ABOUT US
Gary Duke MA, LPC, ICP
Gary Duke is a Licensed Professional Counselor with over 40 years experience in the mental health field. Gary and his wife Gloria opened Trinity Integrative Care in 2019 and began a small private practice specializing in both counseling and microcurrent neurofeedback. Gary has focused much of his clinical practice on helping those who have experienced trauma, anxiety, and depression. Gary and Gloria also began a collaborative pilot study with the University of Texas at Tyler regarding mental health outcomes with the use of IASIS Micro current Neurofeedback. The research participants experienced significant reduction in depression, anxiety and symptoms associated with PTSD along with significant improvement in overall quality of life. This study was very valuable in that it established a foundation for future research as well as a foundation for evidence-based education and practice for IASIS providers.
Gloria Duke, RN, PhD, ICP
As of May 2022, I will have been an RN for 50 years! My passion for nursing began at such an early age I honestly do not recall any time in my life that I did not want to be a nurse. I’ve had wonderful opportunities during my career to work with incredible mentors in a very wide variety of settings and places. I’ve known for a long time that I wanted to branch out and do something different from bedside nursing and nursing education, and I didn’t know exactly what that was until the past few years when I discovered the wonderful world of IASIS Microcurrent Neurofeedback (MCN), holistic coaching, and more recently, integrative imagery!
As a nurse, I’ve always believed strongly in the interconnectedness of body, mind and spirit, and when an ‘event’ happens in one area, it impacts the others. I also value the belief that everyone really knows ‘inside’ what’s best for them, but sometimes we need a bit of help finding those answers. This is an underlying principle for IASIS MCN, holistic coaching and integrative imagery. My hope and dream is to help people truly live their life, not merely exist in it, and I truly believe we can promote desired transformation in people’s lives for a more meaningful and fulfilling life.
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ABOUT IASIS (MCN)
We are using new technology IASIS Micro-Current Neurofeedback (MCN)
At Trinity Integrative Care, we are using a new technology called IASIS Micro-Current Neurofeedback (MCN). This involves attaching very small electrodes to the scalp and a micro-current (three trillionths of one watt) is introduced. This current is so small it cannot be felt. A recent study by the University of California at San Diego with veterans suffering from traumatic brain injury, depression, and anxiety showed promising results in reducing the symptoms they were experiencing. This led us to begin this research with a larger population approved by the University of Texas at Tyler. Our research results were promising and should be published in 2022. We learned that IASIS Micro Current Neruofeedback can reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTSD. We have seen positive outcomes in children and adults. Although children were not research participants, we have helped children as young a six years old. Children tolerate the procedures without discomfort and without the potential side effects of medication. IASIS MCN seems to improve the ability to regulate our emotions, decrease symptoms of anxiety and depression, and we have had success with those struggling with TBI and migraines.
We know that prolonged exposure to extremely stressful or traumatizing events changes how our brain functions. We are beginning to understand some of the problems that this exposure creates. An important part of survival of human beings is our bodies automatically entering into what is called the “fight or flight” state.
When threatened, our body begins to pump adrenalin, cortisol, and a number of other stress hormones and neurotransmitters into our system. We get a boost of energy, increased respiration and heart rate, more blood pumped to extremities, digestion shuts down and our pupils dilate. This part of the autonomic nervous system controlling fight/flight is called the sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system has a counterpart called the parasympathetic nervous system that is responsible for returning the body to a state of balance before the threat appeared. It is what calms us back down physiologically.
Repeated or prolonged exposure to what the brain considers threat can result in an over active sympathetic nervous system increasing anxiety and exacting a cost will improve the functioning and neural connections of the sympathetic nervous system. This sometimes leaves people in a state of fight or flight response far too often, with a limited ability to achieve a healthy balance between the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems. That balance is important for healthy brain function. Triggers such as a backfiring car, fireworks, a song, smell or sound, intrusive thoughts – a million possibilities may activate that fight or flight response. We currently suspect that MCN can help the brain to maintain a better balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic activity. This can result in a reduction of symptoms and we believe an improved quality of life.
Finally, we do not have enough evidence to know if this technology will be helpful for you. Everyone's brain is different and as with medication, everyone responds differently. What we do believe is that there is minimal risk of harm or discomfort. If it alleviates any suffering, it is worth our time.