Hacking Your ADHD

Hey Team! We’ve got another exciting guest teed up for this week. I’m talking with Sean Brock, a neurofeedback expert and the owner of Neuro Colorado. Now I’ll be honest that I had a lot to learn in this interview because I wasn’t terribly well versed on the science behind neurofeedback. In the interview, Sean shares the fascinating history behind neurofeedback and how it’s evolved from training cats to helping humans regulate their brain waves. We get into how neurofeedback works and its longer-term benefits. Also, we end the interview by taking a turn and talking about EMDR therapy and how it is somewhat similar but distinct from neurofeedback. Then, we get into Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS), which I think is just a fascinating form of psychotherapy. Now, as I just mentioned, I didn’t have a lot of knowledge on neurofeedback going into the interview, and a lot of that stemmed from some of the controversy surrounding its effectiveness in treating ADHD. As Sean is the owner of a neurofeedback facility, it is quite understandable that he is very bullish on the research showing its effectiveness. And based on my conversation with him it seems well warranted, especially with the caveat he gave in the interview that neurofeedback is not a magic process but requires guidance from a qualified practitioner.  That said, while I think the science of neurofeedback looks very promising at this point, take the interview with a grain of salt and be aware that not everyone is convinced of its level of effectiveness. While promising neurofeedback isn’t for everyone and it’s general accessibility still has a ways to go. Also, this isn’t a case of doing one thing or the other; neurofeedback can work alongside medication and other therapies as well. https://www.neurocolorado.com If you'd life to follow along on the show notes page you can find that at HackingYourADHD.com/203 This Episode's Top Tips Neurofeedback works by teaching you how to regulate your brainwaves, which can help you build focus when you need it. Over time, it appears that neurofeedback can lead to long-term changes in brainwave activity, reducing ADHD symptoms and potentially decreasing the need for further interventions. It’s important to find the right neurofeedback practitioner who actively engages with you during sessions for the best results. Also, remember that a multi-modal approach is key, combining neurofeedback with medication or therapy to optimize your treatment.

Hey Team! This week, we’ve got an incredible guest, Dr. Stephen Faraone, one of the world's foremost experts on ADHD. Let me just give you a quick rundown of just how influential Dr. Faraone is: He has authored over 700 journal articles, editorials, chapters, and books Listed as the eighth-highest producer of High Impact Papers in Psychiatry from 1990 to 1999 as determined by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI). In 2005, the ISI listed him as the second-highest cited author in the area of ADHD. In 2019 and 2020, his citation metrics placed him in the top 0.01% of scientists across all fields. In 2002 he was inducted into the CHADD Hall of Fame Currently, Dr. Faraone serves as a distinguished professor of psychiatry, physiology, and neuroscience at SUNY Upstate Medical University and president of the World Federation of ADHD. So yeah, this guy knows what he’s talking about when it comes to ADHD and if you only listen to one episode of the podcast this year, I’d suggest this one. One of the focal points in this conversation is the ADHD Evidence Project, which Dr. Faraone started to help fight misinformation about ADHD and give free access to the information we have about ADHD. On the site - which can be found at ADHDevidence.org - you can find the International Consensus Statement, which provides 208 statements strongly supported by ADHD research. In the episode we get more into what went into the process of making the statement and the standards of research. In the episode, we also discuss evidence-based treatments, debunk common myths, and discuss what really works when managing ADHD. If you'd life to follow along on the show notes page you can find that at HackingYourADHD.com/202 This Episode's Top Tips Stick to treatments that have been proven effective through rigorous studies. Large studies and meta-analyses are more reliable than small studies when determining ADHD treatments. Not all ADHD treatments you find online are helpful—be cautious of sources that aren't peer-reviewed. Beware of misinformation as well as misleading information that can lead you down the wrong treatment path. While some alternative treatments may help, their effects are often significantly smaller compared to standard stimulant medication. When thinking about approaching what we do to help manage our ADHD, we want to think about the magnitude of the effect and do the things that will help the most first.

Hey Team! This week we’re following up our last episode on misinformation—and this is going to be our last episode in the research saga that I’ve been working on for the last… couple of months? Yeah, I think I’m ready for something new as well although as a preview for next week, I had an amazing researcher as a guest and we do cover a lot of similar topics, but don’t worry, it’s a fantastic episode, great capstone to the series. But today we're diving into a topic that’s critical for navigating life with ADHD—understanding and protecting ourselves from myths and misinformation. There's a big difference between outdated myths like, 'ADHD is just laziness,' and actual misinformation, which can mislead us into making risky choices about treatment. In this episode, we’re getting into how to spot these traps, why myths stick around, and what makes misinformation so tricky. If you'd life to follow along on the show notes page you can find that at HackingYourADHD.com/201 This Episode's Top Tips ADHD myths tend to be long-standing cultural beliefs, while misinformation often appears more credible and is linked to misinterpreted research or can be part of a specific agenda. There are a lot of pitfalls to watch out for when consuming information about ADHD. Oversimplication, sensational headlines, anecdotal evidence, secret information and even how the information is framed can be indicators that you might have to double check the information. Avoid spreading misinformation by verifying where your information comes from, especially if you see it on social media or from non-expert sources.

Hey Team! We’re kicking off 2024 with the incredible Jessica McCabe - creator, writer, and host of the award-winning YouTube channel How to ADHD. I’m sure a lot of you are already familiar with Jessica’s work as her YouTube channel has more than a million subscribers, but for those of you who haven’t, her channel contains a wealth of knowledge about ADHD and is one of the things that kicked me in the pants to start taking my ADHD more seriously. And now she’s coming out with a book: How to ADHD: An Insider's Guide to Working with Your Brain (Not Against It) - which is coming out on January 2nd - so tomorrow if you’re listening to this when this episode comes out. In our conversation today, Jessica and I discussed how we want to go from surviving our ADHD to thriving with it, to get past some of our issues with executive function and universal design. We also get into a lot of stuff about her book and how she was able to use a lot of the strategies that she wrote about in the book to also help her write that same book. Honestly, this episode was a blast to record and I hope you enjoy as much as I did putting it together. Be sure to check out howtoadhdbook.com to find Jessica's book Feel free to ask me a question on my Contact Page Find the full show note at HackingYourADHD.com/164 This Episode's Top Tips  When we want to move from surviving to thriving we want to start looking at not just how we can get more things done, but what’s worth doing. Even projects we’re interested in can be difficult for us to work on, so it's important for us to keep them exciting with variety. When planning out those big projects, work backward from where you want to be to figure out all the steps in between so that we can see that path to done. Effort for us is not the problem, so trying harder is not the answer.