Several common denominators have been identified which are at work in each person with an active seizure disorder.  These symptoms often go untreated in the standard treatment model which relies solely on anticonvulsant drugs for control.  When the drugs don't work both the patient and physician experience frustration.

This work began as a private investigation of the potential for a behavioral approach to the treatment of epilepsy.  Several disciplines were utilized for this investigation; neurology, psychiatry, psychology and biofeedback.  This first exploration involved five patients with an average history of 15 years of uncontrolled seizures.  The subjects in this study all responded to treatment and are living very productive normal lives today.

The success of the Santa Rosa Project, led to the opportunity provided by Mt. Zion Hospital through the Neuro-Sciences Department, for the second year of research.  This program provided for the investigation of thirteen research subjects and 34 private patients, 47 in all who were treated during this 10-month study.  These studies showed that the patients were demonstrating actual changes in the overall organization of their brain activity.  In effect they were learning how to take control of the way their brains worked and to recognize the difference between abnormal and normal brain states.  The success of this program demanded that our research team try to isolate the components of the treatment that were responsible for patient improvement.

In order to proceed it was necessary to form a legal entity to accomplish the next levels of research and produce the written findings.  In 1982, the Andrews/ Reiter Epilepsy Research Program became a non-profit organization, dedicated to bringing this alternative treatment to the attention of the medical profession.  In October the results and potentials of this treatment approach were presented to the AAFP Annual Convention and Scientific Assembly, held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco and attended by 3,000 physicians.

In 1982 the Andrews/Reiter Epilepsy Research Program received a grant of $20,000 from the Stem Fund in New York City, for the purpose of producing a book to educate both patients and professionals in the process involved in the control of epilepsy with this alternative approach.  This complicated and arduous project was completed in May of 1987 and titled, "Taking Control of Your Epilepsy: A Workbook for Patients and Professionals".

Since 1980 approximately 2300 patients been treated and the success rate is running over 80% for complete control. In some cases where complete control was not achieved, there have been positive improvements in the quality of the patient's life.