• New imaging technologies have enhanced our understanding of how the brain communicates and how mood disorders manifest in the brain. We are now able to address the “mechanical” issues which produce feelings of depression. This approach differs from the initial understanding that depression is only a result of a chemical imbalance in the brain.
• As a result of the chemical imbalance theory , medications have long been utilized to manipulate neurotransmitters in the brain with the goal of improving neuronal (brain cell) communication. This approach yields limited results. Think of the neurotransmitters as cars and the neurons (brain cells) as roads. Nearly all antidepressant medications are designed to add cars to the road, but the roads are closed.
• Neurotherapy functions like a catalyst, triggering a process of self-optimization in the brain. It stimulates the growth of new, undifferentiated neurons and assists neurons with limited communication ability, which we now understand to be the source of the depressive symptoms, to reawaken and communicate optimally.
• These poorly communicating neurons we are repairing are known as neuronal lesions. While depression, anxiety, PTSD, bipolar disorder, and OCD are symptoms, the neuronal lesions which inhibit communication in the brain are the disease. These lesions (areas of poor communication) develop in response to traumatic events and prolonged periods of anxiety. Non-trauma related lesions typically manifest during puberty but have the ability to appear at any time throughout the lifespan.