Mike recovers from anxiety and depression

Mike’s anxiety and depression finally became so severe he was unable to work and took a medical leave of absence. He had a long history of emotional problems, having high anxiety since age 10. He was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder at age 17. He had been in psychiatric treatment for the last 5 years and had tried many medications, including Luvox, Prozac, Xanax, and Effexor. His parents paid for a SPECT scan from Dr. Amen and high activity in the prefrontal cortex was found.

Now at age 22 he was falling apart. Every night from 5pm to midnight he was plagued with anxious thoughts that he could not get rid of. The only thing that helped was drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana. These he did every day to excess. He had irrational fears of being away from home. He was severely depressed, had self-doubt, mental fatigue, social anxiety, insomnia, and a short attention span. He was unassertive and compulsively overspent, leaving him broke all the time. His parents were at their limit in supporting him. He said, “I feel trapped inside my head. I think about everything too much.”

After 20 sessions of neurofeedback, he was 90% improved in all areas that concerned him. He commented, “I feel more comfortable in my skin. I am back to work and making friends. I don’t feel like I have to drink. If I do drink I can stop at will. I have no desire to smoke pot. I have little or no anxiety and my depression is totally gone. Of all the therapy I’ve had or the prescription drugs I’ve taken, this EEG biofeedback has been far and away the most helpful thing I’ve tried. I feel entirely different than my former self.”