Clarkston wellness center tackles depression, insomnia with echo of brain waves

CLARKSTON, Mich. (FOX 2) - Robert Round came into the Cereset wellness center after struggling for years with sleep. He'd plugged thousands of dollars into sleep studies in hopes of finding a cure to his insomnia, which kept him from resting more than three hours a night. 

The results were life-changing.

"So after the treatment, I was sleeping through the night a week after the treatment. It was so life changing and we're talking about almost 8 years of struggle," he said.

Cereset works by helping the brain rebalance itself. 

The key, Cereset Owner Carrie Weidenbach says, is helping the brain listen to its own sound waves. The theory goes its inner cognition isn't in sync and it needs realignment. 

"We put high resolution sensors on the head. They're read, and we transmit your brain waves into our computer system - our algorithm - and it creates a sound echo or engineered tones of your actual brain waves that you then listen to," said Weidenbach. 

Another way of thinking about it is there are two partners training for a dance. Both are out of practice and need help learning the timing and direction of the dance. 

The sensors on the head record the activity within the brain. It then plays it back to the brain, which allows it to listen and rebalance. The method is being advertised as a non-invasive way of helping people relax and rest. 

"When you listen to your own brain, your brain recognizes what's out of balance, what's out of harmony and it self-corrects. It heals itself," said Weidenbach. 

It's intended for those with depression, alcohol dependency, PTSD, and, like Round, those who struggle sleeping. 

Cereset has locations in Clarkston and Ann Arbor. It's listed as a wellness company and its method hasn't been approved by the FDA. 

Because of this, the procedure, which runs about $1,500 is generally not covered by insurance.