Today we’d like to introduce you to Erica Ligon.
Erica, before we jump into specific questions about your work, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My mom suffered from severe Chemical Sensitivities and Environmental Illness – she reacted to almost everything in her environment (from cleaning products to fragrance to paint) and could barely leave the house. She died at the age of 59 as a result of her condition. Just before her death in 2010, I started developing symptoms that I eventually linked to my own exposure to chemicals – I had worked as a Chemist in a laboratory for many years and was exposed to toxic chemicals, solvents and fumes on a daily basis. I became so hyper-sensitive, that being on an elevator with someone wearing cologne or walking past someone smoking a cigarette could devastate my body for a few days. It affected my ability to live a normal life and to work to support myself. Having watched what my mom went through, I knew where I was headed – to a life of isolation where I would have to keep myself sequestered away from my triggers, which were everywhere. I felt hopeless and powerless. But I have always had an unshakeable belief that everything has an answer, it’s just a matter of uncovering it.
I tried countless alternative therapies – many helped, but none cured. I did a lot of research. And finally, in 2015, I discovered the missing link. All that time, I had been considering Chemical Sensitivities to be a detox/body burden issue – and it is. But what I found in my research was that when a body becomes so hypersensitive that a tiny amount of a chemical or trigger creates a gross overreaction in the body, it has become a brain issue. The brain has learned to associate chemicals (or whatever the trigger is – mold, EMF, etc.) with life-threatening danger and a stress response is initiated in the brain. Every time the brain perceives a chemical (or trigger), that neural pathway to the stress response gets reinforced, until over time, it becomes a well-worn path and it takes less and less of the trigger to create a larger and larger reaction in the body. And all that needs be done is to help the brain see that this response is exaggerated and unnecessary.
I started targeting more brain-centric therapies and a year later found NeurOptimal®, a non-invasive, dynamic approach to neurofeedback that harnesses the brain’s own intrinsic self-healing potential. NeurOptimal® uses sensors on the scalp to measure the brain’s electrical activity, overlays that activity onto music and plays it back to you. When your brain hears and recognizes its own activity through the music, it will begin to self-correct! This technology offers the brain a reflection of itself so that it can see what needs to be fixed and can re-organize itself out of chaos.
I started NeurOptimal sessions and felt immediate relief that amplified with every session. I am happy to report that I haven’t reacted to a single chemical since my fourth session, three years ago!
Up until I found NeurOptimal, the only recourse I’d been given for Chemical Sensitivities was to avoid my triggers. You create a home and environment that is pure and clean and that you can tolerate, but then you’re beholden to it. You become isolated from friends and family because they bring in scents of laundry detergent and deodorant and shampoo. I watched my mom descend into loneliness and isolation and even agoraphobia. I was terrified of a similar fate and the fear fueled me. I wish that my mom could have benefited from what I’ve learned before her death, but her brave journey set the groundwork for my own healing.
NeurOptimal changed my life profoundly and I’m so passionate about its benefits, not just for chemical sensitivities, but for really any condition that affects the brain and/or Central Nervous System. I decided I wanted to share this wondrous modality with others and now see clients in Boulder, CO. I’ve watched it bring relief and healing to countless clients.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It was a very challenging path. For the better part of eight years, my body and brain were compromised. I was almost constantly in a state of fight-or-flight. Sleep never came easily. There were times that I had to take time off of work, but I also still had to support myself so that I could afford a home that didn’t make me sick!
I had an unbreakable faith that there was a solution and that I would find it. I just didn’t know when. It could be tomorrow and it might not be for 20 years.
Dealing with any kind of chronic illness comes with a natural despair. It’s hard to explain to the people in your life and try as they might, they usually don’t understand, which adds to the isolation and depression.
Lucid Neurofeedback – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
At Lucid Neurofeedback, I offer NeurOptimal® sessions for anyone with a brain! I’ve seen transformations in people with compromised brains and healthy brains alike. NeurOtpimal® neurofeedback can support a myriad of brain and nervous system disorders, including:
PTSD
TBI
Migraines
Fybromyalgia
Stroke
Parkinson’s
Autism
Lyme
Epilepsy
Anxiety/Depression
ADD/ADHD
OCD
Eating Disorders
Aging
Dementia
My own deep struggle with chronic illness and return from it gives me a unique perspective and understanding of the pain and emotional toll that it takes on a person and allows me to support others in their journey with a unique empathy. It’s the most rewarding feeling to help someone transform from surviving to THRIVING!!
My most passionate outreach is for those with Chemical or Mold or EMF Sensitivities. Many people are unaware that it’s treatable and that the answer lies in the brain! There are very little information and education about these types of sensitivities and I love being able to guide and educate those struggling with it.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success to me means living your truth and getting as close as possible to matching your inner world to how you present yourself in your outer world. Every human is a unique combination of characteristics that will never be repeated again and everyone has something unique to offer the world. Figuring out what that is and how to share it, is a life well-lived.
Pricing:
- Single session $100
- 5-pack $425
- 10-pack $750
Contact Info:
- Address: 1650 38th St
Suite 100E
Boulder, CO 80301 - Website: www.lucidneurofeedback.com
- Phone: 303-868-8180
- Email: Erica@LucidNeurofeedback.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LucidBoulder/
Image Credit:
Kendra Seoane
D’Antonio Photography
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