Family Dynamics - Living With ADD/ADHD

FOREWORD – ABOUT THE MIND BRAIN BALANCE TEAM

“The Center for Mind Brain Balance” was established to bridge the gap between a person’s psychological and emotional needs versus their brain-based or physical imbalances that are so often overlooked.

Founded in 2004 in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, “The Center for Mind Brain Balance” actually started business as “A Light of Hope”. Through the years we have expanded in the region evolving from our original counseling roots into the ever more demanding and exciting Brainwave Assessment and Regulation. In easier to understand terms, we are the leading providers in Brain Training and Neurofeedback.

Not only have we become leading pioneers in brain training technologies, but we are also proud to offer the Full "qEEG" Gold Standard 19channel Brainwave Assessment. For a complete list of our services, please visit the Services section of our newest website, www.mindbrainbalance.com. Join our many clients from across the country in finding your own optimum Health & Happiness!

“The Center for Mind Brain Balance”

See you soon! The MBB Team

Administrative Office:
N19 W24400 Riverwood Drive, Suite 350, Pewaukee, WI 53188

Assessment & Training Center:
3960 Hillside Drive, Suite 105, Delafield, WI 53018

Satellite Offices Coming Soon!

Family Dynamics – Living with ADD/ADHD
(Part 1 - This is a continuing series on ADD/ADHD)

"Family is not an important thing. It's everything."
- Michael J. Fox

The Center for Mind Brain Balance has always endeavored to be open and honest with our clients, patients, family and friends. To that end, Mind Brain Balance created and maintains an open line of communication whenever ethically permissible. This allows us to share with you some of our own personal experiences. We are going to begin this series with a message from one of our own team members about ADD/ADHD and its effects on family dynamics.

“Once again September is upon us – and my wife and I still seem to get that uncomfortable feeling in the pit of our stomachs. I’m sure you know what I mean; a sickly, almost nauseating feeling remembering those “good-old days when we constantly held our breath as our son went out the front door to school. Would he behave? Would he skip class? Could we make it through the week or least a day without a call from the school? Or even worse, receive a call from the police? Should my wife or I take time off from work to pop in at home, just for the heck of it???

“You see, our son had been medically diagnosed with ADD during his middle-school years, and as we discovered, he probably got it genetically from his father who also had it (yes, I am talking about myself). In fact, I was one of the first test patients in the country to be put on Ritalin back in the late 60’s – 70’s. We have also since learned that it is a genetic trait found to be more common among males (between fathers and sons) than females.

“But 20 years ago, when our son was in middle and high school ADD/ADHD was still in the earlier stages of recognition and understanding as a genuine medical condition. At that time resources were extremely limited and only Ritalin was available, and thank goodness it worked, at least to a certain degree.

“Here was a situation where both parents and child alike had to act on blind faith alone. After all, as a former test patient, both my son and I had taken medication (Ritalin) during our teenage years without having a clear-cut understanding of the condition, the long-term side effects, good or bad, and whether there were any symptoms of withdrawal from the drug itself. In hind sight, I cannot help but ponder what alternative decisions both of us would have made if we had today’s current understanding and available options.

“The down side of course was that my wife and I found absolutely nothing new when we began to look for additional information, resources and options currently available to our family, or to at least have an up-to-date comprehension of what the medical community understood at the present time. It seemed that many doctors if they knew anything at all were still caught up in yesteryear’s “old and dusty” comprehension of ADD or how to go about treating it.

“Suffice to say, that anyone who was diagnosed with ADD was treated akin to having severe psychological problems and stamped as “different”. This was something not normally shared with anybody; family, friends, teachers or fellow students. Unfortunately, in order to receive a prescription medication during school hours, the student would have to go to the office or health nurse in order to get their daily dosage. This was, of course, after you had brought in notes from your attending physician and from your parents. So in effect, everyone in the school soon discovered the real reason why you kept leaving your classroom or lunchroom every day. This in turn fed into the “I am different” label and is not what any student needs or desires when trying to survive the “trial and tribulations” in the day-to-day jungle called adolescence.

“Now when it came to our home life, there were undoubtedly a few years where my son and I (two type “A” personalities) let me just say, clashed! My wife of course was the referee while our older daughter, who always seemed to make good decisions, would generally disappear into her room during the many moments of conflict (we called it her cave because she went in and hardly came out for the next 5 years, but that is another story).

“But, when all was said and done, excuses were not tolerated. The number one rule for our son was that having ADD would not be accepted as an excuse for bad grades or bad behavior. Of course, due to my own personal experiences, I had a very clear understanding of what he was going through personally and what he was feeling inside.

“A lot has changed during the past 20 years, and in this particular instance, improved vastly since earlier times. Available choices are many including medication-free and non-invasive options leading the way. As a society, we have all become well-informed and far more accepting of ADD/ADHD. We also recognize that diet, exercise, the very environment in which we live, a spiritual lifestyle and even healthy pursuits and interests all contribute to a healthier and happier individual and in turn of course, a happier family and a calmer household too!

“As loving and caring parents, we would all do anything imaginable in order to help our children be the best they can possibly be in life. We also have the benefits of our years to understand that it is truly a tough, tough world and it is our moral if not our parental obligation to prepare all our children for the challenges that lay ahead. We at The Center for Mind Brain Balance genuinely feel your anguish, confusion and fear of the unknown. Believe me when I say, “We have lived it ourselves. We understand. Trust us!”

Footnote: I am most happy to report that our son has not only become a terrific and responsible father but is also a Captain with a large commercial airline carrier and has already been flying for over 15 years. He was the youngest person in our state to ever receive his private pilot’s license and second youngest to ever receive his commercial pilot’s license. So, the morale of the story is, never give up on your children. There is always HOPE!

Family Dynamics and ADD/ADHD

“Family dynamics can change like the wind. Having a child who is struggling can create a tough environment for parents and other family members to stay even keeled and positive. It is also unfair to chastise or blame any one person as the reasons for these difficulties are often due to unseen imbalances in the mind, brain and body.”
- Kyle S. Ferroly

Emotional & behavioral outbursts can ruin a child’s school and home life. If you feel like you have tried absolutely everything and are suddenly finding yourself at the end of your rope, first of all, step back and take a deep breath.

Secondly, do not begin blaming yourself, those around you or even your surroundings. Many times these situations are beyond the layperson’s abilities to recognize or to even comprehend.

Lastly, many parents will hold themselves hostage feeling they have not “turned over every stone”, that they have not looked at all the potential reasons for their child’s struggling, that they are somehow in some way responsible for this entire situation. Stop this irrational thinking and call The Center for Mind Brain Balance (MBB).

Every year countless numbers of parents of children and adults with ADD/ADHD seek out alternative therapies because medication has stopped working (or never worked), produces unwelcome side effects, or, most commonly, doesn’t manage all the symptoms of the condition. Do not despair!

The Center for Mind Brain Balance is dedicated to helping families of all sizes, couples, adolescents and children become happy and successful. Helping people learn to help themselves is Mind Brain Balance ongoing mission.

Our unique and individualized Assessment process, part of the cutting-edge Mind Brain Balance Method, will help identify what mind, brain or body imbalances are jeopardizing your family’s happiness and ability to behave as a cohesive unit. We will also show you areas of his or her brain that are under or over-activated, as well as a current stress level using state-of-the-art equipment and software.

There is simply no guessing anymore. Although symptoms may overlap, we can help you understand the root causes of your child’s struggles and effect positive, long-lasting change both at home and at school.

Along with realistic solutions for children we provide stress management tips for parents and siblings to better cope with a loved one’s emotional, behavioral or cognitive struggles. Simply put, we not only “talk the talk, we walk the walk!”

Like what you hear? Are you ready to make some positive, lasting changes? Don’t wait another minute for family happiness, pick up the phone and call us!

414.429.1516

Wishing You the Best in Health & Happiness!

The Mind Brain Balance Team

“To all those mothers and fathers who are struggling with teen-agers, I say, just be patient: even though it looks like you can't do anything right for a number of years, parents become popular again when kids reach 20.”
- Marian Wright Edelman

Administrative Office:
N19 W24400 Riverwood Drive, Suite 350, Pewaukee, WI 53188

Assessment & Training Center:
3960 Hillside Drive, Suite 105, Delafield, WI 53018

Satellite Offices Coming Soon!

Author's Bio:

BIOGRAPHY

“The brain is the only organ that we don’t look at before we treat it.” – Dr. Daniel Amen... It is this singular idea that has prompted Kyle S. Ferroly to spend all his working hours pursuing the reasons why people struggle with their thoughts, emotions and behaviors. In his own words, Mr. Ferroly has spent a lifetime “trying to uncover why some people are just stuck.”

As a child, Kyle was already deeply interested in the “why” questions and the field of Psychology. But as time went on, his inner compassion and insatiable curiosity also began to ask the “what” and the “how”.

His winding journey continued when he spent the first decade in the field of Mental Health, listening, learning, watching and understanding, all the while helping children and adults to live happier, healthier lives. Ultimately he realized there had to be more to helping others than simply talk therapy. It was at this crucial time that he became fascinated with the field of Neuroscience and its deeper, and yes, more complex explanation of human behaviors, emotions and thought processes.

In 2004, he founded his first company, “A Light of Hope”, which offered counseling services as well as supplemental audio programs to those transitioning away from traditional therapy. Kyle then became nationally certified in Neurofeedback in 2008 and started his second company, “Inner Rhythms” offering his clientele a chance to help their brain work more efficiently.

Finally in 2014, Kyle’s unique blending of Neuroscience with Counseling and Psychology culminated in his newest, and yes, his proudest endeavor to date, “Mind Brain Balance”. “The Center for Mind Brain Balance” addresses the clinical or mental health components as well as the more biologically-based brainwave mapping and training.
Kyle’s real passion is showing people how one’s brain health can alter and determine the bigger picture; how they think, act, and feel. This in turn allows many people the chance to understand the root cause behind their struggles and symptoms.

Kyle Ferroly MA has also made an ongoing commitment to always incorporate the latest techniques available. To that end, Kyle received his Masters of Educational Psychology in 2004 with a focus on Community Counseling from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. He is a Master’s level Mental Health Therapist and is nationally certified through BCIA in Neurofeedback as well as C.E.T. certified with Mind Alive, completing the Clinical Hypnotherapy program from the Robert Shields College in 2005.

Kyle also continues his life-long pursuit of higher education by currently completing studies in the Psychophysiology Ph.D. program at Saybrook University. In addition, he continues his advanced EEG training by partnering with top professionals in the field including Jay Gunkelman, QEEGD, and Dr. Joel Lubar, PhD.

Yours in Health & Happiness!

Kyle S. Ferroly

Administrative Office:
N19 W24400 Riverwood Drive, Suite 350, Pewaukee, WI 53188

Assessment & Training Center:
3960 Hillside Drive, Suite 105, Delafield, WI 53018

Satellite Offices Coming Soon!