapist, Patricia worried that a vulnerable client might be in the process of sharing a traumatic memory and would be confused to see her wiping her brow and having what might seem to be an emotional reaction to the story.
Ice packs and peppermint
Alone in her bedroom at night, the hot flashes continued to plague her.
“I kept ice packs and peppermint oil beside my bed to put on the back of my neck to help cool me, but they didn’t help much,” she recalled. “The hot flashes would last for 45 minutes to an hour, and I’d have to get up and shower and try to get back to sleep. The lack of sleep was affecting how I felt during the day, and I worried that it might impact my ability to help clients.”
Improvement after the third session of neurofeedback
A couple of Patricia’s family members had gone to the Center for Brain Training for other issues, so she decided to contact the director, Mike Cohen, to see if neurofeedback could help.
“I saw an improvement after the third session,” Patricia said. “The first change was that I could go longer during the day without sweating and had fewer, less intense hot flashes at night.”
Hot flashes were gone after 5 sessions
She completed five sessions in total over the span of one month. After the last session, the hot flashes were gone and stayed gone for more than six months. They came back after that but were much less severe and far less disruptive than they had been before she trained with neurofeedback.
More sleep, fewer hot flashes
“Having the option of doing neurofeedback was a true blessing,” she said. “It made going through a rough process a lot easier. By allowing me to get more sleep at night and to have fewer hot flashes during the day, I was able to do my job at the professional level I expected of myself.”
*Name changed to protect client privacy.