Dr. Jolene Ross’ Neurotherapy

Successfully Treating Mental Afflictions

By Susie Davidson

Advocate Correspondent

Behavioral and developmental difficulties seem to afflict increasing numbers of children these days. Adults can also suffer from myriad mental conditions as well, which can include depression, anxiety, cerebral palsy and other problems related to birth, Asperger’s syndrome, autism, insomnia, memory loss, epilepsy, closed head injury (even if the damage occurred decades earlier), Tourette’s syndrome, and/or sleep disorders. Others, including seniors, who may have undergone coronary bypass surgery or experienced strokes, can be left with compromised mobility or losses in mental or physical function.

Dr. Jolene Ross, Director of Advanced Neurotherapy in Wellesley, utilizes an innovative approach called neurotherapy, by which these often heartbreaking, always challenging disorders can be successfully treated. Neurotherapy, also referred to as EEG (Electro-Encephalo-Graphic) Biofeedback, was pioneered by, among others, Barry Sterman, Ph.D., professor of neurobiology and bio-behavioral psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine. “Sterman experimented with a kind of beta wave called sensory motor rhythm,” Ross explained, “which he used to treat epilepsy. One of Sterman's researchers, Joel Lubar, Ph.D., of the University of Tennessee, noticed that hyperactivity decreased in patients receiving this treatment for epilepsy and, based on this, he created the protocol now used for treatment of ADD.” In many cases, neurotherapy, a sort of aerobics for the brain, has effected great progress in overcoming many of the above conditions, in some instances eliminating the need for drugs.

“Neurotherapy is bringing hope to patients of all ages and all walks of life,” continued Ross, who, along with her husband Jim and her three children, is a member of Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley, where her youngest son celebrated his Bar Mitzvah last spring. Her oldest daughter, who was co-president of her youth group and a teaching assistant at Beth Elohim, traveled to Israel with the Temple the summer after her sophomore high school year. Her second daughter, a high school student, is currently a teaching assistant at Temple Beth Elohim.

“Patients may be looking for an alternative to traditional medical approaches, they may be discouraged by the side effects of prescribed drug therapies, or they may just be frustrated with years of searching for help when there doesn't seem to be any,” she said.

Some have, indeed, called her approach a “miraculous” cure for students with behavioral problems, developmental delay, ADD or reading difficulties. Neurotherapy is quickly and definitively proving to be an effective short-term treatment for many afflictions. However, although it can improve brain function and alleviate the symptoms found in a variety of disorders, it cannot be considered a cure, according to Ross.

The technique essentially utilizes a new type of computerized biofeedback. “Tailored to each individual,” said Ross. “It is pain-free and non-invasive, intervening in the realm of frequency — the rate at which electrical charges move through brain cells.” The sessions can be compared to playing computer games, where every move is made by the brain. In neurotherapy, brain waves are “mapped” and analyzed to pinpoint deviations from the norm. The overall goal is to stabilize the brain.

"We commonly conduct neurotherapy training sessions while the client is reading," Dr. Ross said. "Over a number of sessions, clients who formerly hated reading and only read under duress become avid readers. One parent reported wrestling a book out of her child's hands long past bedtime. Another one of these children read many more books than required for summer reading."

Dozens of clinical studies have attested to the effectiveness of neurotherapy. For those who feel overwhelmed or held captive by their conditions, Dr. Ross can be of great help in restoring and/or maintaining control.