Linda overcomes anxiety and panic

I have been seeing Dr. Staso for several months. I originally came to him because I was having panic attacks, but he has been helping me in so many other ways. The majority of the sessions have involved neurofeedback, which I have found to be extremely helpful for not only anxiety, but depression, PMS, and resolving past issues. Before my first appointment with Dr. Staso, I was really nervous about seeing a psychologist because I imagined it would mean talking about private issues with a stranger. Aside from the fact that I found Dr. Staso very easy to talk to, I never felt like he was invading my privacy. One of the reasons I feel I responded so well to neurofeedback is because it did not require me to discuss every detail of my life.

Before I started seeing Dr. Staso I was having panic attacks, which left me convinced I was going to die, which made me scared to be alone, which made me more anxious, so I had more panic attacks. I was in a vicious cycle, and although I had only been going through this for a few months, I felt like I could not remember a time when this wasn't happening, and I also felt it would never go away. Even when Dr. Staso promised me that anxiety disorder is treatable and I would be fine in a few months, I had a hard time believing him. The panic attacks did not go away immediately, but their severity and frequency did begin to diminish soon after I started therapy. I noticed other things I hadn't noticed before. I thought that this anxiety problem was just something that came out of nowhere in the last few months, but I realized that it had been something that had slowly been building up for most of my life. These last few years especially, I had been withdrawing from everyone, not speaking, feeling overwhelmed and worried and paranoid about everything. The worst part is that I didn't really notice this until I started coming out of it. I just thought that this was they way I was, that everybody gets unhappy and worried, that there was nothing I could do. But what I found is that I am not this way. I am a happy person who loves to help people and spend time with my friends and family, but I had a lot of issues that were not allowing me to be myself. My neurofeedback sessions have allowed me to free myself, and everyone has noticed.

One of the most surprising things neurofeedback has helped me with is PMS. I have always had bad PMS, from physical symptoms of cramping and bloating, to emotional symptoms of crying or being upset for no apparent reason. From the first cycle after I began treatment, I had no cramps, bloating, or mood swings. In the past, I would start with PMS for up to 10 days prior to getting my period. But since seeing Dr. Staso, I no longer experience any PMS symptoms. It is truly amazing. My husband has noticed also and is extremely grateful.

Neurofeedback has also helped me deal with life better. There are always problems to deal with, and I usually didn't handle things very well. I always imagined the worst and stressed needlessly. But in the neurofeedback sessions, I have also been working on allowing myself to be the person I want to be. I am able to keep my cool, feel relaxed, have more patience with my students, speak my mind, and I feel very focused and motivated in my schoolwork and research. As a grad student, this has been really helpful. The problems I was having with anxiety and my mental health in general had created a mental block when it came to my work. But once I started taking care of myself and improving my mental health, that block was lifted. I can now not only think of ideas, but have the motivation and self-confidence to carry them through.