Biofeedback and Diagnosis: MindF**K

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So I went to a place for Biofeedback. By the way, there are apparently at least two kinds. One uses EEG (also called neurfeedback) and the other HEG. HEG measures the amount of blood that goes to a particular region of the brain when you use it, and EEG measures wavelengths (alpha, beta, theta, and delta). I wasn't sure which one to do, because they both claim to be usefull for my situation. I finally decided on HEG, because they only make you pay one session at a time and they help you apply for preapproval to your insurance company. My health insurance pays for biofeedback.

So, the first stop is to meet with the doctor who can prescribe biofeedback. SHeessh! He's a toxicologist. OK. Whatever. So I do the intake and tell him all the reasons I believe I have Aspergers (as early as grade school I remember trying to figure out what people are doing in "conversation," What is it, how do they do it? I had a "party" once and just told a few people I was having one, but nobody came. I was so ashamed. I didn't know you had to actually invite them. In college I would go weeks without talking to anyone except for answering in class and like the person I bought a soda from. I'm a technical writer for an engineering firm. I don't have any regular friends, just people I have relationships with in structured ways, like I have roommates, people who practice at the Zen center with me, people I talk to in something like a Codependents anonymous meeting, online....). So the Toxicologist buys it.

Then the Ph.D. person, who is to administer the biofeedback, comes in and asks me some questions about my parents. I tell him that my mother had cancer when she was pregnant with me and died when I was 8 and my father left me when I was 3. He then asks me to tell him what his expression is on his face. I say he looks sad. So he says, "No, you don't have Asperger's because you can read the emotion on my face. What you are experiencing is that you do not trust anyone to make and maintain friendships with because of your traumatic early losses. The only cure for this situation is to find someone who will truely love you." He says he can use biofeedback to treat my insomnia, but I'm on my own with the other. (By the way, the machine that is used to treat Aspergers (because they target different areas of the brain for different conditions) is out of commission and he's trying to get it to work. It's old.)

The other place, the Drake Institute, does neurofeedback, a subset of biofeedback and they do a brain mapping before they decide how to treat. I actually mainly want them to treat me for Insomnia, so I'm fine with that. And since Delta waves are the sleep waves, maybe they can tell me if mine are out of balance, but how they do this when I'm awake during the day is beyond me. Also, the Drake Institute wants $8,520 right up front and a commitment to do 42 sessions (About 3 times a week for 14 weeks) up front, and they won't do an evaluation first to get preapproval from my insurance company.

Sounds like either a racket, ineptness, a combination of the two, or maybe they need somebody who is smart enough, like somebody with ASPERGER'S, to figure out how to run their intake.

Any thoughts or opinions on this? What do you think of each of these outfits? Has anyone ever tried either of these modalities? Does it sound to you like I have Asperger's or a "trust" problem"? (Ask a question if you need to know more.) Are there people out there who have been officially diagnosed who can read emotions on peoples faces? My theory, is that it's not that we CAN'T, it's that we DON'T because it doesn't occur to us or we find it to be too much, but if I look in a face, I pretty much know what they are feeling, I think. Is that how you see it? If not, how?

So, I'm thinking I may go to one of these guys if insurance pays, but for the insomnia only. What a keystone cops affair.

A racket is right...

There are GOOD neurofeedback therapists, and BAD ones, just like with anything else. A few of my clients (three ADDs, two Aspies and one bi-polar) have done neurofeedback, and they all reported that it helped them with attention deficit and behavior management (staying calm and less anxious).

I have one good neurofeedback person I refer to, but she is retiring, and I can't find anyone else I like. In fact, I'm thinking about getting the training myself so I can offer it to clients who want to try it. She is a PhD and charges about $160 a session, with no minimum, and I'm in the Bay Area, CA, where prices are much higher than elsewhere. This guy is asking $200 a session with a HUGE minimum number of sessions. I guess if insurance pays, that's a great way to make a living.

As to whether or not you have AS -- don't let some dimwit decide this for you. Social recognition is only one of the criteria, and it varies drastically from person to person. Some Aspies are very good at reading emotions, either naturally or from having learned to do so.

Good luck!

Any 'treatment' center that will not perform an evaluation to see if you even need the 'treatment' before you commit to it (and it's exhorbitant costs) is trying to scam you.

It's like an apartment manager expecting you to sign a one-year lease and fork over the 12 month's rent (plus deposit) before allowing you to even look inside the apartment.

Biofeedback is still in infancy. It is not to say that there isn't something to it but they are taking the bio-analysis that isn't fully understood and then trying to alter it to a state that isn't fully understood. Personally I'd do the EGG just for the analysis to start with than see what I learn from that. You can actually build your own:

http://openeeg.sourceforge.net/doc/

Of course can guarantee good calibration but beggars can't be choosers.

Are you a therapist for people with Asperger's? Do you know anyone in the LA area who I might get a proper diagnosis from?

Also, I'm thinking if I can figure out if one of these modalities is good for me and my insurance will pay, I'll do it even if they are ***holes. I know someone in Princeton, Les Fehmi, who I would trust to carry my first born through a dangerous flood, and he does neurofeedback. I don't know if he does "mindmapping" though, the form of assessment that Drake does, but you pay for the assessment and the mindmapping along with the sessions, (so the cost is actually $1600 for the assessment and mindmapping, plus $164 for each of the 42 sessions you're committed to, and you pay it all upfront from day 1=$8520.)

It works both ways. There was a guy that wouldn't tell me what the hell he did unless I went to see him for a consultation, I didn't bother. This was at quite a well know place and he used to be phych at hospital near to me, so it not just in back alleys.

Whenever I hear phrases like love and trust, I know I'm talking to a con artist.

Ok these people suck ass. I wouldn't even trust them to keep an eye on my 23 year old NT sister. They obviously don't know what they are doing. So because you can read the expression of sadness on his face (which most aspies can do because sad is such a simple emotion) that automatically means you don't have AS? These people are not professionals at all. They just want your money.

I'm a counselor (masters in counseling psych) working with Aspies ages 14 through adult. I'm not in LA, but what I'd recommend is either contacting the Autism clinic at UCLA (they only work with kids, but probably have some good local references) or I'd contact a local neuropsychologist (google los angeles neuropsychologist), or contact Autism Therapies and ask for a referral for an adult (they may take you, not sure).

Make sure you feel comfortable with whomever you select, and make sure that they work either primarily or regularly with ASDs. People who don't work with Aspies regularly probably shouldn't be diagnosing ASDs.

RE: Drake, I'm always a little leery about medical practitioners who pepper their websites with newsclippings. There's a lot of buzz on this website, not to say it isn't an effective program, but I would want to talk to several of the clients before I would recommended it.

Remember also that a diagnosis is just a thing. Unless you are trying to secure benefits, all it will tell you is pretty much what you already know -- that you have some difficulties in certain areas. I don't have a diagnosis, but definitely have many attention deficit and depressive traits, but I'm neither ADD nor bi-polar. I just work on the issues I have...

Best of luck!