Client Testimonials

 

Seizure Disorder

 

In 1970, when I was a freshman in college, I had a bad bicycle accident; I hit a parked car with my forehead and since I was not wearing a helmet, I most likely sustained a concussion. (I did not seek medical attention at that time - not understanding nor knowing anything about concussions and head injuries.)

 

Five years later I was in an extremely stressful situation, and as a result, I began to experience partial seizures marked by an intense déjà-vu feeling along with auditory hallucinations, spaciness. I thought I was having panic attacks (instead of partial seizures) and again, I did not seek medical help because I was too embarrassed. As the stress resolved itself, my partial seizures went away. 

 

Six years after that, I started having grand mal seizures. I finally began to understand what I was experiencing was a direct result of my bicycle accident and resulting head injury 11 years before. I had developed Epilepsy.

 

I found a wonderful neurologist to work with and he began prescribing anti-seizure medication to treat my seizures. The first drug I took I was severely allergic to, the second made me sleepy all the time, the third medication caused weight gain (I put on 20 pounds) and the fourth medication caused fainting and periodic blackouts. I finally had to settle on the old school drug, Dilantin, which has its own set of issues (neuropathy, bone density loss, gum overgrowth, fatigue, etc.)

 

After taking Dilantin for 20+ years I decided it was time to find some other solution to control my seizures – which is what lead me to EEG Neurofeedback and Ciarai Gude.

Ciarai (and my doubting Neurologist) helped me very slowly wean myself off Dilantin. I found Neurofeedback helped strengthen my brain – I felt calmer, less anxious, and less depressed - all of which enhanced my brain health (and my esteem health) along with dramatically reducing my Grand Mal seizures. The only caveat is that I will need to do Neurofeedback for the rest of my life. I found that when I went for a period without Neurofeedback (6 months more or more), I would experience breakthrough seizures.

 

I now have Neurofeedback treatments one or two times a week. The benefit for me is that I do not need to take my anti-seizure medication and I find that I am a much happier person, with reduced anxiety and very little depression. 

 

-HA

 

 

 

4th Grader 

 

I was at a crisis point with my daughter. She was in 4th grade and she was refusing to go to school, she absolutely freaked out when we went flying and she wasn’t able to go on playdates anymore. I tried to talk to her but she just wouldn’t answer. Since she wasn’t able to articulate what was going on, talk therapy was not an option. So I didn’t know what to do. I had been working with a parenting coach for my younger son at the time and shared with her what was going on.  She suggested I call Ciarai Gude to see if Neurofeedback therapy could work for my daughter. It was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my entire life. Ciarai had me fill out an inventory about her for a baseline. Turned out, my daughter didn’t have any self-awareness. She didn’t know when she was hungry or had to go to the bathroom or if she was tired. She didn’t have any boundaries with her friends. Ciarai explained to me how my daughter was basically living in fight or flight. I signed her up for 10 sessions to start. Ciarai was brilliant through it all. She checked in after every session to see how it affected her. She was so hands-on and present. And after 28 sessions, over roughly 2 1/2 months, my daughter was able to attend school, fly in a plane, know when she was hungry, tired, and had to go to the bathroom. She learned how to have boundaries with friends, which allowed her to enjoy play dates again. It was a miracle. I feel like she gave my daughter her life back.  If I could, I would scream her name from the rooftops because I believe what she does changes people's lives, just like she did for us. 

-KB

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Concussion

 

I hit my left temple in July 2019 and ended up with post-concussion syndrome that was so debilitating that I wasn’t capable of working.  I had severe brain fog, severe headaches, moderate dizziness, nausea, and fatigue. Severe sensitivity to light and moving light of any sort. Severe tinnitus also, and the only other way I can describe it is that my brain hurt... like it was infected.. not the headache or tinnitus, this was in addition to those symptoms. My brain literally felt infected. It was a lot of work just to concentrate enough to listen to someone talk. It was exhausting also. I had been doing floats, Hyperbaric, chiropractic, and supplements with a little relief, but I was still miserable and very scared. 

 

I went to Ciarai and got Neurofeedback therapy on a Saturday afternoon about 3 weeks after the injury. I was so ill that day I wasn’t sure I wouldn’t end up back in the hospital by the end of the day, I was in bad shape. 

 

Immediately after the first treatment, I felt pretty hypoglycemic. Ciarai said that can happen if you are hungry before treatment as brains use a lot of glucose when they’re injured or when they’re working hard. I went to the nearest restaurant and got a salad with chicken. As I ate, the hypoglycemia went away. Not long after that, I told my niece that I thought I was feeling a little better with the concussion symptoms. About an hour later, I felt better than I had since I hit my head. It was nothing short of miraculous. I got at least a 50% improvement after 1 treatment!!! No other modality even came close to that level of healing. 

 

I cannot adequately express how much this has affected me. For the first time, it has given me hope that I might actually heal and be myself again. I would highly recommend Neurofeedback as the number one healing modality for brain injury and Ciarai is exceptional at it! She is a true healer that passionately believes in what she’s doing and cares deeply about her patients. 

-Michele

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Anxiety and Recent Trauma

 

I came to Ciarai struggling with grief, loss, and PTSD from a recent trauma. Over the course of our treatment, I stopped having screaming nightmares, reduced the frequency and intensity of my panic attacks, lowered my heightened sensitivity to noise and startling, and increased my general sense of acceptance and well being. My strong desire to use alcohol to numb difficult feelings post-trauma also lessened, and I maintained my ten years of sobriety. I was even able to stop using medication to sleep, and I went from taking two daily anxiety medications to one.

 

I also have been able to travel via airplane much more comfortably, a lifelong issue. 

 

In our later sessions, alpha-theta treatment gave me a unique sense of connectedness and peace. I strongly recommend neurofeedback to anyone dealing with anxiety, trauma, loss, or sadness. 

-Katie

 

 

 

Fear of Flying

 

I decided to try Neurofeedback because I have always experienced great anxiety when flying.  After a couple of months of Neurofeedback therapy with Ciarai Gude, I was able to travel to Europe without anxiety.  A first for me, and such a relief!

In addition, I am sleeping better and my overall anxiety is decreased. I am so thankful for the Neurofeedback therapy.  It has made a big difference in my life.

-SG

 

 

Depression

 

I started neurofeedback with Ciarai to help with symptoms of depression and anxiety.  Within the first few sessions, I started to feel an improvement in my outlook on life.  Through my treatment, I have developed increased resiliency and it’s as if someone has completely turned down the dial on my anxiety.  For the first time in over 10 years I am no longer taking an antidepressant and I feel great! As a medical physician, I firmly stand behind the science and efficacy of neurofeedback and can’t recommend it strongly enough. 

-LW, M.D.

 

 

Workplace Stress

 

I came to Ciarai after working for multiple years at a high pressure and high paced job that I was not happy with.  The accumulated stress and strain had me feeling like I could not shut down and could not sit still.  I had trouble interacting with people as just having to sit still would bring out agitation and keep me from proper focused communication.  This was impeding my ability to interact with family, friends, and coworkers.  I was struggling to feel positive emotions and connections to other individuals.  I was also about to start a new job and did not want to bring the stress, attitude, and baggage from my previous job to the new one. 

 

I had first tried neuro-feedback some years back and understood the concepts and approach.  I also had read everything I could find on the topic.   I knew that the most important aspect of neurofeedback is finding a well-trained, competent, and conservative professional therapist.  You also need someone with the latest in equipment that does the ultra-low frequency training.  The right therapist can get amazing results.  Prior to coming to Ciarai, I contacted one of the best if not the best neurofeedback organizations in the country.  I asked for a therapist in this area who was current in their training and experienced.  For the questions I asked, Ciarai came to the top of the list. 

 

I am really glad I found Ciarai.  She knows how to utilize the latest tools, was careful in her approach and was consistent in making only minor incremental changes during my treatment.  This approach enables her to quickly react to any minor issue that can arise.  About halfway through my treatment, she narrowed in on the exact treatment that removed the feelings of agitation that had bothered me for several years.  One day it was there and the next it was gone.  Not everyone gets that dramatic of a change, but I am really grateful for the result.  My interactions with my wife and children have improved a lot.  We also worked on trying to improve or increase positive feelings.  I did have improvement in this area but it was not as significant as the complete removal of the agitation I was feeling. 

 

The final outcome is worth more to me than I can express.  I feel more comfortable at home and in my new job.  It is a priceless improvement for me.  I would really recommend neurofeedback to others in a similar situation.  I also strongly recommend that if you are seeking treatment for stress-related issues to visit Ciarai as I personally feel she is one of the best neurofeedback therapists in the Region.

-Anonymous

 

 

Severe Insomnia

 

When I first met Ciarai I was not in a good place. In fact, I was in deep despair. I was suffering from the cumulative effects of multiple traumas in my life: abandonment, grief, and cancer. My situation was exacerbated by a paradoxical effect of an anti-anxiety med which left me riddled with anxiety, depression, and insomnia.

 

It took many months but I am now successfully off pharmaceuticals and I am sleeping normally once again. My treatments with Ciarai helped reduce the tension I felt all day in my gut and decreased the obsessive thoughts, doom and gloom I was living with daily.

 

I found Ciarai a refreshing blend of being both knowledgable and compassionate. I have and will continue to refer her to health care practitioners and friends. 

-Anonymous

 

 

 

Mother of 11-year-old boy

 

My son has had a subtle form of Tourettes Syndrome since he was a toddler. His symptoms were mild and we were advised that he would grow out of the persistent eye blinking and minor tics.

 

Unfortunately, as he entered his middle school years, an increased level of stress exacerbated his symptoms to a degree that was interfering with every aspect of his life—he could no longer run down the basketball court without interruption, he had a hard time holding his body still during class, his sleep was restless, he developed a verbal tic, and he became very self-conscious. Not to mention the constant neck pain and headaches caused by persistent and severe full body tics.

 

After consulting with our pediatrician and neurologists, we were advised to start him on a drug that would lessen his tics. The well-known side effects of this particular drug include lethargy and loss of appetite. We were hesitant to give an overly exuberant boy who is already on the thin side a drug that might alter his personality. So, we decided to consult our naturopath who suggested we try neurofeedback therapy. This wasn’t an easy decision as our health insurance covers prescription drugs, but provides zero coverage for neurofeedback therapy.

 

Ciarai warned us that positive results would not happen overnight—that it would take months of consistent treatment before we could expect a 50% decrease in tics.. We decided to give it a shot and committed to 2-3 sessions weekly for six months.

 

After just a few sessions, my son woke up one morning and said, “Now I know what it’s really like to sleep—I’ve never slept like this before”.  He began falling asleep by 9 pm rather than reading until midnight. He associated neurofeedback sessions with good sleep and a respite from tics—he would relax into the chair and experience a stillness that eluded him. He never missed a session.

 

About three months later, he suddenly grew calmer. We noticed that, especially in the mornings, the typical jerk-like movement that broke our hearts had lessened. We couldn’t believe it.

 

His physical and verbal tics have almost completely subsided—he’s regained control of his body and is focusing on the activities he loves. He continues less frequent NF sessions for maintenance reasons. We are unbelievably grateful and relieved to know that this therapy works and is available as he enters his teenage years.

-SD ​

 

Mother to a 6-year-old girl

 

Before neurofeedback with Ciarai, we couldn't socialize with other families without fear of our six-year-old daughter dissociating or become extremely aggressive or silly.  She was very aggressive at school, was never verbally affectionate, and struggled with basic social interactions and protocols, such as greetings. 

 

After spending a year doing neurofeedback with Ciarai, our life was transformed.  No longer did we worry about what would happen while socializing with other families.  Our daughter now has numerous friends, tells us she loves us, and verbally greets us when we see her.  We are very, very happy that we found Ciarai.

-Anonymous

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