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Kathy is the author of this essay. Both Kathy and her son, Josh, recently completed the Brain Highways pons class. Here, Kathy writes about both of their lives before they started to change their brains, and then what specific changes happened to each of them over the past eight weeks.
Before starting the Brain Highways pons class:
Josh will not try new foods.
He is not very verbal, and he will only use simple sentences when asked to describe something.
He is fearful of new experiences and especially afraid of elevators and heights.
He struggles to stay focused and sit still.
He cannot express himself through writing.
He has very little self-confidence.
After the first pons class
Josh articulates his thoughts on the 40-minute drive home. He notices lights blinking off and on in a pattern on a store front and describes it in detail. He uses the word spat correctly in a sentence, which he has never done before.
After Week 2
Josh volunteers at dinner to try salad with ranch dressing. Before this, it was a fight for him to eat or try vegetables due to their taste and texture.
After Week 4
Josh is able to focus and sit still for a longer period of time. He is not restless like before.
After Week 5
Josh notices the freedom that new highways have given him. He feels calmer inside and has a better sense of where he is on the field when playing soccer. He is very motivated to continue creeping since he sees the personal gain for himself.
After Week 6
Josh articulates his needs and feelings. He never before would start a sentence with “I feel . . . ” since he could not articulate what it was he felt.
After Week 7
Josh is taking care of business (a way of communicating his needs and acknowledging others’ needs) all the time and gaining confidence.
After Week 8
Josh conquers his fear of elevators, glass elevators and heights all in the same day! What a champion!
KATHY (MOM)
Before starting the Brain Highways pons class:
I have trouble concentrating and focusing or will hyper-focus and forget about everything else. I struggle to find the exact words I want to say, or a similar word comes out instead, which always leads to embarrassment or laughter!
I have moments of distorted fears like claustrophobia over the past few years, and I do not like the feeling of my hair lightly touching my face.
I struggle to stay focused and sit still. I can only focus if I sit sideways in a chair and in the front row. I always feel like there is a wheel turning inside. I feel anxious and uneasy, like having pent up energy similar to a shaken-up soda can ready to explode. My friends call me effervescent because I am like a bubbling soda can.
I think I am hard of hearing because I constantly ask people to repeat what they said.
I always have to have sound around me to feel comforted. I dislike quiet. So if I am alone, I must have the TV on or a radio playing.
I have picked at my fingernails and cuticles all my life. Having long nails “bothers” me.
I am diagnosed with adult ADD and have been medicated for the past 10 years. I wear bifocals.
After Week 1
I begin to feel and notice changes immediately. I notice my glasses are actually bothering me, and I can see better without them. I feel calmer inside. I find my ADD medications are working against me, so I begin a process to eliminate them.
After Week 2
I start to notice I don’t want the radio on if I am riding alone in the car and actually enjoy the quiet. I no longer have a need for background noise.
After Week 3
I notice I am no longer picking or biting my nails. The strange part is that I don’t feel driven to pick at them. In fact my nails begin to grow very long, and I don’t even notice. The turning wheel inside me disappeared after the first week but I only notice it at the third week when my nails are getting LONG!
After Week 4
I have been able to concentrate more, think more clearly and focus for longer periods of time. The inner peace has allowed me to be more creative and to solve problems quicker and more efficiently. I feel more articulate when writing. My thoughts are more organized.
After Week 5
I have noticed physical changes in my body and continue on a path to eliminate medications with medical help. I have an appointment with the eye doctor, as well, since I feel like my eyesight has changed for the better. I am able to memorize facts faster and with less effort.
After Week 6
I find myself taking on tasks that I had avoided for years, such as cleaning out old boxes in the garage. I am able to access situations and make a decision quickly without self-doubt. I have more confidence. My thoughts are no longer fuzzy, but clear. I notice it has been weeks since I have asked someone to repeat what they said since I didn’t hear them. I do find myself asking my son to wait to interrupt me so I can complete a task.
After Week 7
I am feeling more confident in parenting. I have had no episodes of claustrophobia in weeks. I have long nails and don’t find my thoughts wandering at seminars.
After Week 8
I notice I feel at peace in my own skin. I truly feel like a champion.
I never would have believed it, but Brain Highways has given me my life back! And my pons is not even 100% developed yet (let alone my midbrain).
I recently had some health setbacks that delayed progress with my brain organization, but I continue with each new day knowing once I have completed the work, I will be that much better off.
I am sincerely grateful that I’ve had an opportunity to organize my brain and to facilitate my son’s brain organization. I truly believe everyone can benefit from this class.