Speaker: Marissa Schoon
Marissa Schoon: The support and communication was great.
Please share your first name, age (or age range), and what brought you to Grey Matters—what were you struggling with?
Marissa Schoon: My name is Marissa. I'm 24 and I started my neurofeedback journey with gray matters for anxiety and OCD, um, which I've been struggling with for most of my adult life.
Before you started, how was that affecting your daily life (sleep, focus, mood, work/school, relationships)?
Marissa Schoon: Before neurofeedback, neurofeedback, my anxiety got the better of me most days. I was really irritable with my friends and my family and my coworkers, um, having panic attacks several times in a week. Um, just really impacted my day to day quality of life.
What made you decide to try neurofeedback with us?
Marissa Schoon: I decided to try neurofeedback because I've tried several other therapies, um, that worked for a while, but nothing seemed to have a long lasting impact.
What was your experience like during training (sessions, comfort level, and support from our team)?
Marissa Schoon: My experience during training was great. Um, I really started to look forward to my sessions, you know, just 30 minutes that I could be still and be quiet and relax, which was huge for me is being able to relax. Um, and the team just helped me figure out goals and, um, like training goals, what I could look forward to from doing neurofeedback. Um, The support and communication was great.
When did you first notice changes (about how many sessions/weeks)?
Marissa Schoon: I first noticed changes after about 20 sessions of neurofeedback, um. It really was apparent to me, you know, I'm not having as many obsessions in a day as I was, or I'm not completing this compulsion as part of my OCD. And then, you know, my family started to take notice of me reacting better in situations or just remaining calm where I might not have used to. And then the more I did my sessions, I would be able to look forward to that feeling that I got right after doing a session as well.
What specific changes have you noticed that matter most to you? (Example: sleep, calm, focus, anxiety, motivation, confidence)
Marissa Schoon: What matters most that I got out of neurofeedback was just my anxiety levels were way reduced. Um, and I was able to be more present, you know, at my job or with my family. Um, and I mean, overall, that just increased my, my confidence that I didn't have to be defined by by anxiety and OCD anymore.
How has that impacted your life—your relationships or your performance?
Marissa Schoon: I think overall having less anxiety has just given me so much more confidence in all these aspects of my life, and Just helps me to be a better version of myself.
What would you tell someone who’s on the fence or feeling nervous? (Optional add-on: “In one sentence, what has Grey Matters meant to you?”)
Marissa Schoon: If someone were on the fence about starting, I. Would just encourage them to just try. Um, I can speak for myself that I'm better off and I'm glad that I did it, and Um, you know, there's a team that's with you every step of the way, and if you have the resources, you have gray matters, then just try.
