Recovering From Stroke: Neurofeedback, Vielight, and Hyperbaric Oxygen

A Letter From Sebern Fisher

At 4 in the morning on September 24th I had the first of a series of cerebellum strokes. This one - it was actually several - required two days in the hospital. During my first VNA PT visit after the hospital, I had the second series, much more extensive including a good deal of the right cerebellum, some of the vermis (the cerebellum’s central structure) and most likely some of the right side of my brainstem. I was in the hospital and then inpatient rehab center for three weeks. I came home in a wheelchair on October 17th. Strokes of the cerebellum are rare, less than 2-3% of all incidents and they are typically among the most devastating, causing ataxia and chronic pain. I have had neither of these and my doctors have described my situation as a medical miracle. They all agree with me - this was neurofeedback. Unfortunately I have no way to describe how I trained to avoid devastation because, of course, I didn’t. I was training to recover from early childhood devastation but in the process it seems likely that I developed a highly agile brain that, as it were, knew what to do when the stroke hit. It’s not a miracle; it’s neurofeedback training.

Now it’s recovery from what the stroke left me with. Vision in my right eye was severely impaired; my right hand was stiff and sore - I couldn’t use it to eat or write; and I couldn’t walk. I had very poor balance and veered to the right. I’ll spare you any other symptoms and have just shared these to give you a sense. With the exception of the OTs and PTs who have come here to treat me, my treatment once home has been acupressure, non-traditional PT, frequency neurofeedback (EEGer), Vielight and hyperbaric oxygen. I can’t really speak to the more traditional rehab or really to the body work except to say they were essential. I will speak, however, to the other three with observations and educated guesses on how they have promoted my rapid recovery.

I am inviting you to join me in this one-hour webinar where I’ll describe each modality, my experience with them since the strokes and of course take your questions and try to answer them.
- Sebern