 |
Jennifer is an attractive young woman with streaks of red and gold in her hair, a nice smile, and a bright outlook on life. But things weren't always this way. Beginning in elementary school, she was diagnosed by her family physician as having ADD and placed on medication. With help from some dedicated counselors and a good special education program, this approach worked for her throughout middle and high school. Pursuing a career in cosmetology since her junior year and nearing completion of a two-year course to receive her state license, things started to get dicey. After graduating from high school in June of last year, she began to prepare for a series of tests that required a lot of studying. "I'm a horrible test taker," Jennifer says, and the frustration of preparing for exams was really starting to get to her. Much of her problem stems from short-term memory loss and issues of retention. Because of her history of learning disabilities her sister, then an intern completing her graduate work in psychology thought Dr. O'Donnell might be able to help. As it turns out, she was right.
Jennifer began going for biofeedback sessions as soon as she knew the tests were going to be a problem. She was not going to let her fear of tests keep her from reaching her lifelong dream.
"Ever since I was in first grade, I knew this was what I wanted to do." She went for sessions twice a week during the first two or three months then cut back to once a week because of work demands. By the fifth month, she was off medication completely and functioning on a much better level. Tests she had failed repeatedly were no longer the daunting tasks she once dreaded, and the all important state licensing final was passed with room to spare. "When my mom found out I had finally passed, she was so proud of me she began to cry". Aside from passing tests, getting off medication and developing better study habits are two of the nice treatment benefits Jennifer now enjoys.
When she speaks about the gains she has made, confidence is at the top of her list. The emotional boost has paid off nicely for her and she is well on her way to living a more independent life. She has her own car, her own insurance, and two jobs. One of the things she likes most about the biofeedback approach is the convenience; it fits in well with her busy schedule and doesn't make extraordinary demands of her time. Before parting, I asked Jennifer if she planned to stick with biofeedback. Without hesitation she replied; "When you can see results, it makes it easy to go on ".
Copyright © 2006 Northwest Biofeedback Center • All rights reserved |
