Today on the Dr. K show Dr. Michael Karlfeldt is joined by Dana Hargus M.Ed.LPC. Dana traces her path from special education into counseling, driven by financial realities and a growing belief that conventional approaches were failing children with trauma. She recounts teaching, adopting children with special needs, and witnessing systemic gaps in juvenile settings, all of which pushed her toward solutions that could produce meaningful, measurable healing rather than manage symptoms alone.

She critiques the child welfare and foster care landscape, describing how frequent placements compound trauma and instability. Dana argues for truly trauma-informed systems that prioritize safety, practicality, and the least invasive interventions, noting how resource constraints often force suboptimal decisions. The goal, she emphasizes, should be continuity and support that prevent further harm rather than repeated disruptions in a child’s life.

A centerpiece of her work is biofeedback—technology-assisted training that helps the brain establish healthier patterns by reinforcing desired states and extinguishing maladaptive ones. She explains how this can reset nervous-system responses, sometimes preparing individuals to benefit more from talk therapy than they otherwise would. Grounded in the science of neuroplasticity, the approach aims to reduce chronic fight/flight/freeze states that undermine learning, health, and behavior after trauma exposure.

Dana outlines her Restore Method, which integrates biofeedback, counseling, and practical daily interventions. The program typically includes a six-week at-home phase followed by a two-week intensive, addressing body, soul, and spirit while leveraging community support through Restore Plus. She also discusses adjunct techniques such as tapping for releasing energy blocks, and she highlights the importance of addressing attachment—both early-life bonding and “earned” secure attachment in adulthood—as a foundation for relational and emotional stability.

Finally, she underscores lifestyle as mental-health infrastructure: nutrition, sleep, and reducing stimulants like sugar and caffeine are presented as nonnegotiables, particularly given the gut-brain connection. Looking systemically, Dana calls for policies and practices that keep children safely with their families whenever possible, offering practical supports that prevent the churn of placements. Her thesis is clear: a compassionate, evidence-aligned ecosystem—combining physiological regulation, counseling, and everyday habits—can better serve children and families than medication-first, placement-heavy defaults.

• Dana Hargus explains how chronic trauma keeps the nervous system stuck in fight/flight/freeze and argues that biofeedback can help reset brainwave patterns more effectively than talk therapy alone in many cases.
• She outlines the Restore Method—a six-week at-home program followed by a two-week intensive—combining biofeedback, counseling, and practical daily interventions with community support via Restore Plus.
• The episode emphasizes “earned attachment,” showing how adults can actively rebuild secure attachment to improve relationships and emotional stability, even after early attachment injuries.
• Dana critiques foster care churn, noting frequent placements compound trauma, and calls for trauma-informed, least-invasive supports that keep children safely in their homes when possible.
• Lifestyle fundamentals—nutrition, sleep, and reducing stimulants like sugar and caffeine—are presented as core to mental health, alongside tools like tapping for releasing residual emotional blocks.

Restore of Ada, along with our online platform, Restore+. You can learn more about our work at RestoreofAda.com

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MORE PODCASTS FROM DR. KARLFELDT: 
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