Phyllis Grannis , MA, M.F.T.
Marriage and Family Therapist
Biofeedback Therapist

I didn't plan on a career in counseling. I came to this program by a circuitous route...my daughter's epilepsy. I started out as a graphic designer with an intense personal interest in the human psyche. By the time I received my counseling license I brought with me a wealth of life experiences and formal training that contribute enormously to my practice.

In 1981, I became involved with a group of people involved in epilepsy research. It consisted of a neurologist and a woman who had conquered the disorder without medication through counseling and biofeedback. In the same building, Tom Cobb had his private counseling and biofeedback practice. Out of the need to find an alternative treatment for my daughter, I discovered the value of biofeedback. In the case of my daughter it was EEG feedback which monitors brain wave activity. Not only did the program alter her life, but ultimately, it was the beginning of a new career for me. As I watched my daughter gain control of her epilepsy, I began to validate my own premise that we have much more control over our physiology than we realize.

From my experience with this organization and the impact the program had on my daughter, I decided to go back to school and become a Marriage and Family Therapist. I became the Program Director of the Andrews/Reiter Epilepsy Research Program and worked with individuals, who despite all attempts at eliminating their seizures with medication, were still having them. It was fascinating work and I soon came under the tutelage of Tom, the therapist who introduced me to using other forms of biofeedback as a technique for working with stress related disorders such as anxiety, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, insomnia and chronic pain. I was hooked.

Biofeedback provides people with chronic stress related disorders a powerful way to alter faulty habit patterns and dramatically reduce or eliminate their symptoms. To participate in this process is very satisfying as a counselor. When people start to see the results of their own participation, it puts the control of the course of the disorder into their own hands. Having control is an incredible asset to the positive outcome of treatment. The person emerges able to be an active participant in life rather than a casual observer.

When I was looking for an alternative to drugs in the treatment of my daughter's epilepsy, no one offered any alternative approach. In fact, I was told I was endangering my daughter's health. Well, at 37, she is not only healthy but seizure-free and has never been on the powerful drugs that can inhibit brain functioning. Tom and I went out on our own and have continued to perfect the approach we use to teach people how to eliminate their headaches. This Freedom from Headaches site is an outgrowth of that work and a commitment to assist other people in obtaining the information they need to make informed choices about their health and well-being. – Phyllis Grannis