Interviews

Ashland Neurofeedback By Suzanne Mark and Daniel Sternberg, Ph.D.

Hi Suzanne, thanks for taking the time to speak with me today. Will you please introduce us to yourself and the work you are doing here in Southern Oregon with Ashland Neurofeedback?

Thanks Shields, we are going on seven years here working with IASIS Microcurrent Neurofeedback and other supportive tools and therapies. It’s been very gratifying and FUN to work with such motivated clients who are not settling for the status quo with regard to their condition or their options for treatment. 

Suzanne, how did you first get started with your business and what continues to inspire you as you move forward?

I had been shopping for similar technologies for years. I got connected with IASIS Neurofeedback to heal myself from a head injury I sustained in Costa Rica a few years before. It was my first concussion and it really changed my life and reduced my functionality. Our dear friend and colleague, Dr. Dane Roubos, told us about this modality and we went to the conference in San Diego that weekend. After a couple months of sessions on myself, I started to notice all kinds of changes in functionality and resiliency, relaxation, cessation of depression and other post-concussive symptoms. In order to have this business, I needed to heal myself first. 

Suzanne, can you please give us an overview of the services you are providing here in Southern Oregon?

Yes, our services include IASIS Microcurrent Neurofeedback and individualized approaches that have helped many people experience muscle re-education and relaxation and may also log improvements in: ADD/ADHD, Addiction, Anger, Anxiety, Attachment Issues, Brain Fog, Depression, Fibromyalgia, Insomnia, Lyme Symptoms, Neuropathy, Muscular Tingling, Muscular Weakness, Numbness, Pain, PTSD, Post Stroke, Post Concussion, Stress, Trauma… and many more. Dr. Daniel Sternberg provides psychological services for Trauma as a Licensed Clinical Psychologist. I also offer Health Coaching. This includes a huge bag of tricks and tools to help you feel your best and optimize your health. We also offer emotional releasing support and Bioflex Low Level Light Therapy. Many of these tools are INCLUDED in our sessions. We find continual inspiration from our clients, who motivate us to find solutions that will help them realize a new outlook and improved vitality.

Suzanne, can you speak more about the underlying technology behind your practice?

We use IASIS Microcurrent Neurofeedback, which works as the result of disentraining the brain and central nervous system, to become balanced. IASIS Neurofeedback causes brief microcurrent stimulation (3 Pico, or 3 trillionths of a watt) to the nervous system, resulting in a temporary fluctuation in brainwaves. This change allows the brain to reorganize itself.

IASIS Neurofeedback does not train the brain like traditional neurofeedback; rather it “retrains” the brain and CNS (central nervous system) by allowing it to reorganize itself and shift from its formerly fixed patterns. This is analogous to re-booting a computer. IASIS is indicated for relaxation and muscle re-education.

Suzanne, I would love for you to tell us about your health coaching and how this compliments your existing business.

Thanks for asking, Shields. Health coaching is a service we have added because many people want ongoing support to bring themselves to optimal health and function. I coach to serve as a “guide on your side” so that you can understand your own “bio-individuality” and make improvements that work for YOU. Many people are concerned about weight loss, brain function, inflammatory conditions, disordered eating, cravings, health issues, anxiety, etc… We believe that mammals know what to eat. By enabling themselves to experience and enjoy things that balance key aspects of life, such as relationships, physical activity, career, joy and spirituality – we call these aspects “Primary Food” – they can change what is “on the plate” more easily, we call this “Secondary Food.” They can stop worrying about X and start feeling fulfilled. We wanted to provide this as an option for people who want sustainable health change in many areas.

Yes, so much of your work is about empowering your clients and helping them to step into their own sense of self-responsibility. Will you please talk more about this?

Things change when people refuse to settle for the way it is. We serve people who want to be more functional, mobile and who want to engage in life without having to accept a disability or a lost ability, and to find a way to nudge them into a new reality. It’s about practical, actionable changes. IASIS is to get people into a place where they do not have to accept that “this is the way it is going to be.” It has to be a holistic process of wellness. 

It is their responsibility to decide to forgive, heal, move forward, let go of the past, feel better, let themselves or someone else off the hook, stop playing the victim, etc. It is a decision. We use a releasing process so people can do this more easily by going to the root of limitations. 

One of the exercises we teach is called “Likes & Dislikes.” The subject is YOU. “What is one thing you LIKE about yourself?” (Feel and release whatever feeling comes up, positive or negative.) “What is one thing you DISLIKE about yourself?” (Feel and release whatever feeling comes up, positive or negative.) Go back and forth, one by one. The Releasing we teach focuses on letting go of the attachment or aversion underneath our suffering. I have taught many useful processes at OLLI as well as internationally for 23 years, in English and Spanish. It is effective stuff that works really well with Neurofeedback. 

Suzanne, you have a tool that you utilize called the Freeing Questions Tool. What is this and how does it work?

Happy to share it. You know that self-talk in your head… “Why am I so broke? Why do I feel so awful? Why can’t I get rid of this problem? Why does this negative thing keep happening to me?” All versions of, “Why am I so ****ed up?” You might notice that all of these questions dead end in a problem or limitation. Your responsive neurology will keep wiring for problems every time you ask these questions. It is just doing the job you are giving it to do. You can start to ask yourself new questions like, “Why do I feel so happy, peaceful and calm?” “Why am I able to attract money so effortlessly now?” “Why is my body healing so miraculously?” You can easily see/feel that these questions help you wire yourself for solutions, not problems. You can use other creative questions to turn the bus around! 

In your experience of working with clients, who are the clients best suited to work with you?

We have worked with all age groups, from small children who have been traumatized to an 88 year-old veteran. We work with many issues in anyone who is deeply ready to shift a limiting pattern. Life stuckness can take many forms. The reality is that we are co-partnering with people for that other thing that wants to come in, a life’s work, a healing, an idea, joy and fulfillment in a new stage of life. Wellness is a consciousness of receptivity and positivism. That is the deeper result of what we do. 

Suzanne, what are your goals as a healing practitioner?

To hold a space for clients to create the greatest amount of change possible in a way that is gentle and grounded in helping them process the emotional content that may come up. I want to apply the technology and tools in the most skillful manner AND also know that healing depends on the motivation and actions of clients. I am actually not the “healer,” they have their own inner healer and my goal is to help them activate that as efficiently as possible. 

What do you enjoy most about working with your clients?

I enjoy laughing with them and watching them see their lives blossom after a period of difficulty or reduced function. This can happen fairly quickly. There is nothing like sharing their successes. I love seeing them get back into life and into their gifts. I met a client a few years back. He was stuck because of some serious injuries that he sustained as an EMT. He had been disabled and in a wheelchair for some time. When I met him he was using walking sticks. He also had a diagnosis of MS. He has gotten so much better that it is remarkable to see. One day he called me up and told me he had a question for me, “Do you remember seeing me have any facial tics?” I said, “No, I do not remember that.” He started laughing, and said, “That is because they went away on the FIRST session!” We laughed and laughed. He had experienced the ticks since he was a child. When they disappeared, neither of us noticed. That was fun! It has been a process but he has moved forward with his life in amazing ways. He is a remarkable person and continues to inspire us. 

Is there any particular feedback that is common for you to receive from your clientele?

People usually tell us that they have tried many things and that they are so glad they worked with us. The greatest feedback is something like “I am getting married!” from someone who had crippling social anxiety and could not date. “I opened my non-profit 501c3 to save the bees!” from someone who was disabled. An insomnia sufferer saying, “I sleep through the night now.” “I am finally off that drug I was taking for pain!” “I can move with much greater ease.” “I am dating again!” “I haven’t had a migraine since I cannot remember!” “My driving phobia does not bother me anymore!” “I was able to get out of a toxic relationship.” “My wife and I are patching things up now!” “My blood pressure is normal.” “I feel calmer in situations that used to stress me.” “My kid is much more well-adjusted and confident in school now. He is not even acting like he is on the spectrum.”

In reflection on your own life, what has been some of the best advice you try to remember on a regular basis?

One action can equal a thousand words. Expect miracles. Trust God and love people.

What was the question I forgot to ask you?

(Giggle.) THAT question is, “What are you doing NOW that is inspiring you the most?” 

We have had some very promising results working with people who have post-stroke muscle weakness and spasticity. Also with neuropathy, numbness, and tingling in their legs/arms from injury etc. We are very excited about this as someone who has stopped progressing with other interventions may experience a notable improvement in function. IASIS MCN device is indicated for relaxation training and muscle reeducation. If you or someone you know is experiencing post-stroke or post-injury muscle weakness and/or spasticity, numbness, or tingling, please call us at the number below. 

Here is a current testimonial from a wonderful client we are inspired by: 

“Several years ago I was severely disabled by a stroke. I’ve been seeing an Osteopath as part of my recovery. He has helped me greatly but also I have learned there are muscles that are ostensibly “dead,” that must come back for me to regain abilities. A friend recommended that I do IASIS Neurofeedback to see if it could help me with these “missing in action” muscles. I decided to give it a shot. After receiving several IASIS sessions I went back to my Osteopath who said that my leg muscles were “alive” and engaged in a way now that I could use them and bring back abilities that had completely disappeared. I am very grateful for this profound change.”

LB, Ashland Oregon

We are very excited about this amazing preliminary result!

“After numerous surgeries from a 40 foot fall, I was left with extreme neuropathy and numbness in my legs leaving me too weak to walk without assistance. Physical therapy and exercise gave me a stronger core, but did not help in engaging the muscles and nerves that were still weak, even after years of physical therapy. I began IASIS a year ago to help treat the nerve pain I was experiencing, with amazing results. Just this last week, I was given IASIS therapy to help me regain leg movement and relieve the neuropathy that remained. The results were immediate and profound in their effectiveness. Numbness was relieved and motor control of my leg muscles became noticeably better after a single session. I can now see a path to full function of my legs and a return to walking after 20 years of searching for answers. I played with the dog today. I can’t wait for follow-up treatment.” 

Charles Berg, Medford, 6/18/22

This testimonial a 70+ year old client who had struggled with insomnia and the resulting brain fog and low energy for many years. It shows you can have resiliency at any age with Neurofeedback.

“For the last two nights, I have slept an extra hour, and I slept through the night. I usually wake up between 2:30 and three and I did not this time. I woke up with no brain fog and my brain felt NORMAL. I can’t describe how it was. It was like the underlying agitation of my brain was GONE. I think the higher, stronger frequency that you used worked! I got a LOT done this weekend because I had no resistance. So…I don’t have reactivity and I did not have to push through to be productive, it was easy, there was no sabotage. So thank you my dear for this first improvement. It has been YEARS since I have felt this. Thank you so much, I am deeply grateful.”

CH, Ashland, 6/12/22 

Suzanne, are you currently accepting new clients and if so what is the best way for people to step forward in beginning to work with you?

Yes, we are always accepting clients because people graduate from our programs with favorable results. I suggest a phone call so that we can connect more deeply about your unique goals and how we may nurture them with the tools we use at Ashland Neurofeedback. My number is (541) 631-8757. Thank you for having us in the LocalsGuide, Shields. We love LocalsGuide and wish you well in your endeavors. 

For more testimonials and information, please go to iasistech.com or ashland.oregon.localsguide.com and search: Ashland Neurofeedback

Se habla Español. Estamos aquí para servirles. Por favor, llame al (541) 631-8757.

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