OVERVIEW
Dr. Ashlie Bell is an internationally renowned brain health expert and respected leader in the fields of neuromodulation, integrative medicine, and mental health. She is the owner and director of NeuroGrove, as well as a neurotherapist, researcher, public speaker, and published author.
Dr. Ashlie has worked in the fields of health and mental health for over 17 years and is well-known for her specialized knowledge in brain-based assessments and interventions, as well as integrative mental health and the treatment of trauma-related challenges. Her passion, dedication, and commitment to excellence have led to esteemed recognition and awards for her work, research, and merit, and she puts this same level of devotion toward every client of NeuroGrove.
JOURNEY OF HEALING
Through her own journey of healing from multiple concussions, chronic stress, and nine years of systemic illness, Dr. Ashlie recognized where our conventional medical system is falling devastatingly short and failing to promote true healing. This experience taught her—through direct experience—just how intricately interconnected the systems in our bodies are and why it is so important to not only get to the root cause of illness, but also take a whole-system, whole-person approach to healing.
EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION
Dr. Ashlie’s career journey and education led to similar conclusions from the angle of mental health and wellness. For as long as she can remember, she has felt a strong mission to find and address the roots of suffering. This led her down an extensive career path involving international social work in third-world countries, natural disaster recovery, homeless/low-income services, refugee services, foster care, care for children with developmental challenges, hospice and bereavement counseling, medical clinics, community mental health, and more. Throughout this process, she came to realize that some of the most devastating and long-lasting “suffering” came from trauma inflicted from one human onto another. As such, she pursued her master’s and license in Clinical Social Work with a specialization in Interpersonal Trauma.
During this program, Dr. Ashlie learned all about the negative effects that traumatic stress can have on the brain; however, very few solutions were presented to treat the brain itself. As she dove deeper into the research, she discovered how such neurological changes often underlie a myriad of physical, cognitive, and emotional symptoms. In other words, our own brains were causing much of our suffering! And in observing the unacceptably low rates of success in the mental health field, she realized that the brain was likely a key missing piece. We were trying to treat the thoughts and emotions without addressing the organ that was producing them.
After recognizing this, Dr. Ashlie began investigating effective methods for healing and optimizing the brain, alongside other approaches for promoting physical and emotional wellbeing. This led her to pursue a doctoral degree from the College of Integrative Medicine and Health Sciences, with specializations in Integrative Mental Health and Psychophysiology, as well as board certification in Neurofeedback (BCN). During these studies, she researched the underlying mechanisms of various interventions, from meditation and yoga to nutrition and exercise, as well as various modalities of traditional and alternative medicine. She also learned how functional neuroimaging and psychophysiological assessments can be an effective tool for discovering exactly where and how each individual’s brain and nervous system were struggling the most. These assessments could then guide neurotherapy interventions to naturally balance and rewire the brain and nervous system toward healthier patterns of functioning. Furthermore, in bringing it all together, she realized how imbalances in the body affect the brain, imbalances in the brain affect the body, and it’s all intricately interwoven with our cognitive, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing.
FOUNDING NEUROGROVE
After studying and working under some of the leading experts in the fields of neuroscience, psychophysiology, medicine, mental health, and shamanic healing, Dr. Ashlie opened her own integrative brain wellness center, NeuroGrove, to help people heal on all levels—brain, body, mind, and spirit. This center offers a variety of interventions under one roof, including functional brain imaging, neurofeedback, neurostimulation, biofeedback, trauma-informed psychotherapy, expression- and somatic-based therapies, neuro-assisted meditation and EMDR, breathwork, functional medicine, personalized nutrition, neuropeptide therapy, wellness education, and other individualized modalities. Through this integrative approach, Ashlie and her team are seeing people overcome the most horrendous of traumas, significant chronic illness, learning and mental health “disorders”, and so much more.
After observing the transformative effects of this approach and seeing how desperately needed it was in our world, Dr. Ashlie began accepting offers for public speaking engagements to educate practitioners and spread hope to communities. She also became an esteemed member of the International Society for Neurofeedback Research (ISNR) and the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (AAPB), as well as a certified mentor for the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance (BCIA). Furthermore, she is in the process of developing a comprehensive training program to help other clinicians become more effective in their work with clients, thus allowing a broader reach and greater access to care.
PERSONAL INTERESTS
Through this extensive journey of personal and professional growth, Dr. Ashlie has developed a strong passion for whole wellness that bleeds into everything she does. Even outside of her work, she strives to practice what she preaches, engaging in authentic community connection and personal growth opportunities. She also loves engaging in activities that allow her to fully experience and enjoy this beautiful life, including travel, outdoor activities, yoga, dancing, art, music, writing, or whatever new opportunity presents in the moment.
SUMMARY
Dr. Ashlie has dedicated her career to exploring and developing new approaches to healing the brain, mind, body, and spirit from prior physical and emotional harm in order to alleviate suffering, optimize overall wellness, and achieve higher levels of consciousness. She has been called to share this knowledge and insight with the world, as well as promote collective growth through love and compassion. Dr. Ashlie Bell’s vision, passion, dedication and heart are at the core of NeuroGrove, which has formed the foundation for all that we do.