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

I didn't plan on a career in counseling. I came to the concept by a circuitous route...my daughter's epilepsy. I began my professional career as a graphic designer with an intense personal interest in the human psyche. By the time I received my counseling license, I had a wealth of life experiences and formal training that contributed enormously to my private practice.

In 1981, I became involved with an epilepsy research group after my daughter was diagnosed with epilepsy. 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 EEG biofeedback 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.

During that time, I was also privileged to work under Lynn Lott, M.F.T., who was an expert in the Adlerian approach to family dynamics and parenting. This approach is the heart of the STEP (Systematic Training for Effective Parenting) book series that I now use in the online parenting classes on LifeMatters.

My private practice developed in two main areas; working with families and children using the STEP approach and using biofeedback for clients with chronic stress related disorders.

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 34, she is not only healthy but seizure-free and has never been on the powerful drugs that can inhibit brain functioning.

In 1991, Tom and I decided to offer online classes in parenting and in how people can effectively alter their physiology using biofeedback. LifeMatters is the culmination of our professional and personal experiences 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