Sorry, this will be long. I've never been more grateful to be able to avail myself of a health-promoting modality. My journey with Brain Performance Center is already proving to be life-changing for me. I never realized I have *anxiety* since I don't get panic attacks. Upon reviewing my initial brain map with the awesome Bryan Hixson (who is brilliant and kind), I realized for the first time why I experience a lot of symptoms that I do. I always knew I was "high-strung" (just ask my husband) and also quick to trigger (especially when it comes to my oldest daughter, who is an expert at pushing my buttons). I even started getting heart palpitations (I think that's what they are?) in the last couple of years. That is just my baseline. That is almost completely gone since undergoing neurofeedback sessions at BPC. I had a constant tightness in my chest, that is/was my norm. I feel like a fist is slowly unclenching as my brain rewires itself, I'm not sure how else to explain it. I feel more peaceful.
I had no idea why I was the way I was but looking at my map and learning how my brain and body was trying to compensate just to make it...it all made sense. Bryan told me "this is probably the first time your brain has seen itself" and that I probably didn't even know that my experience was different than "normal" because how can you know what's different if this is your only frame of reference (he was more articulate than that, I'm paraphrasing). I actually teared up with sympathy for myself, my poor brain, validation, I'm not sure what. I have tried SO MANY THINGS to address this and nothing worked, until now.
The part that is most noticeable for me on a day-to-day basis is my stressful morning routines with my kids. As a conscientious parent, I have read books and taken workshops about communicating with kids, becoming a calm parent, etc., but all the techniques in the world really don't help when you can't realize you need to take a breath and step away...until after it's too late and you've become totally emotionally dysregulated. And lost your...you know what. And I was always very conscious of "this is not the behavior I want to be modeling for my kids"...but in those moments when my brain was going into fight-or-flight mode, it feels hopeless. When you start to understand exactly what happens when certain parts of the brain are over-activated and how that corresponds to resulting behaviors, it all falls into place (and good news is, you don't have to understand or get into the neurophysiology of it all for it to be effective, I just prefer to because I have a medical background and find it fascinating). And I understood from a cognitive, medically-inquisitive level before that, but felt powerless to change the way I'm wired. How do you change how your brain is wired? Honestly, here's the answer. We actually have the technology. I'm not even done with my treatments and I am already more able to take a deep breath and implement all the strategies I tried to implement before. This is one way that my journey with BPC is helping me to be a better mom, a better wife, better friend, and better to myself. And that sends ripple waves into the world that impact everyone. I want to show up for my kids as the best version of myself, and BPC is helping me do that.
Full disclosure, the one downside is that once you realize the potential of this, you lament that everyone you love is not availing themselves of it (and maybe also people you don't love...lol). I realize that this is not accessible to everyone, and that's a shame because it should be. If this is at all accessible to you, or there is a way it could be, I urge you to start with a brain map and go from there. Try this first. Upgrading the brain's pathophysiology should be the first step in addressing all these things that so many of us grapple with for ourselves and our kids, and our aging parents (so yeah basically, ALL of us). Unfortunately many of us come to this journey as a last step, after pouring untold money, time, and wasted hope into countless other modalities (and some of those modalities will be more effective, once we change the brain's pathophysiology). I wish we could all start here first. I am so beyond grateful that this technology exists and specifically the family that runs it with their expertise and enormous hearts. And also while I'm at it, all the staff who work there are top notch, just warm and caring and knowledgeable. They work with professional sports players and celebrities and just regular moms like me, and we all get the best care and treatment.
I am nowhere near done with my journey at BPC and am already blown away. I had to take a moment to let people know, who might be on the fence or just learning of this. Please look into it. We have the absolute best of the best right here in Westlake (and apparently they can set it up for remote sessions if you're not local). read more
