cognition

Conditions such as ADHD and anxiety can have a huge impact on the quality of life of not only the person affected, but also of the family members who struggle to help their loved one achieve a measure of calm and emotional self-regulation in their lives. There are numerous factors that impact brain health and our ability to function optimally in our daily lives. The foods we eat, the amount of water we consume, and the quality of our sleep can have a profound impact on mood and overall health.

Our cognitive functioning is also affected by our environment, life experiences and genetics. Trauma has a significant impact on cognitive function, and according to the National Council for Behavioral Health, “Seventy percent of adults in the U.S. have experienced some type of traumatic event at least once in their lives.”

Polara Health’s Cognitive Function Development (CFD) therapists work one on one with clients to increase brain function and help clients improve their overall quality of life by identifying and targeting specific areas of the brain to strengthen. Whether clients need help improving their focus and attention, bolstering their memory systems or developing their executive functioning – which helps regulate decision-making and impulse control – CFD therapy can help clients achieve improved brain functioning.

Talking about client challenges, feelings and traumatic experiences is not the principal focus of cognitive function development therapy. Rather, the life-changing results of CFD are realized by directly and indirectly addressing the neurological basis of the client’s condition.

CFD therapy’s individualized approach to working with clients – by exercising the brain through a wide variety of activities – has shown to have had a profound, positive effect by helping clients address conditions such as ADHD, anxiety, depression, trauma, PTSD and substance use disorder.

Clients typically report an improved quality of life and a reduction of the symptoms that originally brought them to the CFD therapy program. An appreciative parent of a CFD therapy client writes, “Even though we had already tried many different types of therapy to support our son’s needs…we were intrigued by your cutting-edge approach to deal with the cognitive functioning of the brain. We were hopeful that by developing his cognitive functioning it would improve his ability to self-regulate his emotions, process old and new information, and appropriately interact with others. Now, here we are three months later, and…your program significantly changed our son. He’s now able to self-regulate, articulate his feelings and has had greater success in school, peer relationships and family life. Your program was a critical part of our son’s extraordinary progress.”

Interested in learning more about CFD therapy? Polara Health will be hosting a free informational webinar in August, date TBD. Watch our website for more information at polarahealth.com. This webinar will be geared toward parents of children with ADHD and anxiety; however, it will be enlightening to anyone interested learning more about improving cognitive function. QCBN

By Brian Beyst, MCFDT

Brian Beyst, MCFDT, is the executive director of the Cognitive Function Development Institute and a consultant for Polara Health.