Rebuilding The Brain After Concussion: How Neurotherapy Is The Answer

How Does Neurotherapy Help With Brain Injuries, Including Concussions?

A hit to the head can steal your clarity in seconds, but the real story is what happens next: the brain slips into an energy crisis and struggles to keep up. We break down that cascade in plain language—reduced blood flow, lower oxygen, stressed mitochondria—and show how gentle, targeted neurotherapy helps reverse it. From photobiomodulation boosting ATP to pulsed electromagnetic field therapy supporting cellular recovery, we lay out a safety-first path that rebuilds function without overwhelming a sensitive system.

We walk through the patterns we see on brain maps after concussions and TBIs, from focal slowing where the impact occurred to diffuse low-power “blue brain” signatures that explain why thinking feels sluggish. You’ll hear how we coordinate with neurologists, wait for vascular stability, and then use precise protocols to calm electrical irritability, restore circulation, and retrain networks. The goal isn’t to mask symptoms; it’s to reestablish the energy and rhythm that let your brain run smoothly again.

Expect practical takeaways on timing, dosing, and what real improvements look like. Clients often report clearer focus, less sensory overload, steadier mood, fewer headaches, and better sleep as blood flow and energy normalize. We also talk about rehab pacing: why anxiety and low mood may lift quickly, while long-standing injuries need persistent, data-guided work. If you’ve dealt with brain fog, irritability, or insomnia after a concussion, this conversation offers a clear, hopeful roadmap grounded in neuroscience and compassionate care.

Ready to take the next step? Subscribe for more brain health insights, share this episode with someone who needs it, and leave a review to help others find the show. If you want personalized guidance, schedule a free consultation at TransformativeNeurotherapy.org or call 412-204-7397.

To learn more about Transformative Neurotherapy visit:
https://www.TransformativeNeurotherapy.org
Transformative Neurotherapy
570 Lincoln Ave.
Bellevue, PA 15202
412-204-7397

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Welcome to the Transformative Neurotherapy Podcast with your host, Dr. Heather Putney, founder and executive director of Transformative Neurotherapy. This is the place where healing happens faster. Because let's face it, your brain doesn't come with an owner's bag. Until now. Here we take a holistic approach to brain health, bringing together science, mind-body harmony, and the tools you need to optimize your well-being. Whether you're a high-performer, executive, athlete, longevity hacker, or just somewhat tired of your brain working. Dr. Buddy is here to help you unlock your full potential. From brain fog to chronic stress, we're covering it all. So you can finally experience brain health, mind heart, and total well-being. Ready to get unstuck? Let's get started.

Why Brain Injuries Vary So Widely

SPEAKER_02 0:56

From foggy thinking to emotional swings, brain injuries can linger. But neurotherapy offers a path to clarity. Welcome everyone. I'm Julie Schwenzer, co-host and producer in the studio with founder and executive director of transformative neurotherapy, Dr. Heather Putney. Dr. Heather, it's always great to be with you.

SPEAKER_01 1:16

Thank you. Nice to be with you.

SPEAKER_02 1:18

Thank you. So let's start with this important topic. How does neurotherapy help with brain injuries, including concussions?

The Brain’s Energy Crisis After Concussion

How Neurotherapy Restores Blood Flow And ATP

Safety First And Medical Clearance

Finding Hidden Injuries With Brain Mapping

SPEAKER_01 1:28

Yes, um, it's a it's a great question. It's actually something that responds very well to neurotherapy. With TBIs and brain injuries and concussions, um, no two people look the same, no injuries the exact same. Um it can also depend a lot about the person's history. You know, if you've got, say, football players, people that have had the had their bell rung frequently, you know, through professional sports or other things like that, or I even just through high school contact sports, you know, it can look a little different than maybe someone with just one injury, but it also just depends on the intensity of the injury. So when we've talked a lot in some of these previous podcasts, we talk about, you know, profiling. There's not there's not really as much of a solid profile for this, uh, because it just depends on where the injury looks, where the injury is, and you know, some of those background features that I just spoke about. But I guess one thing that happens with um with concussion is like right after the energy, uh right after the injury, it causes some um it causes a reduction in blood flow to the brain because it causes because there's swelling that happens, you know, and so when that reduction of um to blood flow in the brain, there's less oxygen and the brain goes into kind of like an energy crisis, okay, because they're getting less, uh, it's getting less uh fuel and oxygen and so forth. And so then the mitochondria, which is the energy-producing cells in the brain, start to dysfunction a little bit and kind of go into into crisis. So there's kind of an energy um crisis in the brain, and um it tends to reduce the voltage or like the power in the brain. So that's one thing that we can see um, you know, kind of more immediately post-concussion is that is that the brain just isn't um getting as much energy, doesn't have as much energy as before we've got this kind of metabolic crisis. And one thing that we've spoken about that neurotherapy is excellent for, um, especially the photobiomodulation, is it actually works directly um with the mitochondria and the cells and it and it actually infuses um well it works with the cells to create ATP. So it helps to create additional energy uh for the brain. And like we like we've mentioned before, the other forms of ster neurostimulation will cause blood flow back to the brain. So that's important ways where we can kind of start to work with um, you know, trying to help heal uh some of the some of the damages from you know post-concussive uh syndromes. One thing I should talk about though before we get too in depth on this is uh safety. So um when people, you know, end up coming to me, um, you know, we work a little bit more in the mental health factor. They may have had a brain injury, it's something that we always screen for, um, but they're usually coming to me for some sort of like mental health symptom. So um maybe it's brain fog, irritability, anxiety, depression, insomnia. These are all symptoms that can come up after a brain injury. They just feel foggy, like they can't think like they used to think, and they get frustrated. They can also have um some sensory sensitivities they didn't used to have before, maybe sensitivity to light or sound, uh, persistent headaches, things like that. But like I said, uh because of the nature of my clinic, we get a lot more of the mental health, you know, the mental health uh symptoms that we're dealing with. Um because of the brain injury, and it can cause, you know, some some damage uh in the brain, one thing that we have to do is to make sure that um that the blood vessels, anything that might have been damaged, has has healed before we would do anything that would stimulate and increase blood flow to the area because we don't want to, you know, you know, basically increase blood flow to a leaky system, if that makes sense. You know, if we've had some damage or some shearing, we don't want to do that. So we work very closely with, you know, the a referring clinician, someone that's been, you know, um, you know, working with the, you know, with the client, like a neurologist or something, for them to like give approval that we can start neurotherapy. And we we definitely don't do it if it's super recent, usually at least six weeks. And then if it's if it's more recent, but that's when we also, you know, six weeks or so tends to be like the rule of thumb with a clearance from a neurologist or something saying that like, okay, it's okay to start doing things like photobiomodulation or the pulse electromagnetic field, things that are very gentle but are helpful to the brain. But we always want to go safety first. And so we, like I said, we coordinate with those providers before we kind of um get our plan of attack, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_02 6:12

And I was curious too, have you ever had a client come in who wasn't aware that they actually suffered a severe brain injury or concussion and they came in with the symptoms, and then you helped them identify that they did have an injury through your scanning and brain mapping and all the all the cool things that you do there?

SPEAKER_01 6:33

Yes, there's some there's some telltale features um and certain places where we can see things that look like maybe white matter damage, which is going to be like some excess delta or possibly theta. Um, especially if we see it um kind of on the sides of the heads right here, the temporals, the um the scal um not the scalp, the cranium has, you know, is made up of several different bones, and they've got some bones that fuse kind of right around this area. So if the brain is getting kind of sloshed around, it can have some shearing kind of against that fusion where the where the bones come together and it can kind of create some damage. So we see, you know, we can sometimes see with some clients that damage, it it's it's more likely to kind of like, you know, the brain sloshes up against the uh, you know, against the the skull, but the it against those like little tiny bones that are fusing together and it kind of scrapes and again cause some cause some damage. So that's one thing that we'll see. So we'll maybe see some extra slowing in this area. It could, it could also just be at any area where the where the head got hit. And so sometimes they'll come in, like I said, for mental health uh images, I mean mental health issues, and then we do the brain scan and we just see this kind of like focal slowing in in some area in the area, or we'll just like to see this really what we call a blue brain, which is showing just like really like um that metabolic crisis of the brain where there's not enough energy. So that that's you know, we it's part of our intake anyway to kind of really kind of screen for head injury because so many of these things could be secondary to head injury. But sometimes we'll see these little things like this, this focal slowing that doesn't make sense. And we'll say, like, hey, were you ever in an accident? Or did you ever like really fall hard and hit your head? I know one person said that they had a really bad um ice skating accident and they just wiped out and they hit their head and they had a concussion. It was kind of back here. Cause I, and and I said, We we're seeing this kind of bizarre slow, it's that doesn't make a lot of sense right here. Have you ever had a head injury kind of back in this area? And they're like, Hold a second. Oh my goodness, that one time, you know, and so you know, we're just like, and it's interesting because that area running a little slower also coordinated with some of the symptoms that we were seeing. So then, you know, as we but this had happened years and years ago, you know. So as we were working on kind of stimulating the brain and also healing some things, we were able to kind of rehab that area, you know, uh and and you know, increase some neurogenesis in that area, and that part of the brain started to work better. But like I said, this had been years and years ago. So we knew everything was nice and healed up. Um, and so like I said, we worked on rehabilitating that part of the brain and balancing that, and you know, the client felt a lot better.

Rehab Pace, Targeting, And Efficiency

SPEAKER_02 9:02

So Oh, that that that's amazing that you discovered that. Um so, and I know you've touched on this next question a lot in your other podcast, but for listeners and the audience that uh may not have heard earlier segments, you know, how does neurotherapy differ from traditional rehabilitation approaches for, you know, injuries like this and and conditions? I mean, is it that the treatment is a lot uh quicker than, you know, maybe the time that a client could spend going to other, you know, other options to treat their condition?

Calming Misfires And Easing Symptoms

SPEAKER_01 9:37

I mean, there's different options um out there for for treatment, but I will say neurotherapy uh with the ability to increase blood flow, increase energy, and it's very gentle. Yeah, and it can be very targeted. Like I said, if there's just a focal area that's not working well, you know, um, then we can kind of target that area. So I would say it's very, it's very efficient, um, you know, uh, but but we have to be persistent. If we're doing a little bit of like rehab, it's gonna be uh it's it might take a little bit more work than than something like like anxiety and depression, uh, they they can move relatively quickly, you know. Um, but uh some of the developmental things are or traumas like this, it it's gonna take a little bit more, um just a little bit more work because the brain has to kind of rebuild itself that in that in that area. So it's gonna take maybe a little bit more sessions, maybe than somebody with depression that might actually feel, you know, the the world feels a little brighter or they feel a little bit lighter just after one session. That's not gonna hold for forever, but you know, they'll fill that boost. This one's probably gonna take, you know, a few more sessions, but it's still ultra efficient because we can, you know, really target in and tone and uh zone in on what that particip that particular person uh needs and it works really well. Um one thing that you can see after some of these, some of these injuries, it's just uh it's created such a like a metabolic crisis and so forth. It can have some kind of like misfire, some electrical, you know, um like discharges in the brain. It's just a little bit maybe more irritable or just not running as smoothly. And so there are certain frequencies that uh that can tend to really soothe the brain and help it run a little bit more efficiently and have less of those, I'm just gonna, for the sake of this, call it misfires, you know, and then the and people will feel a lot better, a lot more stable.

SPEAKER_02 11:23

So, Dr. Heather, for neurotherapy too, what symptoms uh does the treatment target mostly?

SPEAKER_01 11:30

It it's very wide-ranging, but I I definitely say that like after treatments like this, depending on this particular symptoms that the client's coming in with, you may see improvement in that cognition, that brain fog that just feels out there. They might feel like just their ability to compute, just the ability to kind of think it gets better. Uh, maybe they were more sensitive to lights and sounds or some sensory stuff that you know might be secondary to this thing, that they just feel, they feel more calm and balanced. Um, anxiety, depression, irritability, sleep issues. We can see a lot of resolves with that, um, resolutions with that. Sometimes chronic headaches uh can also improve. Sometimes chronic headaches can also be kind of a blood flow issue. So as we're increasing stimulation and also helping with the blood flow, you can see some, you know, some reduction or remission from that as well. So we see a variety of mental health um benefits and quality of life benefits for our clients when they're when you know when they're coming in for this.

Improvements Clients Commonly Notice

SPEAKER_02 12:24

Well, thank you again, Dr. Heather. It's such valuable insight for anyone navigating recovery from brain injury. We appreciate you. Thank you. We'll see you next time on the Transformative Neurotherapy Podcast.

SPEAKER_00 12:41

You've been listening to the Transformative Neurotherapy Podcast with Dr. Heather Putney. Remember, your brain isn't supposed to hold you back, it's supposed to power you forward. So stop letting it crash your party and start letting it do its job. If you're ready to optimize brain health, sharpen your focus, and age like a fine wine, schedule your free consultation today at Transformative Neurotherapy.org. Or call us at 412-204-7397. Because here, healing happens faster. See you next time.