When it comes to relationships, we feel differently.  We believe that it should be like a bolt of lightning from the sky that hits you square between your eyes as you stare at the one true love of your life.  The world suddenly quiets, as all doubts topple like buildings in a tsunami.  Unfortunately, many stories, movies, and songs enhance the myth that love should be easy and instant.  In reality, personal relationships, like professional ability, must be cultivated, studied, and chosen with utmost care.  Often you will have to learn through trial and error.

You must study your own emotional needs and desires.  Who are you attracted to and why?  Then, ask if the people you are attracted to produce healthy or harmful relationships.  If you find that you are constantly getting involved with people who take advantage of you or do not give you what you want, explore why you keep picking damaging partners.  In many cases, your tendencies relate to your upbringing.  Whatever the reason, ferret it out, identify, and acknowledge it.  Then, try to recognize when you are making unwise decisions and change course before making a commitment.  Exploring your choices and why you make them will give you more say in where you end up in your personal relationships, just like getting an education will give you a say in your career choices.

You do not want to have to take any job that comes along because you have no training.  That’s when you wind up working in a dead end job just to pay rent and eat.  You cannot start a family or help others in your life because you need their assistance to survive.

The same is true of relationships you just fall into because you have no one else and you are lonely, one of the worst emotional states from which to select a mate.  Much like the dead end job, the dead end relationship puts you in a situation where a healthy, happy family is impossible.  Even if you and your partner can physically have children and have a wedding, that does not mean you will have a family in the fullest sense.  The family is predicated on your relationship as matriarch and patriarch of the household.  If the rotted roots lay hidden under the soil, eventually, the tree will topple when strong winds blow as they always eventually do.

Make sure that you train and study yourself so that when Mr. or Mrs. Fantastic comes along, you will recognize that they have the traits you need to create a strong foundation for a life of sustained growth both personally and together.

Santa Monica, Calif. (August 11, 2011) – Mindy Fox, a highly regarded neurofeedback therapist in Southern California, announced today that her practice continues its rapid growth due to demand from pain brought on by sciatica. The growth is an indicator of market demand for alternative, natural and safe treatment for pain related conditions.
In many cases, relief from sciatica using neurofeedback can be significant. In one recent case, a female client who has long suffered said that on a scale of 1 to 10, her pain went from a 7 down to a 2 in three sessions. Although research studies do not exist to support this treatment, many clients have little choice. According to Henrik Weber, M.D., “Elective surgery is the main option for unilateral sciatica and focuses on removal of the underlying cause by removing disk herniation and eventually part of the disc.” (1983). “Lumbar disc herniation. A controlled, prospective study with ten years of observation”. Spine 8 (2): 131–140. According to England’s National Health Service, medications do little to relieve the pain and causes of sciatica.
“Our practice has expanded into unexpected areas, such as treatment of sciatica,” said Mindy Fox, LMFT and Santa Monica neurofeedback therapist. “Many patients who we treat are at the end of their rope. They do not want to have surgery, but the pain caused by the sciatic nerves has left them with a lower quality of life than they are willing to accept.”
Instead of going under the knife, neurofeedback therapy is completely non-invasive and has no lasting side effects. “Think of it as exercise for the brain,” said Fox. “Neurofeedback therapy strengthens the performance of your brain, so with a little encouragement, it heals itself and returns back to homeostasis.”
Neurofeedback therapy retrains the brain, helping it remember how to deal with nerve pain and more, and can lead to a more relaxed yet alert state of being. Electrodes are placed on the head, and the patient plays a video game or watches a movie or a peaceful scene, depending on their preference. After several sessions, the brain begins to shift itself into a more resilient state. This allows one’s brain to achieve a healthy state of arousal during stressful situations and even extend its range of normal functioning for improved performance.
Neurofeedback therapy is completely non-invasive. Some patients will see results within a few sessions, but it’s recommended they complete 20 sessions, with three sessions per week. Neurofeedback therapy is a highly individualized treatment that must be tailored to meet every client’s specific needs.
For more information, visit www.MFTherapy.com.
ABOUT MINDY FOX
Mindy Fox is a licensed marriage and family therapist with over nineteen years of experience. With a Master of Arts in Psychotherapy, Fox is also certified in somatic experiencing and trained in neurofeedback EEG (also referred to as eeg biofeedback therapy). Her expertise in psychotherapy, EMDR, and neurofeedback helps her treat clients with attention deficit disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, addiction, and depression issues. Fox employs body-mind therapy techniques such as EMDR, somatic experiencing, guided imagery, and neurofeedback, along with traditional methods to treat clients of all ages. Fox chairs the State CAMFT Trauma Response Committee and served as President of South Bay/Long Beach CAMFT Chapter. She has offices in Santa Monica and Torrance, California.

“It can take between two and six months
for a monkey to comprehend the abstract
idea of controlling an object merely by
thinking about it. At that moment, the
monkeys stop moving their own bodies
and relax and ‘you see they have got it,’
Dr. Nicolelis says.”

Amazing breakthroughs are possible with such research. The underlying driver is to get paralyzed patients walking and functioning again with brain implants or other less invasive techniques as yet unavailable. There are people, such as Jennifer French, who can now stand up with the aid of electrodes implanted in her legs. This prevents bed sores and muscle spasms, but it is a long way from functioning fully.
If electrodes implanted in parts of the human body can accomplish such amazing feats, imagine what electrodes in the brain can do. It is the nerve center. To take that concept one step further, imagine what physically functional people can do if they exercise a healthy brain to optimize its potential? If we can take a limited individual and accomplish full functionality again, then why not take that and make it better?
This is the goal of neurofeedback (biofeedback eeg) in relatively healthy individuals. Instead of implants in the brain, neurofeedback practitioners are exercising the mind to use different pathways and awaken poorly functioning areas so that deficiencies that were previously treated with medications or went untreated, can now self-regulate.
Once the brain learns what works so that the body is happy, the neurofeedback system gives a thumbs-up in the form of a video game or being able to watch a movie. After twenty or more training sessions, in many cases, the brain begins to self-regulate and eventually the patient becomes more independent. By freeing the mind we free the body and subsequently behavior and attitudes change too. A person can gain a measurable amount of control over his emotional and behavioral life as never before.
The results of training for neurofeedback treatments vary widely and are very individualized. Therefore, before undertaking such treatment, interested parties should thoroughly check to see that their practitioner is well-qualified (more on this topic to follow). In most cases, practitioners should work under a licensed therapist.
Whether we are trying to improve our physical or emotional lives, brain training and technology are powerful tools. The research at Duke University and neurofeedback training by private practitioners are both moving us in the direction of expanding and conquering the limitations our bodies and minds put on us.

Beverly Hills, Calif. (November 29, 2010) – Mindy Fox, a highly regarded neurofeedback therapist in California, announced today the expansion of her services in the Los Angeles area to include the neighborhoods of Beverly Hills, Malibu and the Pacific Palisades. The growth is an indicator of market demand for alternative, natural and safe treatment for anxiety related conditions.

“Our practice has expanded at a speed much greater than anticipated,” said Mindy Fox, LMFT and California neurofeedback therapist. “Many patients who we treat were at one point seeking alternatives to prescription medications for conditions such as anxiety and depression. Even though most were not sure exactly what that meant, they did know they wanted to stop taking medication.”

Commonly prescribed anti-anxiety medications are categorized as central nervous system (CNS) depressants, also known as sedatives or tranquilizers. These medications are commonly known by brand names such as Valium, Librium and Xanax. CNS depressants decrease brain activity producing a drowsy or calming effect that is beneficial to those suffering from anxiety or sleep disorders.

Alternatively, neurofeedback therapy retrains the brain. “Think of it as exercise for the brain,” said Fox. “Neurofeedback therapy strengthens the performance of your brain, so with a little encouragement, it heals itself and returns back to homeostasis.”

One of Fox’s patients who preferred to remain anonymous enjoys not having to take pills on a daily basis. “I had been taking anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications for at least 25 years, consisting of various things like Valium, Prozac and Zoloft.” said Joan, a resident of Beverly Hills. “I woke up one day and realized these pills weren’t improving my life, but rather subduing my reality. I wasn’t depressed or anxious after taking medication, but I was not happy or enjoying my life either.”

According to the National Institute for Drug Abuse, if one uses CNS depressants long-term, the body will develop a tolerance for the drugs, and larger doses will be needed to achieve the same initial effects.  This was the case with Joan. Continued use can lead to physical dependence and—when use is reduced or stopped— withdrawal.

Neurofeedback therapy retrains the brain, helping it remember how to deal with anxiety, depression and more, eventually leading to a more relaxed yet alert state of being. Electrodes are placed on the head, and the patient plays a video game or watches a peaceful scene, depending on their preference. After several sessions, the brain begins to shift itself into a more resilient state.   This allows one’s brain to achieve a healthy state of arousal during stressful situations and even extend their range of normal functioning for improved performance.

Neurofeedback therapy is completely non-invasive. Some patients will see results within a few sessions, but it’s recommended they complete 20 sessions, with three sessions per week. Neurofeedback therapy is a highly individualized treatment that must be tailored to meet every client’s specific needs.

For more information, visit www.MFTherapy.com.

ABOUT MINDY FOX

Mindy Fox is a licensed marriage and family therapist with over eighteen years of experience. With a Master of Arts in Psychotherapy, Fox is also certified in somatic experiencing and trained in neurofeedback EEG (also referred to as eeg biofeedback therapy). Her expertise in psychotherapy, EMDR, and neurofeedback helps her treat clients with attention deficit disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, addiction, and depression issues. Fox employs body-mind therapy techniques such as EMDR, somatic experiencing, guided imagery, and neurofeedback, along with traditional methods to treat clients of all ages. Fox chairs the State CAMFT Trauma Response Committee and served as President of South Bay/Long Beach CAMFT Chapter.