A leading psychologist, who used cutting-edge neurofeedback therapy to successfully treat a man’s long-term history of insomnia in 5 sessions, has opened the first in a planned string of innovative wellness clinics in Scotland.

Kedras Clinics in Perth has been launched by Dr Dawn Harris (pictured above) who specialises in neurofeedback (NFB), a ground-breaking therapy that reduces symptoms quickly to provide optimum wellbeing.

As Scotland’s foremost expert in the technology, Dawn offers unique, tailored treatment programs that use neurotechnology to tap into the brain’s inherent ability to heal from a wide range of psychological and physical symptoms, including trauma, anxiety, ADHD, menopause, pain, Tics and Tourette’s syndrome.

People, including veterans suffering from trauma, CEOs wishing to increase their focus and resiliency and sports people looking to improve their game have travelled to Scotland from all over the UK for her unique treatment program. Plans are already underway to open further branches in Edinburgh and Dundee due to high demand for its specialist treatments.

Kedras Clinics uses Infra Low Frequency Neurofeedback (NFB), the most advanced type of technology of its kind in Scotland and takes a holistic approach to the treatment, combining NFB treatment with more traditional forms of therapy depending on the needs of the patients.

The therapy, already popular with astronauts and NFL players, uses software that measures electrical brain signals via electrodes attached to the scalp, then converts these into vibrant images and sounds that are viewed by the patient on a television. 

This form of neurotechnology thus provides the opportunity for people to become more aware of their own normally, unseen/unheard activity within the brain which is fed back to the person in a familiar form (sounds or videos).  

Via this process people can learn to control their brain wave activity by changing the picture, sounds, and/or vibration, leading to the brain establishing a more stable pattern of functioning.

This therapy has wide-ranging potential. It can empower people who are highly stressed by their work to increase their resiliency and help sports people to improve their performance. It can improve physical conditions such as eczema, chronic pain, and symptoms of menopause.

Dawn said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has put a brighter spotlight on conditions such as trauma and anxiety than ever before. People are increasingly prioritising their health and wellbeing, and of course mental health has a huge part to play in this.

The software reads brain waves like an electrocardiogram (ECG) reads your heart. It taps into the brain’s ability to self-regulate, reducing symptoms as your brain heals. Using neurotechnology such as neurofeedback means no conscious effort is involved to create change. It’s like the brain is looking at itself in a mirror and then changes when it sees something that it doesn’t like. Simply watch the animation or play the video game and your brain will figure out what to do.”

She added: “I never fail to be amazed by how quickly my patients respond to the treatment. One of my patients had been in various forms of speaking therapy for over 20 years, and never fully resolved their issues. After working with me using neurofeedback, she is now fully recovered. It really does have the potential to transform people’s lives for the better.”

Scotland’s leading authority on neurofeedback treatment, Dawn is also an associate fellow of the British Psychological Society and continues to work within both the clinical field and criminal justice system. She has worked in both the public and private sectors for over 25 years. 

She specialises in working with people who have experienced trauma including those with complex presentations. Within her career she has worked with people from all parts of society including CEO’s, artists, sports and finance professionals, veterans. She also co-founded Epione, an organisation that developed and delivered trauma informed practice training to over 1,200 social workers across Scotland.