Despite the wave of changing social attitudes in 1969 when Ginny Dotson entered college, she recalls wryly, “Options for women were slim. You could be a teacher, a nurse or a housewife.” Growing up in Dearborn, Michigan, Dotson was smart and good at a number of different subjects in school, but was unsure of what she wanted to do for a living. Psychology as a profession for women was still relatively rare then, but decades later, she went on to co-found Ideal Brain, LLC, a clinic that helps resolve clients’ problems by stimulating the brain to balance itself naturally.

As an undergraduate, Dotson attended Bowling Green State University, in Ohio, and earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. After teaching for a year, she realized that being an elementary school teacher wasn’t the job for her, so she traveled to Europe to do some soul searching and spent time in Germany and Greece.

Dotson returned to the United States refreshed and ready to try something new. When she visited her alma mater in Bowling Green for a recommendation, the college dean informed her of a slot that had unexpectedly become available in a master’s program. It included an internship working with college students in student affairs and counseling, and Dotson jumped right in. She counseled students with behavioral problems and realized that an occupation helping people achieve mental wellness was her calling.

After completing two master’s degrees in 1973, Dotson accepted a position at Waukesha County Technical College and subsequently took a job in the counseling center at Marquette University, where she earned a Ph.D. in educational and counseling psychology in 1983.

During 30 years in private practice psychology, Dotson trained in many modalities, including cognitive behavioral therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, neurolinguistic programming, holographic memory resolution and, more recently, advanced neurofeedback technology. She also discovered that she has attention deficit disorder (ADD), characterized primarily by a lack of concentration. While she was growing up, ADD was largely unrecognized by the medical community.

When Dotson’s daughter was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, she sought more comprehensive treatment for the both of them. In 2012, after investigating neurofeedback, she began training in Brainwave Optimization, a non-invasive technique that assesses and records brainwave patterns for analysis.

“It was like someone gave me a pair of glasses,” Dotson says of the positive results she experienced from Brainwave Optimization. In her practice, she met Dave Brethauer, a veteran of the United States Marines and a businessman who brought his family to Dotson for the treatment. He was so impressed by the technique and its results that he thought it would be beneficial to open a business offering the service to others. Brethauer approached Dotson with the idea, and Ideal Brain, LLC, was formed in June 2013.

The company offers Brainwave Optimization with Real Time Balancing, which helps the brain correct itself by recognizing imbalances. “It has amazing results in many ways,” she says. “Independent medical research being conducted by the Wake Forest Hospital, in North Carolina, shows that Brainwave Optimization can help people suffering from insomnia and migraine headaches.” Research on the technique is ongoing.

Dotson says the therapy can also treat children and adults suffering from addictions, anger, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, brain injuries, sleep disorders, stress and depression. “It can even help with hypertension by lowering stress,” she points out.

Prior to their appointment with Ideal Brain, clients complete an online survey, which is assessed and reviewed with them during their appointment. Sensors are placed on the head and data is collected from several areas of the brain. Dotson describes the process as similar to electroencephalography. “It gives a snapshot of the lobes of the brain,” Dotson explains.

A brainwave technologist then reviews the results and discusses patient goals. During the 90-minute follow-up sessions, patients relax in a chair while listening to brainwaves converted to musical notes. Protocols developed from the assessment are used to encourage the brain to balance itself. According to Dotson, traditional neurofeedback attempts to train the brain to look like a predetermined “ideal” brain, but Brainwave Optimization relies on the brain’s own neuroplasticity to bring it into natural alignment.

In addition to her work with Ideal Brain, Dotson maintains a private practice at Shore Counseling & Consulting, in Glendale. At 66, she has not considered retiring because she gets satisfaction from helping people enjoy life to the fullest. “Instead of being on a golf course, I can help people relieve suffering and be the best they can be.”

Ideal Brain, LLC, is located at 10532 N. Port Washington Rd., Ste. 1C, in Mequon. For more information, call 262-518-0149 or visit IdealBrainLLC.com.