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The Eye of the Storm

by: Dennis Maness, PhD

“I have been in and out of depression for as long as I can remember” said Sarah, former editor of a major magazine.  “This last bout of depression is probably the lowest I have been in years. “  The past six weeks were the worst as life challenges and the pain that comes with having to show up when it was so hard just to get out of bed.  “I had been taking 25 mg of Zoloft for the past 16 years, even when increased in dosage, was doing nothing to help. I could not write or function.

I came to visit BrainTek on business, not as a patient.  We started talking and I guess Dr. D picked up on my body language.  I didn’t tell him anything about my depression; I was there with two other collogues from the magazine.  We couldn’t have been more than five minutes into the interview when Dr. Maness asked me if he could get me some water then he politely ask me if I was O.K..  I said yes and he dropped it.  I tried hard to hold back the tears then Dr. Maness said “Sarah, we can do this interview anytime; what can I do to help you.   I had a meltdown right there in his office, but I gave in.  I promised myself that I would stay professional and not share any of my past.  I would only let him show me how he does a behavioral brain map. 

“Sarah had so much activity in the map that I had to ask her if she had just had lunch said Dr. Maness.  She said no so I continued my search.  I saw a delay in the cognitive behavior and I asked her if she at times had times getting the thought into speech and again she said no.  I then asked her about the copious amounts of mind chatter that was highly evident and again she said no; mind chatter is not an issue.  Then I saw three markers that usually display differently on the monitor and ask her if she had a head injury and I took a guess and said about twenty years ago?”

The assessment shows I had a severe head injury in my past. I didn’t tell Dr. D. nor the staff of the injury. I had been kicked in the face by a horse....which sent me into my fist year-long severe depression 25 years ago. He also saw three heavy stress lines.  My family has a history of depression. My brother committed suicide when he was 22 years old, my nephew just this Christmas; he tried to hang himself following a breakdown.   Now, here I am in what started out as an Interview that has turned into me in the chair of Dr. D as he is telling me my issues from a few blips on a computer screen.

 I broke into tears and confessed.  Yes, I just had lunch, Yes, I have a ridiculous amount of mind chatter and its killing my productivity and yes to whatever it was that I said no to earlier.  Then Dennis asked me if I had any pain and I told him no. Then he said innocently "If you had some pain...", and finally I started crying, "I have been in pain for six weeks, depressed, suffering, etc."

He said let’s see if we can get to the root of the problem.  He reclined my chair and placed a set of headphones on my head and started creating signals.  For the next twenty minutes, I was lost in the deepest relaxation I have ever experienced.

When he started the session protocols, I loved it. Relaxed, refreshed, rejuvenated, I was focused and felt great.  When we had completed my sessions, I felt better than I have felt my whole life! It was as if my past had been neutralized and I felt refreshed. On the way from LA to Minneapolis, I wrote a huge article, which it seems was more logically organized than anything I had done in months.

When we had completed my sessions, I felt better than I have felt my whole life! It was as if my past had been neutralized and I felt refreshed. On the way from LA to Minneapolis, I wrote a huge article, which it seems was more logically organized than anything I had done in months.

Sarah’s challenge is common to many people who are struggling to regain control of their lives.  Dr. Maness explains this spiral as the Cyclone Spiral.  The cyclone develops from a nucleus which we will call the Eye Of The Storm.

The event causing the Eye of the Storm becomes a trigger.  Every time the event is replayed, it presents fear which in many can manifest through anger, aggression or the opposite, taking the problem inward to become quiet and removed.  This magnifies the storm which brings about increased stress, worry and anxiety.  Each time the trigger is pulled, the cyclone becomes more enraged.

The Cyclone affect disrupts every aspect of our lives.  Many people learn to live with the stress and adapt their lives to the weight caused by the stress.  This however affects your personality, the way you perform on the job, in school and your family life.  There is a solution.

Focus is a thing which many people are struggling to control due to the many factors affecting this condition. This Cyclone affect is the main marker that helps us locate the root of a problem.  It is not the event that caused the problem.  It is not the person that hurt you that has caused the problem.  It is how you are allowing the problem to manage you.  You can’t think clearly or process when you are caught up in the cyclone.  Why are people in the Cyclone?  They don’t have answers.  Why don’t people have the answers?  They don’t know the questions that will lead them to find the answers.  Why don’t they . . . Stop it!  The solution is right in front of you.

In Sarah’s case, I did the analysis and found the markers identifying the Eye of the Storm.  I created a series of signals that brought the storm to a rapid halt.  The mind chatter cleared and for the first time in years she was able to allow the past to pass.  We reset her homeostasis through the protocols an taught her to manage her own brain.

Many people who are caught up in this cyclone find it difficult to focus or they become cognitively challenged.  Even the most successful person in the corporate world is not protected with the probability of acquiring stress in their life. The more responsibility a person acquires, the more they become subject to a higher probability of having a stressful day to day life.  The important challenge is to manage your brain.  If you don’t, the brain will manage you.

However, there is always a bright side in every situation. Why not focus on what you can do rather than on what you cannot?  Through BrainTek’s proprietary technology, they can reset your brain to a more desired homeostasis then teach you how to manage it going forward. 

The methods we use at BrainTek were developed by our own researchers and have utilized in U.S. Department of Labor, Job Corps, rehabilitation programs, and special education programs including the Oxnard and Los Angeles Unified School Districts, Toyota Training Center, lock down environments, hospitals, clinics, doctor’s offices and remote into the homes.

Our proprietary programs have been shown to contribute to improvements in cognitive, emotional, social, learning and productivity. Examples of this are shown in the Changed Lives section of our web site from medical doctors, nurses, naturopathic doctors and individuals just like yourself.

Research has shown that our proprietary signals, music, sound, vibration, and brain wave entrainment is associated with improvements in brain health and psychological well-being. This has been confirmed by sponsored research through the National Institute of Health and other organizations. BrainTek is involved in research projects at two major universities and continue to stay at the cutting edge of non-invasive technologies and brain entrainment. Dr. Maness is a member of ISNR, the International Society for Neurofeedback and Research.

You may reach Dr. Maness by email at drmaness@braintek.org. Learn more about BrainTek by visiting our website, www.braintekinstitute.com. You may email BrainTek at info@braintek.org

Research
BrainTek Institute continues to stay at the cutting edge of brain / body research.  Our research has helped us become successful with  traumatic brain injury, stroke, Attention / Focus and other cognitive challenges.  We are also studying how early detection of irregular brainwave behavior is a valuable predictor of potential challenges.