Very often it’s the accidents in life that lead us to our highest calling. For Lee Gerdes, it was an unfortunate turn of events that would alter his life and push him to search for answers, not only for himself but for others as well.
In 1992, Gerdes was assaulted by four young boys, including one who used a baseball bat to his head. In the days, months, and years that followed, Gerdes found himself struggling to concentrate, battling anxiety, depression and insomnia and living a life that was only a shell of what it once was.
“I spent 8 years with a mild-traumatic brain injury and PTSD and it completely changed my life. Every therapy I tried failed and I found myself driven to near suicide,” said Gerdes. “Feeling helpless, I decided to take matters in to my own hands, look at my brain and research what could be done to help it relax and reset.”
With a background in math and physics, Gerdes views the brain with his engineer eyes. Looking at how it functions mechanically and electromagnetically as well as taking in to consideration how it is balanced between the left and right hemispheres, he was able to begin to understand how to improve his situation. He found that he felt his overall best when both hemispheres of his brain had the greatest balance or synchrony. When out of balance, he felt stuck, off his game and unable to function. Armed with this information and powered by desperation, Gerdes developed the patented Cereset® BrainECHO® technology that uses reflection and resonance of the brain’s rhythms to help it relax and return to balance. This non-invasive procedure has helped over 150,000 people worldwide on their journey back to themselves.
“When someone experiences a severe trauma or excessive stress, their brain responds by going into fight-or-flight. The brain can be stuck there – being on-guard and over-activated in a sympathetic state. If there is nothing the traumatized person can do about the situation, the brain responds by going into a freeze response – it numbs us so we can withstand the trauma. This is a brain stuck in a parasympathetic dominate state,” said Gerdes. “Giving the brain the chance to relax and reflect back to itself allows it to become balanced and return to a normal state. This isn’t imposing something on the brain, this is working with the brain and allowing it to mirror itself and bring itself back in to the balance it needs to function well.”
Along the way Gerdes has encountered his fair share of challenges. From struggling to have clinical trials accepted and studies published to combatting those who believe the therapy is too easy, the road has not been simple, but it has been well worth the journey. Over 30 peer reviewed publications and presentation have been completed with over 700 people in clinical trials.
When asked what has made the efforts most worthwhile, Gerdes will tell you without a doubt it’s the people. From soldiers returning with post-traumatic stress disorder to firefighters battling depression and from small children to police officers, Gerdes is thankful that this technology can restore hope to the lives of those who struggle.
“The eight years that I battled the traumatic brain injury, I was somewhat of an enemy of the Lord,” said Gerdes. “But when I founded this company and developed this therapy, I got my brain back, I started sleeping, I could see clearly and hear again. Now, I’m just so thankful that God has given me this opportunity and I’m all in!”
When asked how he spends his free time away from the office, Gerdes laughed and admitted that like most engineers, he tends to get so focused on his work that he forgets to do much else. When he isn’t in the office testing technologies or out in the field working with individuals and organizations, he enjoys cooking, movies and a little golf.
Cereset headquarters is located in Scottsdale, Arizona but centers can be found throughout the United States with its first office opening soon in Europe. To find a Cereset center near you or to learn more about Gerdes and the Cereset technology visit their website at www.cereset.com.