A new perspective on ADD/ADHD

ADD/ADHD symptoms arise when a stressor or trauma takes place as these precious neuropathways are forming.

by Jasmine Nordman — 

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a misnomer. People who have been labeled with ADD/ADHD do not lack the ability to pay attention; in fact, they are actually paying attention to everything.

We are born with a Gestalt dominant brain, ready to take it all in. The Gestalt’s job is to see the big picture — to “non-filter.” As infants, we do not know what could be important to our survival, so we attune to the world at large. Around the age of two (as any parent of a toddler who has just answered the 700th “why” question can attest), our logic hemisphere begins to bloom.

The logic hemisphere’s job is to filter information and begin to discern when it is important to pay attention to the details. It is here where we begin to subconsciously make choices — should I pay attention to everything in my environment right now, or is it more beneficial for me to focus on this one thing?

ADD/ADHD symptoms arise when a stressor or trauma takes place as these precious neuropathways are forming. Energy and blood flow is redirected away from its construction and into the body to ready for a fight-or-flight response. By the time the attention has returned to the pathway, its route has been changed and is no longer an efficient “point A to point B” circuit. Under great stress, the neuropathway may be abandoned altogether, and that point of access is completely shut off.

If access to or within the logic hemisphere is limited or blocked, we are left with our Gestalt brains in charge. Since the Gestalt’s function is to non-filter, the individual presents with an inability to focus on any one thing and continues to process “the big picture” at all times — making it very difficult to tune in to one set of instructions, a conversation or math problem.

Brain Integration Technique (BIT), developed by Susan McCrossin, is a research-based, noninvasive therapy that improves the flow of information to the brain. Using principles based on acupressure and applied physiology, BIT changes the electromagnetic flow of information, improving brain function without medications — permanently.

During the research and development of this technique, McCrossin used Steady State Visual Evoked Potential (SSVEP) maps at Swinburne University in Melbourne, Australia to monitor pre- and post-BIT brain activity. These results suggested that after receiving BIT treatment, 100 percent of the test subjects who were previously diagnosed with learning disabilities showed an increase in cortical brain activity that is consistent with increased attention and decision-making capabilities. McCrossin states in her book, Breaking the Learning Barrier, Eradicating ADD, ADHD and Dyslexia, “The patterns of cortical activity, as measured by SSVEP mapping, changed from patterns typical of ADD individuals to patterns normally seen in subjects without ADD performing similar tasks.”

This protocol allows a practitioner to find the imbalanced and closed neuropathways within the brain by using muscle monitoring as a biofeedback mechanism. Once these neuropathways are reopened and connected as they were meant to be, full access and function within both brain hemispheres are achieved. This allows individuals to utilize the function of information filtering within the logic hemisphere and finally to be able to focus attention, which will allow them to become more successful.

Jasmine Nordman, B.A.Ed. is a Certified Brain Integration practitioner, elementary education teacher and partner at Northern Arizona Brain Integration, LLC in Prescott, Ariz. www.nazbrainintegration.com.

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 30, Number 5, Oct/Nov 2011.