Mind-Body Medicine & Behavioral Health Services

Stress Reduction

There are many techniques that can help reduce stress, but knowing which ones to use and when can be its own challenge. Such techniques include proper breathing exercises, muscle relaxation exercises, guided imagery, positive and coping thoughts, and good sleep hygiene. Biofeedback is performed at the Center with a proven heart rate variability biofeedback software program that can lower blood pressure and reduce anxiety, depression, and even pain.

The same techniques that help someone cope with stress can also provide relief for symptoms of chronic illness. No one at the Center would ever say that a physical symptom is “all in one’s head,” but we do believe that what is in one’s head—and the accompanying physical tension—can make it harder to cope with those physical symptoms. Keeping an open mind and experimenting with mind / body techniques may bring a better quality of life to the individual who practices them.

Mind Detoxification

We live in a very toxic environment comprised often of pollution, excessive processed foods / lack of quality nutrition, inadequate physical activity and ever-increasing levels of stress. Rather than focusing just on the detoxification of the body, we believe it is equally, if not more, important to detoxify the mind in order for us to find inner peace and whole-body wellness. The mind-body connection has been increasingly demonstrated in chronic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. Recent studies have shown anxiety and depression to increase risk of death after a heart attack. Depression has also been shown to be an independent risk factor for development of diabetes. Mind-body techniques have also been found to offer benefits in a number of other conditions including fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic pain, irritable bowel syndrome, allergies and asthma, skin conditions and even cancer.

Psychotherapy

Center psychotherapists are able to treat depression, anxiety, stress, and other psychological problems. Because it is the most efficacious treatment, cognitive behavioral therapy that addresses a person’s ingrained thought patterns and beliefs as well as habitual behaviors forms the cornerstone of Center treatment. However, there are times when psychodynamic exploration of a person’s development can also be a critical part of treatment. Center psychotherapists are warm and compassionate, people who truly care about the person in front of them.

Biofeedback

Biofeedback has been used since the 1960’s but it is still unfamiliar. Biofeedback uses current technology to help people relieve stress, anxiety, depression, chronic pain, IBS, TMJ, and other symptoms. Biofeedback uses technology — a sensor of some type and a computer screen — to help people bring certain physical systems under voluntary control. Practitioners at the Center frequently use heart rate biofeedback, for example, to regulate the entire body and promote relaxation.

EMDR

EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) is a highly effective and quick treatment for overcoming anxiety, stress and trauma. When a disturbing event occurs, it can get locked in the nervous system with the original picture, sounds, thoughts, feelings and body sensations. EMDR stimulates the information and allows the brain to process the experience and store it in a more adaptive, functional form in the brain. The mind has a tremendous capacity to heal itself. EMDR allows the brain to achieve this self-healing by unlocking unprocessed components of memory and transmutes them to the declarative or verbal part of the brain, bringing them to an adaptive resolution. For more information, please go to www.emdr.com.

Alpha-Stim

Quiet your mind with Alpha-Stim SCS. The Alpha-Stim SCS treats anxiety, depression, and/or insomnia with tiny electrical currents similar to those found naturally in the body, using a method called cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES).

The Alpha-Stim SCS leaves the mind alert. The person undergoing CES treatment will often report a pleasant, relaxed feeling of wellbeing. Anxiety reduction is usually experienced during treatment, but may be seen hours later, or even the day after treatment. Depression and insomnia control is generally experienced after one to two weeks of daily treatment.

The Alpha-Stim's waveform works by moving electrons through the brain at a variety of frequencies, collectively known as harmonic resonance. This normalizes the electrical activity of the brain as measured by an electroencephalogram (EEG).

Read the clinical studies on Alpha-Stim. To order your own alpha-stim SCS or to rent a unit, contact us at the Center for Optimal Health.