Gillette Law - October 2018

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ILLETTE

GAZETTE

OCTOBER 2018

MIND MATTERS BRINGING A PROMISING NEW TREATMENT TO OUR COMMUNITY

As chairman of the board for the Center for Child and Family Services, Inc., I have the pleasure of working with passionate professionals and volunteers dedicated to empowering those in need in our community. Through quality counseling programs and support services, the center helps over 10,000 people of all ages every year with a wide range of issues, from behavioral health to personal finance. The center owes this success to constantly remaining open to new developments in the counseling field and finding solutions that work for the community we serve. One promising treatment modality the center has begun to offer is neurofeedback therapy. The process is far simpler than the name implies. Neurofeedback, or EEG biofeedback, is the process of using sensors to monitor electrical brain activity. Neurofeedback may help individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), addiction, anxiety, seizures, depression, and other types of brain conditions. During a neurofeedback session, the therapist attaches electrodes to the patient’s skin, and these send information to a monitoring box. The therapist views the measurements on the monitor, and, through trial and error, identifies a range of mental activities and relaxation techniques that can help regulate the patient’s bodily processes. Eventually, individuals learn how to control these processes without the need for monitoring. This developing method of treatment is still undergoing research in the medical community but has shown very promising anecdotal results in treating everything from seizures in children to PTSD in veterans. Several neuroscientists have started to recommend neurofeedback therapy as a potential treatment for migraines, chronic pain, anxiety, and stress. As a nonprofit organization that works with many children with cognitive and behavioral issues, the potential benefits of neurofeedback therapy are too great to ignore. Having a noninvasive, nonpharmaceutical means of helping a child with challenges like Having a noninvasive, nonpharmaceutical means of helping a child with challenges like ADHD is the kind of solution many counselors dream of.”

ADHD is the kind of solution many counselors dream of. We’d already purchased one neurofeedback machine when a book on the subject caught our eye. “A Symphony in the Brain” by New York Times contributor Jim Robbins delves into the theories and ongoing research in neurofeedback therapy. Using his skills as a veteran journalist and freelance writer, Robbins paints the ongoing history of this very promising field, detailing the efforts and theories of research and presenting case study after

case study of successful treatments. For anyone interested in learning more about the science behind this method of treatment, I cannot recommend this book more highly. After “Symphony” was passed around our organization, the board and I decided to purchase a second neurofeedback machine. Given the success that has already been seen in treating a wide range of mental and medical issues when paired with counseling, we are very optimistic about this new program’s success. We firmly believe that this noninvasive, nonpharmaceutical approach has the potential to do a lot of good in our community. If you believe you or someone you know could benefit from neurofeedback therapy, we’ve provided a resource for locating providers. As always, the Center for Child and Family Services, Inc. (www.kidsandfamilies.com) stands ready to help those in the Hampton- Williamsburg area, but there are plenty of other providers throughout the state who have begun using this treatment.

N e x t D o o r Bu

Here’s to your health,

–Brian Gillette

Call Now! (208) 888-8888 • 1 757-220-4529 |

Published by The Newsletter Pro • www.NewsletterPro.com

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WHY THERE ARE KIDS ON YOUR PORCH ASKING FOR CANDY The History of Trick-or-Treating

As Halloween looms and you load up your grocery cart with candy, you may ask yourself, “Why do I provide these spooky gremlins with a sugar high every Oct. 31, anyway?” Well, when your doorbell starts ringing around 6 p.m. this All Hallows’ Eve, you can thank the Celts for this tradition of candy and costumes. Halloween itself is a kind of mishmash of four different cultural festivals of old: two Roman fêtes, which commemorated the dead and the goddess of fruit and trees (not at the same time); the Celtic Samuin or Samhain, a new year’s party thrown at the end of our summer; and the Catholic All Saint’s Day, designed to replace Samuin and divorce it from its pagan origins. Long before there were young’uns on your porch dressed as Thanos with candy-filled pillowcases in hand, the Celts believed that Samuin marked an overlapping of the realms of the living and the dead. To trick the spirits leaking into our world, young men donned flowing white costumes and black masks — a great disguise when ghosts were about.

By the 11th century, people were dressing up as saints, angels, and the occasional demon instead of spirits. Eventually, costumed children started tearing through town begging for food and money and singing a song or prayer in return — a practice called “souling.” But when did they start dressing up as Minions? Starting in the 19th century, souling turned to “guising,” which gave way to trick-or- treating in mid-20th-century America, and the costumes diversified. So put on some clown makeup and a big smile, scoop up a handful of sweets, and scare the living daylights out of ‘em — ‘tis the season!

The Catholic Church was never a big fan of these pagan traditions, so they renamed it “All Saints’ Day” and gussied it up in religious garb.

WANT TO TRY NEUROFEEDBACK THERAPY? Find a Certified Professional

Finding a Practitioner

As discussed on this month’s cover, neurofeedback therapy is a promising treatment that has successfully helped people of all ages manage or overcome a wide range of mental and physical health challenges. We’ve laid out a list of conditions neurofeedback therapy can help with as well as how to find a qualified neurofeedback therapist in your area. Neurofeedback Has Helped People With:

A quick Google search will show you that there are plenty of neurofeedback

practitioners throughout the state. Virginia does not require any form of medical licensing to use neurofeedback machines, meaning these listed

• Epilepsy • Autism • Attention deficit disorder • Addictions • Depression • Post-traumatic stress • Anxiety • Chronic pain • Anger management • Migraines • Incontinence • High blood pressure

locations may be anything from medical facilities to hobbyists. To ensure that you find a professional, you’ll need to do a little more research. The Biofeedback Certification International Alliance (BCIA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating an industry standard of care among neurofeedback practitioners. When researching care facilities, look to see if they list a BCIA certification. You can also search the BCIA’s >Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4

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