Depression and Bipolar Disorder
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Clients of all ages have experienced successful results with treatment of depression and bipolar conditions with LENS Neurofeedback. They report feeling hopeful with improved mental clarity, motivation, and restored emotional resilience in the first session.
LENS is a medication-free treatment for relief from minor to severe depression, manic episodes, bipolar , cyclothymia, anxiety accompanying depression and panic attacks. Treatment protocols contribute directly to neurological regeneration in brain cells and neural pathways.
- Provides relief from symptoms of bipolar disorders and depression.
- Supports supervised programs for reduction of prescription meds.
- Safe and effective medication free alternative primary therapy.
Learn more: call and speak to an experienced clinician at our Mill Valley, CA location.
An Integrative Alternative to Medication for Depression
Depression changes the brain to repeat defensive negative thoughts. Neurotherapy treats depression at the root cause. Feedback informs the brain that these defensive habits that cause depression scan be safely abandoned. The result is natural contentment and confidence. LENS neurofeedback offer a safe and primary treatment to certain medications.
How soon will I feel better? To answer that question, you need to know what kind of depression needs treatment. The following is the types of depression treatment is provied. The spectrum includes:
- Situational disappointment in response to difficult events.
- Anxiety-driven depression anchored in ongoing and unresolved brain stress.
- Deeper depression without anxiety, in which worry has depleted all reserves in the body, leaving nothing to mobilize change.
Neurofeedback clears situational depression immediately. Situational depression, or grieving, is the body’s response when our expectations aren’t met. LENS Neurofeedback works automatically increase awareness and the ability to consciously experience grief so that it can be released. The trigger for the grief or situation may remain the effects are no taken personally anymore. Benifits occurs during or immediately following the initial treatment. Typically, increased calm and clarity trigger positive motivation to let go of worry and move on with doing things that build greater confidence.
Neurofeedback clears brain-stress to regenerate body resources during cyclic depression and bipolar disorder. Anxiety-driven depression is the bottom half of an energy cycle. Our bodies know how to rally resources for emergency fight or flight, but modern life triggers stress throughout the day, and on into the evening with media programs or internet interactions.
Stress is stimulating but tiring fatigues the nervous system so eventually the body runs out of “battery power,” and demands we shut down. This is known to cause adrenal fatigue. This is anxiety-driven depression. Typically, the effects are that people don’t feel like doing anything. Indifference and then depression may arise and our moods become dark or negative. Even taking a short break to recharge reserves with sleep or relaxation permits a brief period of manic activity. But this energy splurge drains our “battery power,” again setting up the next low mood. This cycle can go on and on for many years.
Neurofeedback informs brain through impulses or feedback exactly how it constantly wastes energy defending against past or imagined emergencies. When given immediate feedback, it reorganizes for optional neural-efficiency within minutes and continues for days later. A new sustainable state of energy efficiency and clarity typically lasts for days allowing for new priorities to be adopted in daily life. Repeated sessions deepen the benifits with longer and longer carry overs into the succeeding weeks and months. Client typically stop treatment when their goals are met and sustaining in daily life.
In deeper depression, neurofeedback gradually refills reserves so a natural feeling of happiness can flow normally. Deep depression is the result of years of stress. Often a lingering virus or other health challenge has drained body resources constantly for years. The adrenal system collapses; the “internal battery” can no longer hold a charge. We can’t rally enough to be anxious; there’s no charge left to run alarms. In deep depression, neurofeedback takes longer, because first the body’s reserves need to be refilled. As many as ten sessions may be needed to regenerate reserves so that the client can notice improved moods. In this unique case, we recommend people buy a package of 10-20 sessions to insure they stay with treatment long enough to notice gradual improvements in their sleep, energy, mood, confidence, and productivity.
Stage three: If you’ve shown several of these signs for a full two weeks or more and it is not due to substance use or a medical condition.
- You’re feeling depressed most of the day week over week.
- You’ve lost interest in day-to-day activities and/or find yourself unable to take pleasure in the things you used to enjoy.
- You’ve experienced significant change in appetite, sleep patterns, or diminished ability to think or concentrate.
- You feel fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day.
- You’re filled with feelings of worthlessness, or have recurrent thoughts of suicide.
The third stage, clinical depression, is an actual illness, not a normal response to difficult life events or stress. Anxious feelings give way to despondence and hopelessness because there is no longer enough energy to run the anxiety. This type of depression requires intervention as it does not tend to resolve without help. You need assistance getting out of a dark hole because your resources are so depleted you simply can’t climb out on your own. Anxious feelings give way to despondence and hopelessness because there is no longer enough energy to run the anxiety.
Neurotherapy is a proven primary stand-alone treatment that is medication free. It can also be used in combination with medication or to support decrease use of antidepressants managed by your doctor.
More than simply a matter of degree, these categories give us key insight into how the depressed person’s brain is doing and what can be done to bring the brain back into balance where happy and content feelings are part of good mental health.
Irving’s Story
“My diagnoses were depression and anxiety associated with grieving over the sudden loss of my spouse 19 years ago. Ever since, constant repetition of the events in my mind and a deep depression have affected my social functioning, affected my work stability, as well as sleep patterns, appetite, and basic joie de vivre. I’ve seen Grant (at Echo Neurotherapy) now for five LENS therapy sessions. Immediately after the first, I felt a lifting in my shoulders. My stiff neck and teeth clenching and grinding were alleviated, and two months later, I no longer have a stiff neck. I didn’t feel the exuberance that many experience during the first treatment. My awareness of the changes came on overnight. I wasn’t as irritable with traffic and with things that usually annoy me and even anger me. I still wake up in the middle of the night, however, I am able to get back to sleep quite easily. I am no longer kept up by racing thoughts and an anxious stomach. I still use marijuana to regulate anxiety, mood, sleep, arthritis pain, and appetite, but started using a vaporizer to reduce the amount. I also felt an increase in sensitivity to alcohol.
I have felt the social confidence I had prior to my loss coming back, and others have noticed it too. I’ve also suffered from migraines since I was 10 years old. Two months after LENS, no more migraines. I have discovered that LENS helps you correct negative brain patterns. Your brain then recognizes the positive ones. And, you learn how to opt for the positive patterns. All of my stress and anxiety induced ailments are gone – neck stiffness and pain, migraines, and even psoriasis on my ears and elbows. I will be continuing therapy with LENS. I suggest LENS to all those suffering from similar symptoms caused by anxiety. What a chance discovery! “
-Irving S