Testimonials Page - Reader Feedback on Taming the Polar Bears

I first got to know Brad in the "Brain Cafe" on Facebook. It's a pubic group designed for discussion about science, psychology, creativity and education. Members include neuroscientists, professors, researchers and people like -- me, no credentials and just interested in learning. The are many discussions going on at once, but I am drawn in particular to the study of the human brain. I quickly noticed that Brad was the resident expert in the group and was tremendously well-respected. I was, and continue to be, amazed by his knowledge of neuroscience and the relationship between the brain and behavior. He has studied it all - more than I will ever fully comprehend. After listening for a good while, I finally got up my courage, put aside my fear of looking foolish, and engaged Brad in one of the neuroscience discussions. To my relief, he treated my pedestrian questions with respect and filled my brain with answers. We have continued our conversations outside the confines of the Brain Cafe, and I continue to learn from him. Now I know where to go as I wonder down the path of learning and am abruptly stopped by a burning, yet complicated question. Thanks Brad!

• Cynthia Witkin – Washington, DC Political Analyst

 

For the very first time in my life
I actually look forward to tomorrow
Even though nothing is perfect
And I still have tears
I just caught myself looking forward
To tomorrow. Not dreading it. Not wishing I won't wake up. But ready
To take on tomorrow. It is a strange feeling I have never felt before. It is new and exciting.

You did that Brad. This is your work. This would not have happened in a million years if it wasn't for you.

• Via email from an anonymous Polar Bears reader with whom I've been working with privately for some months

There can be no other closer connection, no closer bond than that of a twin. It is with this understanding, that I want to share with you my impressions of Brad’s remarkable journey from being often a ward of the state due to a chronic suicidal state, to now, where he has regained his passion for life, and helping others.

Under the care of the provincial mental health system, Brad was kept heavily drugged, that while this may have kept him safe from himself, this treatment gave him little, if any, hope of recovery. It was this lack of hope, a lack of a path forward, that spiraled him ever further into a deeper state of depression.

Something had to change, something significant had to change.

It was at this point, Brad made the biggest, most courageous decision of his life--to turn his back on the provincial mental health system, and forge his own path to recovery. This path was rooted in the belief that there had to be a better way to regain a positive mental state of health.

With the help of close family and friends, Brad set out on this amazing journey. Always keenly intelligent, he pursued all the latest research on neurology with a vigor I hadn’t seen from him in years, and that would have been impossible in his previous drugged state.

It was by no means easy, nor a straightforward path. The ups and downs were many, and at times disheartening. But together, with his “Team”, he made it through the troughs, and gradually built some plateaus of encouraging accomplishment.
In time, Brad began to get connected with some of the top leading researchers of the mind, and with this ever increasing acquisition of knowledge, he began to formulate his own system to recovery.

It has been nearly two years since that courageous choice, and as Brad’s twin brother, I can unequivocally state that the transformation has been nothing short of miraculous. While there is a long ways to go, the spiral is unquestionably up, and a man who this world was in grave danger of losing, has now regained one that has a zest for life again. More so, the world  regained a man who is a positive force for the millions of others who suffer from mental health challenges.

All of this was only possible because of Brad’s own self designed program, based on the very best research and minds available. Without this program, and his dedication to it, and to helping others like him, I have no doubt I would have by now lost  

•  Gregory Esau - The Glia Custom Auto Manufacturing Company

I am just stunned at what a difference in change of food and eating habits has made in my life. If Brad had not insisted a change in diet, I might never have known how much better, more alert I am during the day, but also, as a sided effect, the weight I am losing. And because I am using superfoods every day now, and making smoothies, I have more (much more) energy and am never hungry. Thank you so much! Who would have thought that food, influences the brain. Not me. 

• N.A. - Taming the Polar Bears follower

You don't know what a relief it was, to finally come across a person, that does not only understand what it is to live with BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder), chronic depression and PTSD, but at the same time can explain to me, how my brain works during different mood swings or episodes. I have been in therapy with several psychiatrists and psychologists for 20 years and none of them actually knew what it felt like, or how this works in my brain. You do. And that makes all the difference to me. 

• Nina - Taming the Polar Bears follower

Now, I've been interested in neuroplasticity for ages but didn't really actually get to sit down and pay attention to it consistently until now. Thanks for another great post, Brad, you're an incredible inspiration to me. I'm hoping to fix up things in my life and completely transform them.

• Anonymous Taming the Polar Bears follower in the Brain Cafe Facebook group

[ more to come ]