Designs for Strong Minds
Puzzles with a Purpose
Designs for Strong Minds
I am an attorney from Brazil and this was a long journey until I found a cure for my concussion. My life played out like a movie-- The kind of movie that once it is finished you thank god it was just a movie and you are safe and sound on your couch. I saw many doctors and most of them just didn't understand my symptoms. My family thought my symptoms were psychological and I needed therapy. So I did it for years. Of course, doing therapy never tackled my real issues. But after seeing Donalee my life started to change in the blink of an eye. One week after seeing Donalee and the other professionals she recommended, I flew back to Brazil. And my mom said: "You are so much better, you are more like the son I know, you don't need psychotherapy, you just need to keep doing this treatment!" Of course I was better, I was more present, attentive, more balanced. I used to drift to the left when walking and had to consciously correct my self. Well, that went away. It's been 5 weeks since I first saw Donalee. I am not 100% back to what I used to be but I am getting there, and fast! Unfortunately, the concussion and the symptoms I had to live with were not in a movie but in my life. But the good news is that I've found a way to solve something that apparently looked unsolvable.
I want Dr. Markus to know that the puzzles were some of the most helpful things I have ever done for my
brain. Not only did I fully recover from my Dec 2020 concussion, but with the help of the puzzles and
Dr. Z’s glasses I went well past my initial baseline. I ended up excelling so much cognitively, that I
was able to take a position in New York running an entire trading desk on Wall Street. I have performed
very well in this role, and it is in no small part to the exercises I did under the guidance of Dr.
Markus.
Thank you again as working with Dr. Markus was truly transformative for my life!
D.M.
For reference, you may remember when I was playing the paper version of Mind Mazes I wasn't satisfied because of how much of a logical conversation I had to have with myself. I had to very consciously think through what the options were for matching each time. I had to think very methodically about each shape in an order to see if I could connect with a line. I felt like I often got into a repetitive and on-constructive pattern. I'd continue to ask myself the same questions for two patterns, not quite remembering the other options I had already gone through, which ones I already determined matched, if it for sure wasn't a match. I generally would force myself to give up after a while, just look at another set of patterns for matches, but not really certain I'd ruled out the option of the two I'd been focused on.
Great news is that at least for this game I've broken that behavior. I played the app periodically while in Chicago on Saturday after our Friday appointment and got to level 50 before getting home Saturday night. I continued to play for 10-15 minutes a few times a day and had gotten to level 125 by by about the end of the week, so playing the app in total for about a week or less. I continue to play level 125 once a few times a day and am averaging about 1 minute or less to finish. It just feels right now.
It all seemed to "click" around levels 30-50 the Saturday after our appointment. At that point I started to better understand what I expected of myself, why I was frustrated by what I described above, even though you felt like I was doing fine, having a conversation with myself, going through logical steps, etc. When it "clicked" it’s almost like my subconscious took over the processing. I didn't really need to go through a conscious logical process. I would just look at two shapes and "know" if they shared two characteristics. If I stopped to think I could quickly describe (to myself in my head) what two characteristics matched.
Sometimes I'd get caught up with one or two of them and spend a minute fixated, but for the most part just move from pattern to pattern. Also great is that I can count on one hand the number of times I made a mistake caught during submission.
This is the first time doing your puzzles I've gone at the speed I expect of myself. Where I don't feel like l need to logically think through what process to follow to get the right answer. I don't know if t'm saying this right but it sounds like my subconscious almost just takes care of it. It's kind of crazy that my brain still expects this level of processing, that I get frustrated not having it, after 8 years of being level-set backwards after the accident. I guess that's just how the brain works though.
Dear Donalee & Margit,
There is a beautiful Japanese phrase “otsukaresama” which is used to express gratitude. I love this word because it directly translates to “you are tired”, acknowledging the effort that kindness and good deeds take.
I want to say otsukaresama to you both. I can see how hard and passionately you work and the effects your work has on people is revolutionary. I have already mades so much progress since my week in Chicago and could not be more grateful for that. Thank you also for being so welcoming, kind, and fun - and for all the tea.
You both work in a field that isn’t widely understood but that is so important. I will work hard to spread the word of neuroplasticity and how it has helped me and so many others. I hope you never get discourage from opening up your “yes you can” clinic no matter how challenging it may seem, because it is so necessary and will make big changes to the work. I’m looking forward to see you in August!
Sincerely, your fan, S.R.
Janette Gerber - Textile Artist / Designer
"Open to Brain Plasticity"
Brain Plasticity refers to the ability of the brain to change itself, to rewire.
This work is an expression of my gratitude for the professionals of the many healing paths I have taken to get my “Self” back, post injury and concussion. The umbrella, made of constructed cloth, is a loose representation of the synapses made by our magnificent brains. From the head spring many of the symptoms which occur simultaneously. Think of the inside of a telephone cable, with multiple colored wires, bare in spot and shorting out as they touch.
Each of the eight sections of the umbrella is devoted to a phase of healing with dangling visual representations of some of the healing steps, a process that is ongoing.
This is a very brief summary of a long and difficult internal invisible injury and journey. Integrating Traditional Medicine and Alternative Therapies, I build a dancelike interweaving of complimentary approaches, each working toward the common goal of brain plasticity.
Dr. Deborah Zelinsky O.D. referred me to Cognitive Therapist Donalee Markus Ph. D. who said that her exercises would result in the return of the “pictures in my head.” It is a frightful loss for an artist to the pictures. Mine had gone, along with my creativity, in the moment of the crash nearly three years ago. Cognitive exercises brought the pictures back.
Janette Gerber
Don K.
I was on the job for SBC one Saturday morning four years ago, parked in my truck, when
I was hit head-on by a reckless driver. I recovered quickly from a concussion, but was subsequently
plagued with post-concussion syndrome: I was hypersensitive to noise, my field of vision was broken down
to pixels rather than a whole integrated picture – in fact, all my systems were hyperactive.
Doctors wrongly told me I'd be good as new in a year; what did make all the difference was working with Donalee, who said, "Life's going to be different from now on, so let's make good use of it." It took me less than four years to retrain my brain with Donalee Markus, and I'm back with SBC, splicing cable – thanks to Donalee, I'm able to lead a normal life.
Kathy A. - Parent
A catastrophic car accident at age 16 left my daughter Krysty with a
traumatic frontal-lobe brain injury and a broken neck. Her physical wounds healed, but her brain did not
– until we took her to Donalee Markus. Krysty arrived at Donalee's office with her higher
functions, including executive function and critical thinking, gone – along with 20 points from her IQ.
She was almost emotionless and operating at an 11 year old's social level.
After working with Donalee, Krysty regained her higher brain functions, emotions and IQ, got back on the honor roll, and is now on the honor roll in college and an officer in her sorority. I simply cannot thank Donalee enough for what she's done.
Moira M.
In October 2006, I was interviewing a new client of the publicist who employed me as a
writer of press materials, when I suddenly experienced what felt like a sledgehammer blow to the back of
my head. I lost consciousness, and upon awakening – on the floor – found I was hallucinating. Day-glo
colors of pink, green and yellow were swirling all over the faces of the people clustered around me
trying to help. I knew something was direly wrong with me, and I was right: a giant brain aneurysm (that
I didn’t know I had) had ruptured, causing a cerebral hemorrhage and the first of three hemorrhagic
micro-strokes.
I remember the paramedics arriving and lifting me onto a stretcher – and my next coherent memory was fully three weeks later. I was in Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s neuro intensive care unit, and just beginning to discover – to my horror -- the extent of the brain damage.
While my verbal skills seemed intact, I found I could no longer read an analog clock (the kind with hands.) I couldn’t identify black-and-white line drawings of familiar objects: a hammer, a bed, a horse. I had trouble sequencing. I couldn’t do simple math problems like long division – even subtraction, as long as it involved borrowing. My head felt like a Cuisinart, with disjointed thoughts whirling around so fast I couldn’t get a fix on them. As for multitasking, I figured those days were gone forever.
In addition to the publicity job, I’d been a longtime freelance journalist, and my main outlet was at that time (and still is) the Chicago Tribune, Once the full import of my brain injury registered with me, I was terrified I wouldn’t be able to write an article again. I had all the words, but did not know if I could sequence them, or link them with the ideas that would make them into a feature article.
Leaving intensive care a week or so later, I entered in-patient rehabilitation. After two weeks, I could identify line drawings once again, and seemed to have improved in other cognitive areas as well. But I was far from being recovered – and it was at that point I began to see Dr. Donalee Markus.
With Donalee, my high-level recovery began. After a few weeks, I was able to hold more than one idea in my head simultaneously. I began to regain my ability to multitask. And two months after the ruptured aneurysm had felled me, I had my first post-trauma article published in the Tribune. As part of the writing process I used an invaluable organizational tool I’d learned from Donalee: mind mapping. I’ve continued to use mind mapping with each subsequent Tribune article I’ve written – a general process that has gotten less and less difficult, thanks to Donalee.
One very important skill that Donalee’s neurocognitive therapy restored was my ability to navigate. My visuospatial center had been hard-hit by one or more of the strokes – and I’d found, to my considerable distress, that I could no longer visualize the street grid of Chicago in my head, in order to get from one place (or set of coordinates) to another. I couldn’t picture north, south, east, and west in relation to where I was at a given time, which made getting around the city where I live much more challenging than it had ever been – if not, in fact, utterly daunting.
But the visual puzzles Donalee had me do – ramping up their complexity bit by bit – brought back my
ability to see the grid in my mind. Once again I could stay oriented, figure out where I was going, know
which major Chicago street would be coming up next in the direction I was walking.
I even began trekking to New York City in the fall of ’07 to visit my daughter (a freshman in college
there), and my work with Donalee had so improved my visuospatial skills that I was able to navigate
around Manhattan and even Brooklyn with few mistakes.
I loved doing those puzzles – especially the wonderful dots that are Donalee’s trademark. I swear I could
feel the damaged connections in my brain knitting back together, or rerouting themselves. I found the
puzzles simultaneously relaxing and stimulating, and I looked forward to doing them daily the same way
you might anticipate getting a massage. Donalee’s visual puzzles – as well as Sudoku, which she taught
me and which I still do almost daily -- also helped me with my scanning, which had been severely
impacted.
Another issue that had given me much grief, even half a year after the rupture – was that I had focusing
problems. I would forget to retrieve my ATM card from cash machines; I’d forget to close the lid of the
coffee maker when setting up my husband’s morning coffee the night before. After working several months
with Donalee, my attention to those details (and others) noticeably improved. I continued to feel more
and more like myself as time went on, thanks to Donalee Markus and her remarkable, cutting-edge
neurocognitive therapy. I am so fortunate to have been able to work with her: it’s no exaggeration to
say she gave me my life back.
SMP develops their verbal rehearsal
and
mindshifting skills in an engaging and systematic manner. I have watched so many clients improve and
carryover
the skills into their every day life.
Thank you!
Devorah
Himy,
M.A.
CCC-SLP,
Clinical director of Language Builders
For reference, you may remember when I was playing the paper version of Mind Mazes I wasn't satisfied because of how much of a logical conversation I had to have with myself. I had to very consciously think through what the options were for matching each time. I had to think very methodically about each shape in an order to see if I could connect with a line. I felt like I often got into a repetitive and non-constructive pattern. I'd continue to ask myself the same questions for two patterns, not quite remembering the other options I had already gone through, which ones I already determined matched, if it for sure wasn't a match. I generally would force myself to give up after a while, just look at another set of patterns for matches, but not really certain I'd ruled out the option of the two I'd been focused on.
Great news is that at least for this game I've broken that behavior. I played the app periodically while in Chicago on Saturday after our Friday appointment and got to level 50 before getting home Saturday night. I continued to play for 10-15 minutes a few times a day and had gotten to level 125 by by about the end of the week, so playing the app in total for about a week or less. I continue to play level 125 once a few times a day and am averaging about 1 minute or less to finish. It just feels right now.
It all seemed to "click" around levels 30-50 the Saturday after our appointment. At that point I started to better understand what I expected of myself, why I was frustrated by what I described above, even though you felt like I was doing fine, having a conversation with myself, going through logical steps, etc. When it "clicked" it’s almost like my subconscious took over the processing. I didn't really need to go through a conscious logical process. I would just look at two shapes and "know'' if they shared two characteristics. If I stopped to think I could quickly describe (to myself in my head) what two characteristics matched.
Sometimes I'd get caught up with one or two of them and spend a minute fixated, but for the most part just move from pattern to pattern. Also great is that I can count on one hand the number of times I made a mistake caught during submission.
This is the first time doing your puzzles I've gone at the speed I expect of myself. Where I don't feel like I need to logically think through what process to follow to get the right answer. I don't know if I'm saying this right but it sounds like my subconscious almost just takes care of it. It's kind of crazy that my brain still expects this level of processing, that I get frustrated not having it, after 8 years of being level-set backwards after the accident. I guess that's just how the brain works though.
I'm currently living in Denver, Colorado, as a mixology instructor. A student asked about "my story" I told her how depressed I was and going to you changed my life and the impact you had on me and how happy I have been since. I felt like I had to share that with and give you an update on my status. I'm just enjoying life right now and am excited about this new adventure I'm on.
Thank you again.
Thomas Z.
Great for speech therapy as well
I am a speech therapist, and I downloaded this app and the Rocket 123s. I have been using them for an adult patient with a reading impairment (alexia) and a vision impairment (field cut). It has been fantastic. The format is simple enough that she can understand what she’s supposed to do and the graphics are well done but not too immature for adults. She really enjoys it. If I were working with a child learning his/her letters, I would definitely recommend it as well since teaches them to identify the letters in a variety of contexts/orientations.
Aleksa started the Learning How to Learn Program two months ago. Since she began the program, we have noticed that Aleksa has developed an awareness of order in the universe. She has demonstrated an increased awareness of time, direction in space and how things are organized in relation to hierarchy. Almost overnight, she has become interested in which direction she is traveling, how long a trip will take, and if we estimated correctly. She is more aware of her environment and notices when something needs to be done, without being asked.
Aleksa reports that she noticed that homework is easier now. In fact she approaches homework with a much better attitude, and perseveres through longer assignments without getting frustrated. Consequently, her self confidence has improved. We are thrilled with Aleksa's progress in such a short amount of time.
The first time my family met Dr. Donalee Markus we were struggling emotionally with our daughter Rachel. We were at our wits end and Doctors told us she needed to be medicated. At age 4 ½ we knew that was the wrong path for her. After the first evaluation Donalee turned to us and said, “She’s great, I can help and she will calm down”. My husband just sat there stunned and I cried. This was the first person who said they could help, this was the first time someone could see her potential. You see through all the difficult times, we didn’t realize Rachel was very bright – Donalee Markus did.
Rachel from the beginning tested Donalee and the environment. The first several sessions she sat under the table and wouldn’t come out. Donalee respected Rachel and slowly engaged her to participate. With love, patience and coaching Rachel began to work on the puzzles Donalee created. At first she resisted them and eventually couldn’t get enough. It was the first time, for Rachel, that someone understood how her brain worked and how it needed to perform better.
Right in front of our eyes, we watched Rachel begin to socialize, calm down, build her self-esteem/confidence and want to participate in the world around her. She truly blossomed into a unique and beautiful girl, the child we knew she was. Today Rachel is coaching other students, attends a private gifted school and is truly happy. Her experience was so successful that her brother and mother (me) joined the program. I guess at the end of the day, we could all use a little retraining of the brain. Thank you Donalee and staff for your dedication to the needs of children greater than any pill could give. We are truly blessed.
Before getting help from Dr. Markus, I struggled in a lot of areas in school. I got bad grades, I couldn’t focus and I just hated being at school. After spending time over the spring and summer working with her, everyone could see a change in the way I thought and the way I did things. She helped me think about my thinking and I became more confident about my problem solving abilities.
Coming back to school this past fall was a different feeling. I felt ready for this school year. Before working with Dr. Markus, I would give up on difficult school work but now I’m able to be more persistent. After the first semester I’m doing better than I have ever have done in school and a lot of that is due to the work I’ve done with Dr. Markus. I’m glad I got the chance to work with her. Not only does she care about me as a learner but she cares about me as a person.
She has made a big difference is my life – I actually don’t mind school now and believe I can be successful in college. Thank you Dr. Markus for helping me.
Our 11 year old son Michael is very intelligent, but because of his ADHD-related learning disabilities he didn't think he was smart, and consequently lacked confidence. He started seeing Donalee Markus four years ago, and the improvement in his spelling and writing has been dramatic. He loves working with Donalee – and so does our other son, who goes with Michael and does Donalee's neurocognitive exercises along with him voluntarily – simply because he enjoys them. She is truly amazing.
My older daughter, Mara, who has the visual processing disorder that some call dyslexia, had no idea how intelligent she was until she started working with Donalee: as early as fifth grade, she was staying up till midnight every night, just trying to keep up with her homework. But when Mara started going to Donalee when she was almost 16 years old, it was like her brain just started switching on. Mara's math, science and music improved to the point that she made the honor roll, and now Mara's a junior in college going for dual degrees in education and in psychology, with a minor in history. Donalee is truly a godsend – everyone should take her classes.
I have 12 year old triplets that are currently in Donalee's class and working with her material at home daily. I can say at this point, Donalee is nothing less than a blessing to my children and their future. Watching them is like seeing desert flowers blossom. It is a joy to experience. I have the utmost confidence in Donalee Markus and the program she has created.
Most Sincerely, Martina Mathisen mother of: Bjorn, Janeen and Eric Mathisen
The program that Dr. Markus has established for her students is one that holds tremendous value to all those who she helps. I first started doing her exercises when I was in third grade, and it is from years of working with her that I can say I am one of her many success stories. My severe learning disabilities began to affect me more and more in my studies as I advanced in school.
It was with the help of Dr. Markus that I am where I am today in school. Not only did her exercises help to change the way my brain works , but also Dr. Markus worked with me to establish tools that I would be able to use in and out of the classroom to help me compensate for my disability. I am now a successful senior at Chicagoland Jewish High School because of Dr. Markus' dedication. Without her I would not be able to overcome the obstacles that my learning disability placed before me. Her warm heart and dedication is shown not only with me but with all of her students. Thank you Dr. Markus!!!
Ari Glasser, Age 17, Student (Chicagoland Jewish High School)
My daughter has seen Dr. Markus for a little over a year now. Most of her visits have been private sessions, but she has recently improved enough to join the group sessions. Since starting with Dr. Markus in November of 2006, my daughter is more focused (partially due to a medication recommended by Dr. Markus), more socially appropriate and more independent (at home and at school). Her conversations are more appropriate and consist of longer exchanges. She is more on task than before. I have actually been able to ask her to do two and three-step tasks and have her complete them (we are still working on this as her success is still inconsistent). Tasks that were extremely difficult for her to complete (only done with much verbal and visual prompting and help) she can achieve now with relative ease.
Another benefit of being a patient of Dr. Markus is that she has a great network of other professionals to whom she has referred our daughter. She has been helped immensely by the other professionals we have taken her to see.
Yet another positive aspect of Dr. Markus' treatment is the positive feedback we have gotten from friends and family as to our daughter's behavior. It is so rewarding to hear others remark positively about our child!
I don't know where to begin to find the words of gratitude, appreciation and awe.
We went out to dinner last night as a family. I was sitting across from Jordyn and had the perfect seat to observe her. It was my observation that she just looked happier. I don't know how else to say it. Her eyes were brighter and she was smiling more. When you have a child that has had as much treatment as she has, you pay attention to these things. The conversation turned at some point to her appointment with you and she looked at her dad and said "I could feel myself thinking differently and it felt REALLY GOOD!" She then proceeded to find one of the comprehension riddles on her phone and explained to him how she had been stuck and then showed him how she is learning to think differently about such a "problem".
Throughout the dinner there was an easiness and happiness to her. These are not words that I would generally associate with Jordyn, at least not since she was 3 1/2. She was joking, tolerating others joking with her and wasn't in a rush to be done and onto her agenda. Perhaps this is Jordyn's version of Clark's ghost starting to appear, and she hasn't even seen Dr. Zelinsky yet! I will watch and wait with hope, tears and in total fascination.
Far be it from me to say whether you are in the "right" field. What I can say is this ... I am SO glad and appreciative that this is your field. You provide real and sustainable relief for your clients that countless providers before you could never achieve. You are a gift! Thank you!
I took Designs for Strong Minds™ to give me the edge that I so desperately needed. After completing the class and doing homework on my own, the mental skills and fluid-thinking patterns that I have acquired, have made me a success both in my personal life and my business life.
Before I took the class, I was consumed with mental stress, inhibiting me from unlocking my true potential. I knew that there must be a key to help me unlock my true potential and I found that in Designs for Strong Minds™.
Learning alternative ways of perception has re-designed my thinking patterns, alleviated stress, and made "the big picture" much more clear.
My personal experience with Dr. Markus' work is that it lays a foundation for enabling personal mastery and enhances one's ability to understand his/her own thinking process. I introduced her exercises to NASA and our NASA employees felt that these exercises allowed them to see, understand and move beyond their own limits to thinking and awareness. Specifically, Dr. Markus' exercises open an individual's ability to explore and learn in a non-threatening and creative way.
I have to be honest, when you gave your proposal although I love the exercises, I was highly skeptical of DSM being able to change my thinking and problem solving ability. I remember thinking, "How are a few exercises going to change my thinking or help me develop critical thinking skills?" Then after I went to the classes and continued to do the exercises I realized that I looked at problems differently and approached resolving them with a different attitude.
Donalee - I wanted to follow up with you and let you know how blown away I am with the progress my Dad has made in just 5 days. Your work is amazing - you are so brilliant and I love to watch you observe and seamlessly integrate. You are a tough cookie and my Dad is loving every minute of it. He continues to impress me at 75 he is becoming stronger than ever. I am so blessed to have both of you as teachers!
After 3 months of intense hard work with Dr. Markus, she told me my son was doing much better. I couldn't understand however why he was still getting frustrated when doing his Math homework. Dr. Markus then told me that he needed to go back and learn all the Math basics that he missed in the past.
That was it. She found the piece missing. His mind was ready to learn and she knew it.
Dr. Markus and Dr. Zelinsky were always in communication about my son. They were always on the same page.
Around that same time, Dr. Zelinsky found great improvement in my son's eye sight system._ His eyes were now working together. She gave him his 3rd pair of lenses and it was little after that when many things started to change. I felt as if everything was finally falling into place.
When we met with his teacher during the teacher conferences a month or two after that, she told my son she couldn't believe the leap he took in Math. She said that what his Map Math test showed was not normal. She said she didn't know what he did to make that change happen, and asked him to continue doing whatever it was.
My son is now 9 years old. His balance and his coordination have improved greatly and he is running much faster. His core and fine motor skills are improving day by day, as well as his handwriting. His motor planning is much better and he is getting stronger. He doesn't knock down his cup nor he bumps into furniture any more. His mornings are so different now. He looks at his watch, knows how many more minutes he still has to do whatever he still needs to do, frequently walks to school on his own and gets there on time. He is less fearful now. He has started making new friends and is a happy kid in the playground. Also, his behavior has improved greatly at home. No more ugly tantrums. If he gets frustrated about something, his reactions are age appropriate now. He takes Math lessons after school and has learned to do his homework on his own. He brings home excellent notes and I haven't even taken a look to his Math workbook during the last trimester!
He still has some ways to go, but his mind and body are now in a much better place and he is catching up at a fast rate. He may not notice the difference, but he is now becoming more confident with his new mind and body.
I cannot thank Dr. Zelinsky and Dr. Markus enough for their hard work and passion to help. My son has made major progress physically, socially, emotionally and academically in a short period of time. Brain Plasticity works and my son is an example of that.
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