About Us
Welcome to TOP MIND
Guiding individuals and teams to elite performance through psychological counselling, biofeedback and neurofeedback
Stress
Stress is a normal part of life but too much will affect you physically and emotionally. Stress affects memory and many other brain functions, like mood and anxiety. Stress creates inflammation which is shown to impact heart health. When the brain is stressed out, it is not able to effectively use all the resources and one part may become overly taxed. Stress is often described as feeling overloaded, wound-up, tense and worried, and occurs when we face a situation we feel we can’t cope with.
While stress is usually referred to as a negative experience, not all stress is bad. Some stress can be helpful, motivating us to get a task finished, or spurring us to perform well. Top Mind can provide specific strategies to reduce and in some cases amplify stress.
However, if negative stress is ongoing or the stress response continues over a long period, the effects of stress can impact poorly on our physical and mental health
Brain Injury
We typically think of sports related concussions or automobile accidents but actually concussions are a part of everyday life. If you have experienced head trauma, you have changed the way neurons and dendrites are firing and wiring which can change your emotional and cognitive abilities. Often times you need to jump start the brain again. Neurofeedback can increase blood flow and oxygen and teach those neurons and dendrites how to gradually fire together.
Depression
Depression (major depressive disorder) is a common and serious illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. Fortunately, it is also treatable. Depression causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed. It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and can decrease your ability to function in school, the workplace and at home.
Depression symptoms can vary from mild to severe and can include:
- Feeling sad or having a depressed mood
- Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed
- Changes in appetite — weight loss or gain unrelated to dieting
- Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
- Loss of energy or increased fatigue
- Increase in purposeless physical activity (e.g., inability to sit still, pacing, handwringing) or slowed movements or speech (these actions must be
- severe enough to be observable by others)
- Feeling worthless or guilty
- Difficulty thinking, concentrating or making decisions and formulating thoughts
- Thoughts of death or suicide
Symptoms must last at least two weeks and must represent a change in your previous level of functioning for a diagnosis of depression
Anxiety
Anxiety can be described as a sense of uneasiness, nervousness, worry, fear, or dread of what’s about to happen or what might happen. While fear is the emotion we feel in the presence of threat, anxiety is a sense of anticipated danger, trouble, or threat.
Anxiety is an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes like increased blood pressure. People with anxiety disorders usually have recurring intrusive thoughts or concerns. Top Mind offers a variety of treatment approaches to treat anxiety.
Autism Spectrum
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex developmental condition that involves persistent challenges in social interaction, speech and nonverbal communication, and restricted/repetitive behaviors. The effects of ASD and the severity of symptoms vary in each person.
ASD is usually first diagnosed in childhood with many of the most-obvious signs presenting around 2-3 years old, but some children with autism develop normally until toddlerhood when they stop acquiring or lose previously developed skills. Approximately one in 59 children is estimated to have autism. Autism spectrum disorder is also three to four times more common in boys than in girls, and many girls with ASD exhibit less apparent signs compared to boys. Autism is a lifelong condition. However, many children diagnosed with ASD go on to live independent, productive, and fulfilling lives.
Grief
Grief is the natural reaction to loss, and can influence the physical, emotional, cognitive, behavioural and spiritual aspects of our lives.
Grief can be experienced in response to a variety of loss-related events, such as the death of a loved one, separation or divorce, the loss of a sense of safety or predictability, physical incapacity through disability, or the loss of one’s home or community due to disaster.
People cope with grief and loss in a variety of ways. While some might find it helpful to talk openly about the experience, others might prefer time alone. The intensity and duration of the grieving process can also differ between individuals. For most people, the experience of grief will dominate their emotions, thoughts, and behaviours for a number of weeks or months.
As time passes, most individuals learn to cope with their grief and go about their daily lives, although for many the loss will remain a part of them. Most people who experience loss will not need professional help, however approximately 15 to 20% seek and require professional support. Top Mind counsellors have years of experience helping clients manage grief.
Positive Psychology
Positive Psychology is the scientific study of the strengths that enable individuals, communities and organizations to thrive. The field is founded on the belief that people aspire to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives, to cultivate what is best within themselves, and to maximize their experiences of love, work, and play. Positive psychology through Top Mind helps us unearth and emphasize the positive influences in your life and unique individual makeup. Let us help you find and strengthen your individual character strengths, giftings, joy triggers, optimistic emotions, and healthy systems. With our team of specialists, we can find what makes you tick, give support to your motivating factors, help build interpersonal skills, and focus in on healthy brain patterns.
Relationship Issues
Each person in the relationship has their own set of needs, dreams, expectations and goals which they need to be aware of, and need to be able to express to others. … No matter the cause, distress in a relationship can lead to many problems including codependency, stress, unhappiness, depression, fear, and anxiety. However, chronic relationship conflict and stress is a serious issue. It has been linked to poorer mental and physical health and can affect other areas of life such as relationships with family and friends, and work colleagues. Children also suffer when exposed to high levels of conflict at home, and are at greater risk for anxiety, depression, behavioural problems, and poorer health.
Learning effective and respectful ways to communicate differences is an important step in building a healthy, fulfilling relationship, and which can benefit our overall wellbeing and those around us
PTSD
Most people are likely to experience a potentially traumatic event in their lifetime, and most individuals recover well, given time and adequate social support.
For some individuals however, the experience of a traumatic event or chronic exposure to trauma can trigger symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder.
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) refers to a set of symptoms that can emerge following the experience of a traumatic event that involves exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence. Exposure to such events can be through:
- directly experiencing the traumatic event
- witnessing, in person, the event happening to someone else
- learning that the event has happened to a close family member or close friend
- repeated or extreme exposure to the aftermath of trauma (e.g., first responders to emergency situations).
Symptoms are characterised by a sense of reliving of the traumatic event, avoidance of reminders of the traumatic event, feeling numb, having negative thoughts and mood, and feeling agitated or wound up. Without treatment, PTSD can become a chronic condition, and places the individual at greater risk of developing other mental health problems, such as depression or anxiety, or problems with alcohol or drug use. With sound psychological intervention through Top Mind however, the chances of recovery are good
ADD/ADHD
ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, a condition with symptoms such as inattentiveness, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. The symptoms differ from person to person. ADHD was formerly called ADD, or attention deficit disorder. Both children and adults can have ADHD, but the symptoms always begin in childhood. Adults with ADHD may have trouble managing time, pursuing academics, being organized, setting goals, and holding down a job. Neurofeedback can train the brain to perform in a more regulated manner.
COVID Stress
COVID stress syndrome is anchored by COVID-19-related issues and contamination fears as its central feature, with the strongest connections to fear of adverse socio-economic consequences and disease-related xenophobia (fear of foreigners who might be carrying infection). The ongoing state of the pandemic and frequent news media coverage requires a unique set of coping skills.