Healing ADD
-
Upload
micaela-quevedo -
Category
Documents
-
view
222 -
download
0
Transcript of Healing ADD
8/12/2019 Healing ADD
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/healing-add 1/13
The Breakthrough Program
That Allows You to See
and Heal the Six Types of
Attention Deficit Disorder
Daniel G. Amen , M.D.
(, I' I 'l l I NA M' X SON S ■ NI 'W \ 0 H K
8/12/2019 Healing ADD
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/healing-add 2/13
The ADD Story 2 9
legislation. We are at least better at thinking about it and talking
about it. I alone lecture thirty to forty times a year to professionals.
Over the last ten years we have seen strong interest in the medical
and mental-health community to learn more about ADD and get
beyond the myths and the hype of ADD.
As far as excess television is concerned, the research is very clear:
Kids who watch the most TV do the worst in school. TV is a “no
brain” activity. Everything is provided for it (sounds, sights, plots,
outcome, entertainment), and the brain doesn’t have to learn or
make new connections. Like a muscle, the more you use your brain,
the stronger it becomes and the more it can do. The opposite is also
true: The less you work it, the weaker it becomes. Repeatedly en
gaging in “no brain” activities, such as TV, decreases a person’s abil
ity to focus. In addition, the pacing of TV has changed over the past
thirty years. Thirty years ago a thirty-second commercial had ten
three-second scenes. The same commercial in 2000 has thirty one-
second scenes. We are being programmed to need more stimulation
in order to pay attention.
Video games are another problem. I have seen that many ADD
children literally become addicted to playing video games. They
will play for hours at a time, to the detriment of their responsibili
ties, and go through tantrums and withdrawal symptoms when
forced to stop. A recent study on brain-imaging and video games
was published in the journal Nature. In the study, PET scans were
taken while a group of people played action video games. The re
searchers were trying to see where video games worked in the brain.
They discovered that the basal ganglia (where dopamine is pro
duced in the brain) were much more active when the video games
were being played than at rest. Both cocaine and Ritalin work in
(Ins part of the brain as well. The reason that cocaine is addictive
.ind Ritalin is not is related to how each drug is metabolized. Co-
( . l i n e h a s a powerful, immediate effect that stimulates an enormous
r e l e a s e o l i l i e neurotransmirter dopamine. The pleasure this brings
r a p i d l y lades, l e a v i n g t h e a d d i c t wanting m o r e . Ritalin, on the
o f l i er l i . i nd , w o r k s s l o w l y , i i k I i k m r , n o l n g l t o r p l e a s u r e f r o m t a k i n g
8/12/2019 Healing ADD
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/healing-add 3/13
C H A P T E R 6
Type 2:Inattentive
ADD
he second most common type of ADD
is Type 2: Inattentive ADD. Unfortu
nately, many of these people never get
diagnosed. Instead they are labeled slow, lazy,
spacey, or unmotivated. While Type 1 people
bring negative attention to themselves with
their hyperactivity, constant chatter, and
conflict-driven behavior, inattentive ADD
folks tend to be quiet and distracted. Rather
than cause problems in class, they are more
likely to daydream or look out the window.
They are not often impulsive and are less
likely to blurt out inappropriate things.
They are frequently thought of as couch potatoes who have trouble finding interest or
motivation in their lives. Girls seem to have
this type as much or more than boys.
As in Type 1 (Classic) ADD, dopamine is
generally considered the neurotransmitter
involved in inattentive ADD — although, in
this case, its imbalance is felt by another areaof the brain.
It cad the following lour examples of Type
The sufferer:
Is ea sily distracted
Has difficulty sustaining
his or her attention span
for most tasks in play,
school, or work
Has trouble listening
wh en others are talking
H as difficulty following
through
(procrastination) on
tasks or instructions
Has difficulty keepin g
an organized area (room,
desk, book bag, filingcabinet, locker, etc.)
Has trouble with time,
for example, frequently
late or hurried, tasks
take longer than
exp ected, projects or
homework are "last
minu te" or turned in late
Has a tend en cy to lose
things
Makes careless
mistakes, with poor
attention to detail
Is forgetful
Daydream s excessively
Com plains of bein g
bored
Appears apathetic or
unmotivated
Is tired, sluggish, orslow-moving
Is spacey or seems
preoccupied.
8/12/2019 Healing ADD
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/healing-add 4/13
21 0 Healing ADD
activity in the prefrontal cortex and temporal lobes. To run pro
grams effectively, you must first optimize the hardware— the brain.
But once a computer’s hardware is optimized, it still has program
ming needs. Many people with ADD, because of their hardware
(brain) problems, never fully loaded the programs (information)
they needed. Once the brain is optimized, it is important to input
strategies that help people with ADD be more effective in their
family, school, work, and social relationships.
In Chapter 2, we discussed how important it was to assess ADD
in a bio-psycho-social fashion. Treating ADD is best done in the
same way. It is essential to optimize the ADD brain (biology), themindset of an ADD person (psychology), and the interactions be
tween the ADD person and the world (social). Ignoring any of these
factors can cause treatment failure. Here is a brief summary of ADD
treatments. Many of them are expanded in subsequent chapters.
Effective ADD Treatment
k Biological
Psychological -------Social
8/12/2019 Healing ADD
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/healing-add 5/13
Enh ancing ADD Brain Function 21 5
requires three things: information, self-esteem, and a sense of con
trol. Education has a powerful effect on each of those three criteria,
and obtaining accurate information is the critical first step.
Correcting Automatic Negative Thoughts
Negativity is one of the hallmark features of ADD. As Eve said,
many people with ADD use negative thoughts as a form o f self
stimulation, but this habit predisposes them to depression and iso
lation. In Chapter 24, I will teach you how to identify and rid
yourself of the negative thoughts (I call them ANTs— automatic
negative thoughts) that invade your life.
Targeted Psychotherapy
For many people with ADD, there are a number of psychological is
sues that need to be addressed. Without the proper biological treat
ment, psychotherapy can be a fruitless and frustrating experience
for both the therapist and the patient. I have consulted with many
ADD patients who have been in psychotherapy for years without
much benefit. When they were placed on the right medication or
supplements and diet, however, psychotherapy brought about dra
matic improvement in just several weeks. I am not dismissing psy
chotherapy as a necessary component of treatment for children,
teens, and adults with ADD. It is often very helpful. It does, how
ever, need to be in combination with the right biological treatment.
The following are some psychotherapy themes that are essential in
dealing with the ADD patient.
Breaking Up Erroneous Belief Patterns
Many people with ADD may have erroneous, negative beliefs that
sabotage their chances for success in the present. For example, they
may believe that they'll fail in school (because that was their expe-
rien<e before they were treated), so they will not try. Or they may
believe ili.it rhey are doomed to have poor relationships (again, be-
c.uise i Ii.ii was i licit c x p e n c m c before I real i n c n l ), so they will en-
g.ii'c in f l i c s.ii nc l e p e l i f i v e l > c h . i v i n i \ ill,II i mp a i r I hc i r ab i 1it y to
8/12/2019 Healing ADD
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/healing-add 6/13
2 2 4 Healing ADD
concentration. Especially for people with ADD, the solution is a
higher-protein, lower-carbohydrate diet.” A better breakfast for the
group would have been cheeses, hard-boiled eggs, or whole-grain
bagels with cream cheese. I finished my lecture by saying, “If youwant ro concentrate this afternoon and have good energy until din
nertime, have no simple carbohydrates at lunch. No bread, no pasta,
no potatoes, no rice, and no sugar. Have something like a stir fry
withour the rice, a Cobb salad, or a cheeseburger without the bun.”
Many people who took my suggestions about lunch came up to me at
the end of the day saying how amazed they were by their energy and
concentration.Dietary interventions are important in treating all types of ADD.
Food can be used like medicine. It can have a powerfully positive ef
fect on cognition, feelings, and behavior, but ir can have a negative
effect as well. In fact, the right diet can decrease the amount of med
ication needed. However, the wrong diet will do the opposite. In
1992, Joseph Egger reported in the British medical journal Lancet
that 116 of 185 hyperactive children had a positive response to a
low-allergen diet (higher in protein and lower in simple carbohy
drates) supplemented by calcium, zinc, magnesium, and vitamins.
Over and over in my clinical practice I have found that diet matters.
When I can convince my patients to eat this way, they notice
better mood stability, better focus, less distractibility, more mental
stamina, and less drowsiness in the late morning and midafternoon.
Here are strategies geared toward using food as a positive force in
ADD treatment.
A D D F O O D I N T E R V E N T I O N S
For the purpose of creating an ADD-friendly diet, we’ll divide food
into four groups: water, protein, carbohydrates, and fat.
Water
T h e h u m a n b o d y is t w o t h i r d s w a t er . W a t e r is a n e s s e n tia l p a n o l
e v e r y f u n c t i o n i n r h e b o d y , i ni l u l l i n g b r a i n b l o o d l lo w . u ul <e l !
8/12/2019 Healing ADD
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/healing-add 7/13
2 2 8 Healing ADD
chain omega-3 fatty acid known as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
This particular essential fatty acid must be part of your diet and is
required, not for only maintaining healthy nerve synapses, but also
for the development of new brain pathways. It has been shown inrodent studies that diets high in DHA increase the levels of both
dopamine and serotonin in the frontal cortex.
H E A L T H I E S T F O R M S O F F A T S
Olive oil
Canola oil
Grapeseed oilAvocados
Nuts, such as Brazil nuts, macadamia nuts, almonds, cashews, and
pistachios
Fish oil
In using food as medicine, it is important to maintain a propet
balance between proteins, carbohydrates, and fat. Many people withADD have too many simple carbohydrates in their diet. Not only
does this aggravate ADD symptoms, it upsets the body’s metabolic
balance.
All ADD types, except Type 3 (Overfocused) ADD, do better on
a higher-protein, lower-carbohydrate diet. That’s the exact opposite
of the way that most people eat.
S I M P L E S T E P S T O AD D D I E T A R Y S U C C E S S
1. Eat three meals a day and one or two snacks. Breakfast is im
portant. It gives fuel for the morning and increases metabolism
and blood flow. Make sure there is some form of protein in the
morning (such as lean meat, cheese, cottage cheese, eggs, nuts, or
ptotein powder). Snacks are also important to help maintaingood energy and concentration.
2 . Eat protein at each meal. ( A s w e h a v e s ee n p r o t e i n is lo i m d in
m e a t , e g g s , c h ee s e, m i ls , a n d b e a n s . ) P r o t e i n c o n t a i n s i l ic a m m o
8/12/2019 Healing ADD
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/healing-add 8/13
Self-Hypnotic Reprogramming for Su cces s 3 6 3
ported; some people prefer to lie flat, perhaps w ith som eth in g sup-
po rtin g th e knees and under th e head. If you find th at you tend to
go to sleep while listening ro the tape, then it is probably better to
sit up— and if you still fall asleep, sit in a straigh tback ed chair. The
actual script to read into the tape recorder is in boldface type.
S T E P O NE : E N T E R I N G T H E D E E P L Y R E L A X E D ,
S E L F - H Y P N O T I C S T A T E
H ello , [pu t in your name}. . . . W e are h er e to c lear y ou r m in d ,
r e la x your s oul, b r e a k t h ro ug h o ld ba r r ie r s , a nd p rog ra m s uc -
cess. Pick a spot on the wall a l i t t le above your eye level and
stare at it. [You may find it helpful to put a little thumbtack there
to look at.] As you focus on th is spo t , be co m e a w are o f the fact
tha t the re 's no o ther p lace tha t you need to go a t th i s m om ent ,
no th ing e l se tha t you need to do , and no problem tha t you
need to so lve r igh t now. T here fo re , you can g ive yourse l f p e r-
m iss ion to relax. C on t inu e to look a t tha t po int , and as you do,
I am going to begin to count , s lowly, f rom one to twenty.
As I co un t , say the n u m b er to yourse l f , si lent ly , in your
m ind . You may f ind i t he lpfu l to p ic ture each nu m be r as you
count i t .
[Leave a couple of seconds between each number.]
O n e . . . tw o . . . th re e . . . fo u r . . . five . . . six . . .
N o tice yo ur eyelids b e g in n in g to feel heav ier and heavie r. . . .
Seven . . . e ig h t . . . n in e . . . te n . . . e le ven . . . tw e lv e . . .
N o tic e h o w th a t sp o t in th e d is ta n c e is fad in g o u t o f focus
and yo ur eyelids are feel ing s ti l l hea vier an d heavier. . . .
13 . . . 14 . . . 15 . . . 16 . . . 17 . . . 18 . . .
Your eyelids are feel ing so heavy, they feel as though they
really want to close.
19 . . . 20 . . .
lak e a deep b reath in . . . an d as you let tha t bre ath ou t , let
v o u r e y e l i d s s l o w l y ( l os e .
| S i >i i ii - | ><o | i | ( m i . i v ,n I I I . i l l y 111 i d i l l . I I l l i i y r r l . i \ m i i n i l I I l e y l e . i v e
8/12/2019 Healing ADD
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/healing-add 9/13
3 6 4 Healing ADD
their eyes open through the entire experience. If you choose ro do
this, simply keep them focused on that spot and don’t be concerned
that your eyes stay open in spite of your voice saying they are
growing heavier. After a while, you may find that your eyelids will prefer to close.]
In a moment, I’m going to ask you to take three deep
breaths, and with each breath in, feel relaxation flowing in
like pure, white light. And with each breathing out, let your-
self feel the feeling of letting go. "With each breath in, say,
silently, to yourself, “With each breath in, I breathe in relax-
ation,” and with each breath out, say the words “With each
breath out, I let my body breathe out all tension and all the
things that may interfere with my becoming totally relaxed
and comfortable.”
Now take a deep breath in, repeating to yourself, “With
each breath in, I breathe in relaxation.”
And as you let this breath out, repeat, internally to yourself,
“With each breath out, I let my body breathe out all tension
and all the things that may interfere with my becoming totally
relaxed and comfortable.”
[Take a few slow, deep breaths in and out, and get a sense of the
speed with which you will need to read these words to yourself.]
Now take another deep breath in, feeling the coolness of
the air as it enters through your nostrils, and repeat silently,
“With each breath in, I breathe in relaxation.”
And as you let this breath out, let it be a feeling of letting
go, and repeat, “With each breath out, I let my body breathe
out all tension and all the things that may interfere with my
becoming totally relaxed and comfortable.”
Now take a deep breath in, repeating to yourself, “With
each breath in, I breathe in relaxation.” As you let it out, imagine you are a balloon letting out all the air, becoming
completely flat and relaxed, and say to yourself, “With each
breath out, 1 let my body breathe out all tension and all the
8/12/2019 Healing ADD
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/healing-add 10/13
Self-Hypnotic Reprogramming for Success 3 6 5
things that may interfere with my becoming totally relaxed
and comfortable.”
Now let the air do the breathing for you, just as it does
when you’re asleep at night, and feel how your chest and ab-
domen gently rise and fall with each breath, letting each
breath continue to relax you from head to toe.
Now, as your body continues to relax, close your eyes really
tight, as though you were trying to keep soap out of them.
Hold them tense for just a few seconds, and feel the tension in
your eyelids.
Now, slowly let the muscles of your eyelids relax . . . re-
lax . . . more and more relaxed with each breath. [Five second
pause]
Notice how much your eyelids have relaxed already. They
will continue to relax. And perhaps you will notice your eyes
gently rolling upward behind your eyelids, and your eyelids
feeling so relaxed, they just don’t want to open at all. Now, as
your eyelids become more and more relaxed, imagine ripples
of relaxation flowing outward from your eyelids, like ripples flowing outward from a stone thrown into the water . . . flow-
ing into your forehead . . . through all the muscles of your
face . . . relaxing your jaw muscles and your lips . . . and flow-
ing down through your neck and into your shoulders. Feel
your shoulders releasing any tension; you may even feel them
lower just a tiny little bit as the muscles relax.
Now feel the relaxation flowing down through your shoul-ders and your arms . . . flowing throu gh your chest and
through all the rest of your body. With each rising and falling
of your chest and abdomen, your chest becomes more relaxed
and all your internal organs are becoming more relaxed. Feel
that relaxation flowing through your pelvis, relaxing all your
pelvic organs . . . and flowing down through your thighs and
your knees . . . your legs and your ankles and your leet . . . all
ilie way down io the lips ol your loes. Imagine your body is
8/12/2019 Healing ADD
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/healing-add 11/13
36 8 Healing ADD
[After you have completed your description of your haven, your
special place, say:]
As you listen to the rest of this tape, imagine yourself
spending time in your haven, perhaps walking about, explor-
ing it, enjoying it in any way that you wish.
[These first few steps should take about five ro ten minutes. Af
ter you have finished with these initial sreps, read rhe following af
firmation phrases into your tape recorder, modifying them to better
suit your situation or that of your child. Read them slowly and
clearly, with a firm feeling of certainty: Read it with a voice that
sounds as though you truly believe it, whether you do or not at thismoment in time. Soon you will begin to believe it, and as you be
lieve it, it will happen!]
S T E P T W O : G I V I N G Y O U R S E L F P O S I T I V E
A F F I R M A T I O N S
With each breath in, breathe in warmth and relaxation . . . and with each breath out, release all the t ens ions and worries
that disrupt life. Say to yourself:
“Day by day, I’m feeling better and better in every way. I’m
feeling more control in my life.
• I have clear goals for my relationships: to develop and nur-
ture kind, caring, loving relationships.• I have clear goals for my work (or school): to do the best I
can every day.
• I have clear goals for my physical health and mental health:
always to do things to keep my body and my mind healthy.
• I focus energy every day on accomplishing my goals.
I expect to succeed in whatever I do. I am able to see myself
succeeding at tasks before 1 start them . In this way, 1 program
myself for success . . . and I see success. I understand lhai su c-
cessful people someiimes make mistakes and have failures
8/12/2019 Healing ADD
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/healing-add 12/13
Self-Hypnotic Reprogramming for Succe ss 3 6 9
along the way. I do not expect perfection, but I learn from
each mistake.
Every day, in every way, I am becoming the best person I
can be. I learn from others. By learning from others, I expand my horizons on a daily basis.
I prepare carefully for each of my tasks and projects. I set
myself up to win and I have let go o f the old pattern of putting
off tasks and thereby setting up failure. Every day I’m becom-
ing more and more organized. . . . Organization is becoming a
vital part of my nature. I realize that when I put something in
its right place in the beginning, I am more likely to find it
when I need it.
Every day I am becoming more focused, more alert, more
wide awake and more filled with energy. Every day I’m be-
com ing m ore interested in what I am doing, in whatever is go-
ing on around me, and the people around me. I work smart as
well as hard, focusing my energy on the goals I have set for
myself.
I am more flexible . . . more adaptable . . . more willing and
able to change as needed. At the same time, I am more disci-
plined . . . more thoughtful.
My environm ent m atters. . . . I will seek to be a positive
force in my environment everyday. I surround myself with
positive people, and people who believe in me. Similarly, I am
more positive with those around me. I can step outside myself
and understand the feelings of others, and I see things from
their perspective as well as my own. I am free of fear of com-
petition with o thers. I feel wonderful when I w in; when I do
not win, I learn. Competition spurs me on to be as good as I
can be.
More and more, I accept myself as I am and I accept others
as they are. . . . 1 accept things as they are, not as I think they
should be. 1 com prom ise when it is necessary. 1 eliminate the
ANTs ;iiul thoughts whenever they enter my mind. I own
m e , .uul I a m id lonlrol ol m e . . .uul I live with (lie i n n e r
8/12/2019 Healing ADD
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/healing-add 13/13
Self-Hypnotic Reprogramm ing for Su cces s 3 71
Four, three . . .
Bringing the feelings of energy and relaxation with you as
you come up . . . filled with energy and ready to do whatever
you want to do next.
Two, one, zero.
Take a deep breath in. As you let it out, let your eyelids
open and think to yourself, wide awake . . .
Feel your body beginning to stretch and move.
Now get up and walk around the room, and make sure
you're fully wide awake before you do anything else.
The total rime of the tape will be from fifteen to thirty minutes, de
pending on the pace of your voice, images, etc.
Now that you have made the tape for yourself or your child, lis
ten to it once every day. This is important: The first few times you
will find out how your body will react to the relaxation. Some
people become so relaxed that they doze off to sleep for a bit. If that
happens to you, great! Listen to the tape before you go to bed, or
when you can catch a nap. Some people find that it takes them a
while to be fully with it; they remain very relaxed for several min
utes afterward, as if they were waking up from sleep. If the tape af
fects you that way, you want to make sure that you’re clearly awake
before you do anything that requires full concentration, like driving
a car. Others can listen to the tape anytime, anywhere, and feel a re
laxed energy flow through their bodies.
The most important thing is that you listen to your tape every
day. You can change the content of the tape in any way that you
think will be beneficial to you. This is your rape. Use ir ro
strengthen your life.
Information on other self-hypnosis cassettes tan be lound at our
Weh site at ii'icit'.tiHicnt/iiin.ioiii or on Dr. Miller’s Well sue .it
i c l t ’t r . /