Tearing Away The Labels
A Personal Perspective

By Corina Harris

II am a woman short in physical stature, five foot two, weighing in at around one hundred fifteen pounds. Whenever I put on three or four pounds it invariably settles in around my waist. A little ramping up of physical activity dispels the problem. No doubt it would sound very strange hearing this physical fluctuation called, perhaps, “Waist Fat Accumulation Disorder” or WFAD. As a Neurofeedback Practitioner, I find it equally unnecessary to label every fluctuation in mental fitness with some term ending in “disorder”.
Just as we take ourselves to the gym a couple of times a week when our physical body is not as fit as we would like, neurofeedback brain training takes tired, overworked and “out of shape” brainwave patterns and trains them for improvements in focus, mood and for general mental flexibility and stability. As Neurofeedback Practitioners, we liken ourselves to the personal trainers at the gym. Analogous to the manner in which improved muscle mass gives us physical power to get our manual work finished, neurofeedback creates a mental “muscle memory” that our brains can call upon to rise to the occasion when mental agility and strength are required.
My work in neurofeedback gives me the honour and pleasure of helping people who are struggling with a wide variety of mental fitness issues - adults who have struggled with anxiety and depression symptoms, children and adults with focus difficulties and adults who have spent years battling migraines or sleeping problems and the list goes on. My job is not to diagnose but to look at the client’s brainwave patterns using EEG technology, to determine which of those patterns may be at the root of the symptoms the client wishes to change.
There is no need for labelling.
Everyone can attest to the fact that we can scarcely sit through more than a half hour of television without seeing an advertisement for some type of drug designed to improve attention, change our mood, reduce anxiety, help us sleep or help us to wake up again.
The list is endless as is the list of accompanying “disorders”. Pharmaceuticals do have a place and can be invaluable as a short term easing of overwhelming mental struggles, however it is profoundly disturbing for me to frequently hear that a little child has been medicated for months or years with little or no long term benefits.
I have struggled with mental health problems my entire life. As a child, my symptoms manifested as social difficulties and social anxieties. As a youth and young adult, my symptoms sent me into a different world, eventually identified to me as depression. With each year, the symptoms worsened morphing into compulsivity, anxiety, panic attacks and eventually, a total meltdown. I did very well in school despite my inner turmoil. However, had I been forced to wear a label, my personality quirks may very well have been discouraged by the school and social system to the extent that I would have most certainly been labelled with some sort of “disorder”.
With my current knowledge about the possible long term effects of mind altering drugs, I am grateful to have been raised in a time when people weren’t so quick to place labels and to medicate a child’s mind. Twenty years later things changed for me. I was fortunate enough to stumble upon the science of neurofeedback. Before that time I rode the merry-go-round of anti-depressants and their side effects for most of my adult life. Just as I have been able to disembark from that ride, I am grateful to have the opportunity to help my clients, as a partner in their wellness plan, leave years of the same ride.
On any given day at our offices, we see many children who are creative, curious, colourful, humourous, intelligent and marvellously entertaining little characters. They come to us because their parents want options, rather than relying on medication, to help their child focus. What an incredibly rewarding experience it is for us to hear of their gradual improvements, their successes in school and social interactions - without a label and a file that would have followed them forever!
My experience with symptoms associated with compromised mental health has given me intimate insight and helps me understand the impact of labels and how they serve only to add a stigma to an already present and undeserved sense of shame.
As a Neurofeedback Practitioner I offer you this message - You can take control of your mental health. It takes desire and commitment, as does anything in life that is worthwhile attaining. The next time you jump on the treadmill to work on battling that WFAD, think about the engine that runs your body and consider giving your brain a workout as well.

Corina Harris is a Neurofeedback Practitioner and co-owner of The Brain Spa in St. John’s, Newfoundland. She may be reached at 709-754-8811 Other websites: www.eeginfo.com www.isnr.org

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