Brain Brightening
Optimal Health
What is Optimal Health
The Affective NeuroSciences Optimal Health Program offers therapeutic solutions to people dealing with specific conditions. Through carefully designed tools, techniques and counseling, you will gains the ability to better manage your condition and ease the effects of medical and surgical procedures.
How the Optimal Health Program Retrains the Brain
Every client that comes to Inner Act receives a program plan that is customized to his or her specific needs and goals. Our programs are flexible, ranging from intensives lasting a week or two to weekly sessions over an extended period of time. Affective NeuroSciences Optimal Health programs include:
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• Insomnia and Disturbed Sleep: Turning Off My Noisy Brain
• Preparation for Medical Procedures and Surgery
• Chronic Pain
On your first visit, Lora Lonsberry will interview you to learn about your needs, concerns and goals. Prior assessments and diagnoses are considered at this time. We then use a decision tree to identify which conditions we should approach first. Based on the chosen protocol, we then select the appropriate Biofeedback instruments and learning tools.
Insomnia and Disturbed Sleep: Turning Off My Noisy Brain
Sleep seems so simple yet can be so difficult. Sleep is an active state that is important to our health, performance, learning and safety. Some of the latest research indicates that a state of “hyper arousal” contributes to insomnia. Thus it becomes a challenge for each of us to develop our own process of preparing for and staying asleep.
Before you make a commitment to a sleep medication, you might try Affective NeuroSciences’ program for insomnia. The relaxation process has demonstrated its effectiveness in helping insomnia patients fall asleep.
For the past several years, EEG Biofeedback has been utilized with behavioral approaches to treat insomnia. The Inner Act Program uses the relaxation process and Neurofeedback to improve our clients' sleep. This is a 10-20 session program done twice a week.
The Sleep Therapy Program Includes:
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• An assessment process to explore your attitudes, pre-sleep routines and patterns
• Dialogue regarding insomnia therapies and the possible need for a sleep evaluation
• The use of a sleep log, which will be reviewed at each session to track changes
• Practicing the relaxation process while being monitored
• A 30-minute Neurofeedback session at each visit
From our program, you will learn how to get to sleep faster, return to sleep, and sleep longer.
Preparation for Medical Procedures and Surgery
This program builds upon our experience in helping people explore the best possible state for them to do healing imagery. When you call for an appointment, your time will be scheduled immediately. You and your practitioner will then explore the impact of the surgery and explore your feelings as well as your fears. Together, we delve into events in your past where you have been able to manage difficulties.
We identify:
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• Sentences, places and sounds that invite a state of relaxation
• Phrases or words you would like to be able to tell yourself
• What you might want your family members to say
We then use this information to build client-scripted CDs. In essence, you will design your own pre-surgery, during-surgery and recovery recordings. In some instances, relatives have recorded affirmations and accompanying music. Our clients have found the process beneficial for surgery and undergoing treatment such as chemotherapy. Neurofeedback is used to help you enter a relaxed state so you can begin to use the affirmations and create an internal movie of wellness and recovery.
Chronic Pain
Most headaches and pain syndromes can be thought of as stress-related, particularly if we take the word "stress" in its inclusive sense, namely that the brain is in a compromised state because of "stressors" in the person's life. In these instances, teaching the brain to self-regulate enables a higher stress tolerance. The Affective NeuroSciences approach to chronic pain, headaches and migraine has been shown to be highly effective for most individuals.
Our goal is to help you achieve complete freedom from pain. The Affective NeuroSciences approach is typically effective by itself but for clients who are not seeing optimal results, we combine our treatment with other pain management therapies to ensure that your pain issues are resolved.
