Breiane Cage (She/her)

Relationships can bring about many issues. Communication is not just about the words we say or the actions we take because interpretation by our partner involves their own beliefs, experiences, and perspective. Understanding, compassion, and commitment are necessary to handle the miscommunication, hurt, and frustration. We can all heal the wounds we have endured, but only if we choose to forgive and to love as we did in the beginning.

Trauma can manifest itself in many different ways in our lives, our personalities, and our ability to process information. Think of trauma as a physical wound to the brain, it's not invisible. As a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP), I have been trained on many different therapeutic techniques, and I create a treatment plan specific to the needs of each client. Many times, I include neurofeedback in the treatment plan because it can help the brain heal itself.

An ADHD brain simply works differently than the neurotypical brain, but that does not mean it is working incorrectly. In fact, many people with ADHD love how their brain works, and wouldn't want to change it. The ADHD brain simply needs to do things differently when it comes to executive functioning and daily activities. I have a lot of tips and tricks for ADHD, but I also utilize neurofeedback in the treatment plan because it helps to optimize the brain processes seamlessly.

CBT is one of the leading theoretical approaches because wishing to change is simply just that, a wish. We have to enact change in our thought processes and our behavior. Change happens in the consistency of repetition, and it is consistency that is the key. Whether it is catching that negative belief that creeps into our automtatic thoughts or adding a positive behavior to our routine, change is possible and achievable. We just have to keep working at it until the new becomes the norm.

Trauma doesn't always manifest into PTSD or C-PTSD, but that doesn't make it any less instrusive into our daily lives. How we think, how we act, how we choose is shaped by that traumatic expereince or multiple experiences. Trauma therapy can include Written Exposure Therapy, which has been tested on veterans and those in active service, CBT, CPT, Narrative therapy, and neurofeedback. Each client is different and the choice of treatment depends on what the client needs to heal the wounds.

The brain always wants to stay in comfort. Unfortunately, it also allows itself to perform automatic processes. What worked to comfort our brain as a child does not always stand up to the test of time. Neurofeedback gives the unconscious brain a mirror, which allows it to pay attention to itself and correct the processes that have become uncomfortable. It is especially helpful in correcting the ways it processes information, such as executive functioning processes and fight/flight issues.

Anxiety is a part of everyone because it helps keep us alive by knowing when there is a threat nearby. However when it becomes overactive, we have to find the cause of the overstimulation. The misinterpretation of a threat could come from a traumatic experience, a belief we built from an experience, a learned belief from our family origin, etc. Once we find the cause, I help my client to reprogram the amygdala, allowing the brain to accurately decipher a true threat.