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Testimonial
December 7, 2006
Dear Dr. Linden,
Since most of your patients are children and teens, I thought it would
be good to write you as an adult about my personal experience with neuro-feedback.
When I came to see you in June of 2006, I was 55 years old. I had
battled with ADHD all my life. I had all of the classic symptoms which
began around 5th grade. I never made it through high-school, and I was
once arrested and spent some time in Juvenile Hall for being
“incorrigible”. In spite of that, I was able to develop coping
mechanisms as I grew up, and was able, with God’s help, to live what
most people would consider a very successful life.
But I was suffering greatly on the inside. Simple things like cleaning
off my desk became almost insurmountable obstacles. I could not pay
attention in meetings (I seemed to need to always crack jokes) and I had
a very difficult time in social situations unless I was the person
in-charge.
By my mid-thirties, I began to struggle with depression and anxiety. I
fell prey to various addictions, and it was all I could do to try to
hold-on to my failing marriage. I was a mess. I could not spend more
than 2 or 3 hours working at a time. People who knew me had no idea.
Over the next 15 years I spent literally thousands of dollars on
marriage counseling and individual therapy. It kept our marriage
together, but we were both miserable.
When our granddaughter began having some of the same types of ADHD
problems, my wife did some research, and we brought her to Mission
Psychological. I was so impressed with the treatment she received that I
asked the therapist if someone my age could be helped. I signed myself
up for testing.
The testing showed what I had suspected: that I indeed had ADHD, Anxiety
and Depression. We opted for a course of neuro-feedback.
After about the third session, I began to notice a significant
difference. My anxiety levels had dropped. My thoughts were becoming
clear and focused. I could put in an entire day of productive work. But
the most significant thing to happen as a result of the treatment was
that my battle with addictions just seemed to fade away. In the past, no
matter how hard I prayed and tried, I could not rid myself of the
compulsion to act-out. The best I could hope for was to “just resist”,
but sometimes I failed. In any case, the battle was constantly raging
inside of me. Even if I was successful in not giving in, it was
destroying my will to live, my relationship with my family and God, and
making me so tired and depressed that I didn’t know how I could go on.
But shortly after starting my treatments, that war inside of me was
suddenly over. The compulsions were just not there anymore. If a thought
crossed my mind to act-out, my immediate reaction was “I don’t need
that”. And I didn’t. Now I had a real choice.
My marriage improved dramatically. For the first time in 35 years, I can
honestly say that I am a happily married man. When there have been
stressful situation happening around me (as there can be with any
family), I can remain calm and centered.
Many smaller things have also changed. For instance, I can remember
people’s names after I have met them. I couldn’t before. I can sit
through a church service and actually enjoy the worship and really hear
the message. I have become much less obsessed with politics (I used to
constantly listen to talk-radio and watch several hours of political
shows on cable). While I am still interested in keeping up with world
events, I no longer have to spend all my time obsessing on it. And if my
desk gets messy, I have the ability to clean it! There are many, many
other things that I become aware of on a daily basis. This is truly one
of THE most significant experiences of my life.
As I write this, it has been almost two months since I finished my last
neuro-feedback treatment. All of the changes in me seem to have become
permanent. My battle with addictions now seems like a bad dream. I will
keep in touch with you over the next year, and let you know if I feel
like anything is “slipping” but I have felt very solid and centered
since the early sessions, and I see no evidence of it “wearing off”.
I cannot thank you enough for all the help that you and your staff have
been to me. I have referred one other adult to you and that person is
well on the way to genuine help. Thank you, Dr. Linden, for all you do.
Most Gratefully,
-Peter Jacobs
Musician and Neuro-feedback graduate
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