TESTIMONIALS

I started seeing Mary after a referral from my priest. I didn't really know what NeuroFeedback was, and even after researching it, I still didn't completely understand. But I trusted my priest and gave Mary a call. She is so friendly, pleasant and a complete joy to work with! 

She gave me more insight on the process during our first session. I was surprised how different I felt after the session-- very relaxed and calm. I quickly began looking forward to my Thursday sessions as one of the highlights of my week. Over time, I was able to notice the difference Mary mentioned to me in Session #1. I was more clearly able to rationalize right from wrong. As someone who has been a compulsive online shopper, I started to recognize those as bad habits and eventually my mindless scrolling of shopping websites decreased dramatically. 

Additionally, I felt like I was in a rut in the relationship I was in. I feel like my feedback sessions helped me navigate my emotions versus reality and I was able to make a difficult decision to end the relationship (a decision I felt in the past that I'd never be capable of making as I was very scared at the thought of breaking up with someone). 

Interestingly, when faced with a difficult situation at work in which I know I could have performed better, I found myself focusing more on how I'd grow from the mistake and what I could do differently--whereas in the past I would go into desolation and self-hate. 

Lastly, I had noticed a significant decrease in the amount of stress, frustration and anger I was having while driving (an issue that was at one point becoming almost debilitating for me on longer drives).  

All of these amazing changes after 9 sessions! It's so fun and exciting to see the progress unfold little by little in front of your eyes. I'm so grateful that my priest referred me to Mary and I am looking forward to sharing my story with anyone who is willing to listen. :) 

After the third concussion, I was experiencing headaches, vision disturbance, dissociation - struggling with focus, attention, and visual processing.  From the beginning, my cognitive issues began to improve, and it has been so beneficial.  I have finally been able to work consistently.  I am able to read again, and I am able to focus better.  I am also able to have conversations and feel like I am alive having them and be much quicker in responses.  I am able to do normal life things again.  I am still in the process of recovery, but it has made a massive, massive difference since I began.  I cannot recommend it enough.  I also cannot recommend Mary Rodriguez enough - just an extremely kind, generous, caring person.  When you are going through something like this, you cannot appreciate those people enough.  It was just a wonderful experience, and I highly recommend it for people with brain injuries or any sort of cognitive difficulties, problems with headaches or anything.  It has really been beneficial for me.  

My daughter was diagnosed with ADD and has major anxiety.  She has told us that she does not want to be on the ADD medication anymore because she doesn't like feeling like she's a 'zombie.'   She knows how the medication affects her and she doesn't like it.  As this point, she's done five neurofeedback sessions, and I wish I could record her so that you could see her before and after.  Since doing these sessions, she has been more vibrant and has told us she feels less anxious.  She has more energy and actually decided to go out for cross country at school.  She is now on a cross country team, and she likes it!  She’s talking to other kids whereas before she wouldn’t.  When she was taking the medication, she was extremely shy, and now she has been a lot more vocal.  Again, she is not on any medication right now!  She also used to have to ask her friends what the homework was for that day, but now they are asking her what the homework is!  She is also able to get her homework and daily tasks done.  She’s now able to get some of her homework done in class and can tell me what she did in school.  Now she's been able to finish up her homework right away.  It's not our same kid!  Can this help other people?  I say yes, it can!  Please just give it a try; it has been a blessing.

I am delighted to write this testimonial on the benefits of neurofeedback, administered by Mary Alice Rodriguez.  If I hadn’t experienced the benefits myself, I would be skeptical of the kind of enthusiastic feedback as I provide here.  One of my goals in starting neurofeedback was to mitigate knee-jerk reactions to encounters that, historically, would have me letting my emotions to drive my words and actions without reflection. After a few sessions of neurofeedback, I was clearly conscious of particular emotions being stirred by external stimuli, but instead of reacting and then reflecting on my behavior, I was able to acknowledge the emotion in real-time and tell myself, “I don’t need to react to this.” This has yielded very positive benefits for my interpersonal relationships, specifically insofar as I am more consistently interacting with the actual person and not the emotion the person provokes in me.  I was initially conscious of major mental shifts, but over time, I began to experience what I can only refer to as greater, and more consistent mental “clarity” and an increase in internal equanimity.  I am more regularly “out ahead” of my emotions instead of being controlled by them. I am much more consistently choosing responses rather than reacting to external stimuli.    I am known to have an intense personality and demeanor.  On more than one occasion since I started neurofeedback, individuals have observed that I have “mellowed” and seem a lot calmer.  I very highly recommend neurofeedback to anyone who seeks these benefits and have regularly suggested to others—fellow priests and parishioners in particular—to consider undertaking neurofeedback for themselves.  Mary Alice is a patient, encouraging and reassuring neurofeedback practitioner.   

After 10 sessions, I feel that my anxiety has gone down enough for me to experience my creativity again and be more in the present moment.  My sleep has also improved, as well as my general mental state.  I still have things to improve upon, but at least it's working so I have hope.  I am very glad I was able to experience Neuroptimal® with Mary because she's very compassionate, attentive, and is more than happy to answer all my questions, which has made this process more reassuring. 

Neurofeedback training with Mary Rodriguez was a necessary experience, to say the least.  I have struggled with anxiety, depression, and OCD for a number of years.  It became unbearable this year, but after going through 10 sessions of neurofeedback, my mental imbalances are manageable, my digestion improved, mood swings are stabilized, and ,most importantly, I gained self-confidence, a sense of stability through the storms of life, and a hopeful outlook for my future.  I am very grateful for this experience with NeuroOptimal® and highly recommend it to anyone and everyone!

I was angry.  SO angry.  I knew the foundations of my anger, shame, resentment and disappointment.  I knew that the ones I loved most triggered me into moments, hours and sometimes days of that never-ceasing committee in my head.  What I didn’t know was how to release it, to rise above it, to heal it.

A friend told me about the work that Mary Alice was doing with NeurOptimal® Dynamical Neurofeeback®.  Basically, it’s brain training allowing your brain to self-correct.  For me, it has allowed for deep (but safe) introspection of some of the main traumas of my life, most taking place in my childhood. In those early years of my life, I did not have the understanding, maturity or capability to look at each event in real time and push away the evil that filled me, plagued me, and in some cases, actually debilitated me from living a happy life.

From the very first session, I became startingly aware of how beautiful I am.  Yes, at 66-years-young, and 30 lbs overweight, I realized just how beautiful AND how worthy I am to be loved by ME.  

During the course of my 10 sessions, these two healings took place.  (1) I found that I am able to recognize words, behaviors, situations and cruelties from others that once paralyzed me.  I can look at them and decide that I don’t need to own this “junk."  I am able to quickly move on and leave what does not belong to me behind.  (2) I learned that when a hurt deeply penetrates my heart from a person I dearly love, I need time to quietly process it, without devolving, before I can openly and without fear, talk about it, and resolve it with that person.  With confidence, and without fear, I have shared this need with those around me who live within the hidden folds of my heart.  They understand and appreciate this part of my healing process.

About two-thirds of the way through my sessions, I experienced great clarity of goals I needed, but more importantly, wanted to achieve.  Without any conscious thought, I was able to set five goals, with timetables and measurable results.  I felt elated, inspired and motivated.  One of those goals focused on getting my weight back to a healthy place.  As of this writing, I have already released over a third of my total weight goal.  I am happy.  I do not feel deprived.  I feel focused.  I am worthy to be the best version of myself.

After my first couple of sessions, my husband could see how Dynamical Neurofeedback® was helping me.  It inspired him to try it for himself.  Doing this together as marital partners has been an extraordinary experience.  It has burst open our communication.  It has allowed us to go deep into places we have kept hidden from each other, and the world.  It has deepened our trust.  It has expanded our love.

There are not enough words to describe Mary Alice and her approach to this brain training.  Walking through this journey with her guidance has been life-affirming.  Her gentle warmth and quiet demeaner made me feel safe and protected.  She has been granted a very special gift from God.  She is using it well.

I recommend NeurOptimal® Dynamical Neurofeeback® to anyone, and everyone.  We all experience difficulties in our lives.  It’s possible that in some ways, we all fight with the committees that take over in our minds at difficult times.  This process helps shut them down, and allows us to decide on, respond, and make life choices that are healthier and more positive.

My greatest advice before starting NeurOptimal® Dynamical Neurofeeback® is this:  

Know why are you doing this.
Know what the healing is that you most need and desire.
And finally, know that it’s about healing YOU.  It’s not about changing THEM.

Can a person heal and go on to lead a fulfilling and less frustrating life?  I am proof of it.  My therapist changed my life with her recommendation of NeurOptimal® neurofeedback brain training.  I have hope again.  I have complex PTSD, and I used neurofeedback in conjunction as part of my therapy.  Neuroptimal® is non-invasive.  No homework or thinking.  Just show up. 

This Dynamical Neurofeedback® is the brain mirroring itself and, with repetition of sessions, the brain automatically knows what to do to self-correct.  The cognitive/emotional balance for me gets tangled.  This is when I use NeurOptimal for the desired effect, which is a calm brain that can then compartmentalize and focus.  It has drastically changed my life’s course, and my husband notices a day and night difference.  I am now able to efficiently focus and work through issues as they arise.  Going from defeated behavior in thought and deed to being on the other side of hope!  I cannot over-emphasize this tool!  It helped with my depression and overwhelming feelings of fight, flight, or freeze of survival.  It balanced my emotions, making it easier to function.  I can go on and on about Mary Rodriguez!  She is gifted in working with clients and is very dedicated.  It has been a night and day change as my friends and family have noted.  My brain has direction, and my life and relationships have direction.  Neuroptimal® has given me the power to change all of that!  Can a person heal and go on to lead a fulfilling and less frustrating life?  I am an example of it.  You can too.  

Cindy S 

I am Cindy’s husband, Rick, and I have been very aware of Cindy’s issues with anxiety, lack of focus, and emotional struggles for many years.  When we heard of NeurOptimal, I was skeptical at first, but after a few sessions, I was amazed at the change in her.  I can now tell when she needs a session and know that when she finishes her session, she will be in a much better place.  The repeated use of the brain training has allowed both of us to enjoy a much more relaxed, less stressful life! 

Rick S

God sent!  Life changing!  Healing!

The above are some of the many words that come to mind when I think about my journey with Neurofeedback. 

I was suffering terribly with long-term covid, migraines, word jumbles, fatigue, anxiety, and other symptoms, too.  What was more worrisome were the headzaps that I was also having.  They were scary!  They started out being very subtle and progressively became extremely aggressive.  The headzaps (long-term covid symptoms) are electrical shock/jolt sensations in the brain/head that occurred quite often and would blur my vision all at the same time for about 3 seconds.  They were brutal.

One day, while in confession, I selfishly told the priest in the confessional what was happening with me.  I say selfish because I wanted his prayers; I wanted him to petition to the Lord to make my pain stop and go away.  Father not only prayed for me, but he told me about a beautiful woman who could help me through neurofeedback. 

I called Mary Alice, and we had an amazing conversation.  I briefly explained my story and could tell by our conversation that I was speaking to a godly woman; a woman of deep faith.  She was so concerned for me and so eager to help me.  Mary Alice immediately loved me, and I loved her.  I felt a warmth that assured me that all would be well.  She made me feel hopeful. 

After meeting Mary Alice, I knew that once again, my prayers were answered.  In her motherly, nurturing way, she took me through ten sessions of neurofeedback.  Mary Alice answered every question I asked her.  She made sure I was clear and understood the process.  She spoke to both my husband and son so that they too understood and were comfortable with what was going on with me. 

After ten sessions, I am renewed.  I am calm.  I am more relaxed.  I am more present to my family than I have been for quite sometime.  I pause before speaking or reacting now.  I am not as angry; and when I do get upset, I am able to discern the severity of the situation and can immediately recognize in the moment that things are not that serious and I am able to let go.  God has been so present in this process too.  Neurofeedback changed my life.

Not only am I completely satisfied with neurofeedback but I have made a new friend in Mary Alice, and for that, I am so grateful.  She will be my forever friend, and I am grateful she will now really know the new and improved ME.  Thank you, JESUS; Mother Mary; and St. Joseph!  Thank you, Father, for introducing me to Mary Alice.  Finally, thank you, Mary Alice, for saying, 'yes' to Our Lord's call to help me. 

About 15 years ago, I was diagnosed with benign vertigo for which there is no treatment.  I was no longer able to drive on freeways or very narrow crowded streets.  At times, I would experience an out of balance situation.  About nine months ago, the out of balance situations were occurring often and serious.  I visited a balance and hearing specialist.  After a three and one half hour test, I was diagnosed, among other things, with a vestibulocerebellar lesion.  The nerves were no longer communicating with brain cells.  It persisted to the point where I needed a walker.  We engaged Mary Alice Rodriguez for neurofeedback treatments.  After two treatments, I no longer needed the walker.  I depended on a walking stick for about for six weeks, have not needed it since.  A total of 21 sessions – on a good day, I am at 97% of where I was 15 years ago.  On a bad day, I am about 80%.   Thanks, Mary Alice! – Antonio