by Mary-Elizabeth Schurrer 

If you have experienced a surge in mental duress over the course of 2020, you are not alone—nor must you bear the weight of this tension alone either. Stress, anxiety, depression, trauma and other psychological issues can leave deep-rooted imprints on both your brain function and quality of life, but those effects do not have to be permanent.  

The brain is a complex organ that can be rewired through the formation of healthier and stronger neural pathways which, in turn, leads to more resilience, focus, stress management, recall, mood state, emotional intelligence and ability to cope. But how do you harness these positive changes exactly? The Brain Wave Center has you covered.  

In the following Q&A discussion, I pick the brain (pun intended!) of Gregg Sledziewski, Executive Director of The Brain Wave Center to learn why this process of retraining the brain is so beneficial, which cognitive issues it can address, and what The Brain Wave Center has in store for Southwest Florida residents as these erratic times continue to unfold.           

Natural Awakenings: What new advancements can our local community expect from The Brain Wave Center in these coming months?   

Gregg Sledziewski: The Brain Wave Center is thrilled to announce that we are moving to a brand new location, still close to downtown Sarasota. Our new address will be at 640 South Washington Boulevard, and we will officially see clients there as of August 10.  

This new, easily accessible location has extensive free parking, and will be more special needs friendly than our previous location. In addition to following both the local and CDC safety mandates for COVID-19—masks, temperature readings, hand sanitizer and social distancing—we have taken other precautions too such as adding ozone and UVC light to our HVAC system, installing premium air filters and making sure the office environment is always clean.    

With this move, our clients can anticipate a continued expansion of the core programs we offer which include neurofeedback, psychotherapy, nutrition counseling and hypnotherapy, among others. We also plan to launch a medical division in order to create new platforms that can detect, evaluate and treat a full spectrum of brain-borne issues. Finally, we are in the process of establishing a center for the research and treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and we will partner with local clinicians and organizations to build a world-class center for holistic rejuvenation and healing that delivers “whole person” care. 

NA: Now could you elaborate further on some of these partnerships you have formed and the work you will be involved in as a result?   

Sledziewski: Integral to The Brain Wave Center is our continued mission to ensure that as many children as possible can access our services. With the help of our charity partners, if a family desires to utilize our treatment modalities but cannot pay the full expense, we are able to cover the additional costs beyond what this family can afford.  

Our charity partnerships are with The Child Protection Center, EasterSeals of Southwest Florida, The Haven, TideWell Hospice and Crystal Rischer, Licensed Master Social Worker. Below are direct quotes from these local partners which I share with their permission. 

“The Child Protection Center has utilized The Brain Wave Center’s services during the past six months for its leadership staff, and we have experienced remarkable results across our organization.”  

        — Doug Stanley, Executive Director, The Child Protection Center 

“EasterSeals of Southwest Florida is thankful to The Brain Wave Center for providing neurofeedback to children and families on the [autism] spectrum and with other learning challenges. The Brain Wave Center goes the extra mile, so that our children can improve their memories, focus, mental clarity and overall mood which helps them be more independent. We are honored to partner with The Brain Wave Center and offer neurofeedback to our clientele—from preschoolers all the way to adults living with disabilities.” 

         —Tom Waters, CEO, EasterSeals of Southwest Florida  

“Neurofeedback therapy has been a crucial addition The Haven’s programs. Our partnership with The Brain Wave Center has allowed our clients to experience a new form of therapy that focuses on the needs of each individual. After our preschool students with development disabilities participated in neurofeedback, they showed an increase in their attention levels. Our older students with Downs Syndrome were able to work on improving both memory and focus with neurofeedback too. The beauty of neurofeedback is that it can be utilized by people throughout their lifespans. The Haven is grateful for these services The Brain Wave Center continues to offer the disabilities community.” 

         —Brad Jones, President & CEO, The Haven 

“We are so excited to be able to offer this resource to some of the grieving children we work with at TideWell Hospice. I know it will be a much-needed addition to their treatment.”  

         —Danielle Visone, Family Grief Program Specialist, TideWell Hospice 

“For some of my clients, the Brain Map was the ‘key’ to awareness of the problems they were facing. Neurofeedback created a ‘new door,’ and the talk therapy allowed them to walk out of their old ways of doing life.” 

         —Crystal Rischer, MSW, LCSW 

NA: Incredible, thank you for sharing! One final question: How can your treatment modalities be useful to address the particular challenges of COVID-19?  

Sledziewski: For more than seven years, we have offered non-invasive and drug-free treatment options for a number of brain and mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, ADD/ADHD, autism, and trauma or PTSD. Our central modality is called qEEG Brain Map Guided Neurofeedback, and our main goal is to help our clients overcome their mental blocks in order to enjoy life. Not to mention, during this time of COVID-19, many of us need an extra push to defeat those anxieties and traumas which have come to the surface.   

To this end, we will introduce many exciting opportunities at The Brain Wave Center such as advanced testing for anxiety, ADD/ADHD and autism, as well as more comprehensive ways to treat these issues. We also have some research projects in the works including a study on the results of neurofeedback as a trauma intervention and the use of Microbaric oxygen for clients with ASD. In addition, we are collaborating with recent clients of ours who have finished their neurofeedback training on a project to ascertain how the pandemic has affected them since their last Brain Map session.    

The brain is connected to everything we do as humans, from exercising our bodies to driving a car to performing our jobs to studying a textbook. In fact, it even informs our emotions—whether we feel peace, joy, anger, fear, love or anything else in between. The brain is our most important organ, so we need it to function optimally, both in normal routines and times of high stress like the current reality we find ourselves in now.   

The Brain Wave Center’s forthcoming new location will be at 640 S Washington Blvd., Sarasota. To learn more about the treatment modalities and services offered, call 941-552-4500 or visit BrainWaveCenters.com. 

Mary-Elizabeth Schurrer is the Managing Editor of Natural Awakenings Sarasota–Manatee. She also works as a freelance writer, blogger and social media marketer. Her personal blog HealthBeAHippie.Wordpress.com features tips for embracing an active, nutritious, balanced and empowered lifestyle.