Perhaps it was in graduate school, or perhaps it was when I was a resident counselor. I’m not sure at this point anymore, but somewhere along the line, long ago, I learned that researchers had explored all the most popular theoretical approaches to psychotherapy to learn which one was the best. Instead of figuring out which method was best for all things, they discovered that the single most important factor in the outcome for anyone in counseling was the relationship between the counselor and the client.

Years later, I learned that there was a place called Roseto, Pennsylvania, where heart disease was almost non-existent. Researchers studied this tight-knit community of immigrants from Italy and learned to their surprise that, despite bad diets, smoking, working in coal mines, and other unhealthy behaviors, the people in this community almost never developed heart disease. The reason their community stayed well, the study found, was that the people had solid relationships. They ate together in community. They spent time together. They were connected.

Finally, not that long ago, I learned that in Sardinia, one of the famed Blue Zones in the world in which many people live to a healthy 100 years or more, people also maintain relationships. In Sardinia, they walk, get time in nature, and they eat real food, yes, but relationships also have played a key role in their longevity.

Learning that relationship mattered most in counseling effectiveness affected my perspective in powerful ways, not just in my counseling work, but in my philosophies of dealing with everyone in my world. I built my neurofeedback practice around the notion that connection with my clients matters. Roseto and Sardinia reinforced that perspective, and I continue to operate with the idea that my EEG and HEG devices are just part of the story of why and how people retrain their brains’ energy patterns.

Also reinforcing that perspective was my primary mentor and instructor when I got started doing neurofeedback. Her practice was like mine—she worked with one person at a time, making exceptions only to train an additional family member of the client simultaneously. She had a welcoming office environment that was relaxing and comforting. Her presence itself seemed healing, and in the wake of meeting many of her former clients over the years, I know they felt the same way.

So, know that if you decide to work with me, you are most definitely going to get the high-technology touch. I am a strong believer in using technology to allow the brain to adjust itself. I like my tools and gadgets and know they work. I use them well.

Despite my love of using technology to solve problems, though, I believe it’s also important to make a human connection. I have taken to heart the idea that thriving involves good relationships with healthy boundaries. As a result, I purposely have not created a clinic in which multiple people are doing brain training at the same time, with a technician leading people in and out. Instead, you get just me. It’s pretty quiet in my space, and I’ve had more than one person say they wish they could just sit and have a mug of something warm to drink and hang out in my training room for a while.

Have I had people think I’m not scientific enough because I focus on creating a low-stress, softer environment? You bet. There are those who need a white laboratory coat to be convinced that they are working with someone who has expertise, and that is okay. There are practitioners in the area who can offer that experience. There is room for all approaches.

If, however, you’re looking for someone with deep expertise plus the ability to be a calming presence with an emphasis on human connection, I just might be the one for you. As I all-too-swiftly approach 20 years in practice, I am more convinced than ever that trust and connection with your practitioner is as important as knowing what to train, where, how, and when.

Give me a call, or schedule a consultation here.