Therapeutic Intervention for Survivors at The WellHouse
Director of Trauma Therapy
I began my journey to the WellHouse about two years ago when I completed my practicum and internship as part of the University of Alabama doctoral program requirements. At the end of my internship, I felt a sense that my time at The WellHouse was not over; however, I had no idea just how far God would take me. For about a year and a half, I kept in touch with different staff members at The WellHouse, but with no real vision of what my future with TWH looked like. During this time, I was in a small group of women who prayed with me that I would someday, somehow, end back at The WellHouse. I have journal pages filled with prayers sounding like “God, in YOUR perfect timing, lead me back to The WellHouse…” God steadily reminded me that He is with me in the wait, and I was called back to the WellHouse in December 2021 to serve as the Director of Trauma Therapy.
As Director of Trauma Therapy and a Counseling Professional, it is my ethical duty to stay apprised of the current trends in psychotherapy. Neurofeedback, a new approach to mental health treatment, is a type of therapeutic intervention that regulates brain wave activity in order for our brains to function in a healthier way. Neurofeedback is complementary to traditional talk therapy in that it can diminish symptoms of depression, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, attention issues, and more.
IASIS Microcurrent Neurofeedback (MCN) is the newest therapeutic addition to The WellHouse. IASIS MCN differs from traditional neurofeedback in that it does not ‘train the brain’ to respond to certain stimuli, rather it retrains the brain and central nervous system by allowing the brain to ‘reboot itself’ and shift from formerly fixed patterns – similar to what happens when we restart our cell phones or computers when they are not acting quite right. IASIS MCN works by sending a brief microcurrent stimulation to the nervous system, causing a temporary fluctuation in brain wave activity and providing the brain an opportunity to reorganize itself. IASIS MCN believes in hormesis, which means to send the lowest possible dose of energy for the greatest possible result. The intensity of an IASIS MCN signal is millions of times less than what our cell phones give off and the client will not be able to feel any energy being sent to the brain.
IASIS MCN has been shown in clinical use to bring about positive results in a relatively short amount of time, usually 1-3 sessions for immediate results and 10-20 sessions to notice longer lasting effects. People have reported improved sleep, clarity, and memory, reduction or elimination of night terrors, less impatience, the absence of depression, irritability, and explosiveness, and more when using IASIS MCN. After hearing all of the benefits of IASIS MCN, I was on a mission to bring this treatment to The WellHouse – I could not imagine what even the power of a good night’s rest would do for our women! Thanks to a generous donor, Jenn Ingram and myself were able to be trained and certified to provide IASIS MCN to The WellHouse. We are first offering treatments to staff as a way to not only practice conducting an IASIS session, but also have self-report success to share with the women who choose to engage in MCN therapy. IASIS MCN will be offered as an optional, supplemental treatment to our women, and we are hopeful to begin treatments on our women starting in the middle of September.
I am so honored to bring this innovative treatment to The WellHouse and am excited to see how it complements our survivors healing process.
To God be the Glory, Honor, and Power!