Can Electro-Stimulation of the Brain Heal Trauma?
I met the coolest company yesterday. I might think A LOT of companies are interesting, when they apply something novel and still have heart. When I say heart, I mean they CARE about the human underneath - not just on paper, but in their daily interactions.
Neurofield NeuroTherapy gave a talk at the Santa Barbara Public Library, about an innovation they made at least a decade ago, to heal people with targeted electrical stimulation of the brain. I attended this talk, and don’t know these people intimately - so, you should definitely make your own opinion of them first.
But, I was impressed that their innovation, a low-intensity electro-stimulation tool for the cranium, has stood through decades and thousands of people as a therapy - leaving most people without their original symptoms (of depression, anxiety, or cognitive dysfunction) after a few weeks, and only 5% returning later with symptoms that resurfaced.
I was also impressed by how warm they seemed as people. After loads of technical questions, I felt it was important to address an elephant in my room. Haha.
How much does the environment and bedside manner (being kind, patient, attentive, understanding) contribute to their success with the therapy? I’ve found that a comfortable, welcoming space enables healing - the trauma has space and safety to come out, be witnessed, be made sense of, and finally be learned from. Sometimes, that space and presence is all a person needs!
So, I asked the question. What is the patient environment like? Has the environment (and staff demeanor) been correlated as a factor in the astounding success of their therapy? We all know many hospitals, doctors offices, and even workplaces can be the opposite of warm and welcoming - even if they ‘try’ to be.
The answer I got was almost obvious. Yes, the space is beautiful, comfortable and welcoming; and, yes, the staff are all lovely to engage with. It makes me happy that these factors are a given for a company that focuses heavily on tech and data science for their therapy.
My Polarity Therapy trainer used to say trauma happens in relationship, and healing happens in relationship. Making our relationships with caretakers, and the environment we are in, so important for our health.
The talk had me wondering, how much more can we make beauty and safety an option when we’re healing? Even outside a therapy office.
And, how can we extend this company’s model of showing up with curiosity and a figure-it-out attitude, to our everyday community? Imagine knowing that someone is looking out for your best interest, is on your team to figure things out, no matter what. How much would that impact your ability to heal?
More info about Neurofield NeuroTherapy, on their website.
