Brookside Institute Journal

February 20, 2008
Volume 1, Issue 1

Brookside Institute: The Future is Now
By E. Keith Owens

Even as modern medicine was making great strides in treating life threatening diseases such as polio, small pox, cancer and diabetes, those addicted to alcohol and other substances were still being committed to mental institutions or imprisoned for public drunkenness. As late as the 1970’s, the psychiatric and medical community classified the disease as a moral weakness or a symptom of a deeper psychological disorder. In the 1960’s addiction treatment moved toward a more socially acceptable, compassionate model, Alcoholics Anonymous and the 12-Step Program; however, this treatment was not based on any medical or scientific research.

As the medical and psychiatric communities changed their classification of substance abuse as a behavioral disease in the 1980’s, insurance companies began offering coverage for substance abuse treatment, a very positive step for those suffering from addiction. Unfortunately, insurance companies based coverage on the only standardized treatment model at the time, the 12-Step Program, and limited benefits to 28 days of treatment. Little has changed in insurance coverage despite advancements in addiction treatment modalities.

At the same time that others in the industry were focused on perfecting the 12-Step model, scientists were researching addiction as a brain-based disease. These pioneers developed the first addiction medications, such as naltrexone and buprenorphine, medications that reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Studying the brain’s physiology, using electroencephalogram (EEG) or the recording of electrical activity in the brain and other technologies, has led to numerous advances in understanding how the brain functions and the affects addiction and other behavioral disorders such as depression and anxiety have on the brain.

We now know that addiction is a medical disease – a disease which affects a person’s brain functions, behavior and health. At Brookside Institute, the future in treating addiction and other diseases such as depression, anxiety, PTSD and ADHD/ADD, through neuroscience is here today. The Brookside Recovery Protocol™ uses the latest in science and medicine to treat addiction and is the only science-based protocol that includes addiction medications, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and neurotherapies such as EEG, rEEG (referenced EEG), Magno-EEG Resonant Therapy (MERT) and neurofeedback. We are committed to advancing the understanding and treatment of these disorders and diseases through neuroscience and innovative technology.

At Brookside Institute, the future is now.

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