Dr. Siegfried Othmer first introduced me to EEG neurofeedback (EEG biofeedback) nearly thirty years ago. His work positively changed my life and the lives of thousands of others. He quickly became a dear friend, as well as a mentor I have relied upon throughout our relationship. Siegfried and his wife, Sue, founded their EEG biofeedback organization in the 1980’s. Their work and organization has evolved with brilliance and leadership. Along with son, Kurt Othmer (who heads the business branch of EEG Institute), the Othmers have pioneered the science of brain training and brain regulation and improvement.

I admire Siegfried for his sheer brilliance. Although trained as a physicist, life and family circumstances and tragedies steered him into the field of brain training using computers. He is a visionary who works tirelessly, advancing and promoting the field of brain improvement through neuroscience. He is eloquent and articulate in his teaching about brain function and scientific matters in the universe. Siegfried co-authored our first book, ADD: The 20-Hour Solution (2004).

In addition to his scientific rigor, innovation, and achievements, Siegfried is a sensitive and compassionate man. Along with his worldly understanding (and teaching throughout the world), he has a big heart for the downtrodden. He exudes a rare mix of compassion and genius that helps me understand the world better. He has encouraged me for decades, teaching and guiding me generously with his time and vast knowledge. Siegfried has the courage to speak the truth and laud the potential of the brain and his brand of neuroscience. He boldly debates critics and skeptics, supports brain research, and writes prolifically about neurofeedback and brain science.

Siegfried laughs at my jokes—not sycophantically, but because he’s so bright and gets it. His work and dedication laid the foundation for vastly improving my own brain and my abilities to be productive and compassionate. Though he is well-known in the biofeedback community, he receives undue criticism from competitors and naysayers. I predict that history will establish him as one of the greats in his field.

To me, Siegfried is great because he took me under his wing, guided my learning, and has empowered my wonderful practice and my ability to make a difference in the lives of many others. We are allied in changing the world, one brain at a time!

Dr. Roger Callahan (who passed away in 2013) was my dear friend and mentor. He was a clinical psychologist who discovered and pioneered Thought Field Therapy (TFT). Roger was a genius who doggedly pursued his scientific discoveries in the face of unrelenting criticism, harassment, and defamation. He is the father, the originator, the “granddaddy” of the “real McCoy” of tapping treatments—the natural way to eliminate any negative emotion in minutes.

After decades of traditional and respectable clinical practice as a psychologist, Roger veered off into the pursuit and development of TFT. He taught hundreds of therapists his techniques, and his work continues to benefit multitudes throughout the world. He wrote several books about the application of TFT to many areas of human suffering. Roger was a kind of Renaissance man, a person of many interests and vast knowledge. He was dedicated to his science and craft, but he also knew how to have fun. He had a great sense of humor, and he was a romantic. Roger was a devoted husband and family man who knew how to love. He was amazingly generous with his time. People often misjudged him because he chose to make money working hard with his discoveries and inventions.

Though many academics ridiculed him (unjustly), I believe he endured many cases of “sour grapes”—people who taunted or dismissed him because he could cure people of emotional distress and fears in minutes. I learned from the master, and for decades I, too, have used TFT and Voice Technology to eliminate negative emotions and many distressing symptoms in minutes.

Roger possessed a unique ability to tolerate skepticism and harsh criticism while confidently correcting and instructing his critics (including most of his protégés) in the evidentiary science by which he healed people and taught others how to do so with his methods. He was investigated and hounded by governmental authorities for his unconventional practices, a McCarthyesque burden he struggled with for years. The persecution stopped when he cured a medical board investigator of her phobias!

Raised as an orphan, Roger somehow learned to be successful and to establish loving bonds with many people. He allowed people to be themselves, yet he staunchly adhered to his science. He was always willing to teach and always persevering in refining TFT and advancing its healing throughout the world. With his acolytes, Roger’s work has healed hundreds of thousand of people on most continents, including trauma relief in Africa and many third world countries.

Roger’s personal impact on my life and family is hard to overstate. Through his work, I’ve become a much more forgiving, compassionate, calm, and healthy person. Through Roger Callahan, I have the gift and the scientific technique of eliminating (by phone) any negative emotion in minutes.

By virtue of his enthusiasm, confidence, and bold (truthful) claims, Roger alienated many people who deemed him a showboat or huckster. Indeed, he was just the opposite: genuine, fair, objective, diligent, a person of great patience and integrity.

The challenges, skepticism, and hostility I face must be far less than what Roger Callahan endured. Because of his work and his personal guidance as my mentor for nearly two decades, I’m able to patiently abide the many negative people who falsely decry my craft—and for those who are willing, I heal them, despite their initial skepticism.

Roger’s wife, Joanne, supported his work and collaborated with him as a team partner until his death in 2013. She continues to spearhead the global influence of TFT, carrying forward the work of TFT and Callahan Techniques. I fondly remember many dinners and conferences with Roger and Joanne, dear friends, always. We are kindred spirits in the belief and ministry of spreading peace through healing trauma and eliminating negative emotions.

The Callahans’ work is replicated and expanded through the efforts of thousands of therapists worldwide. Roger was essentially the “Billy Graham of natural energy healing”— a great man, indeed!

Robert Lungaro has worked as a neurotherapist in my practice for a decade. I’m privileged to work side by side with such a devout and dedicated professional Christian man. Robert has more than thirty years of experience in the fields of biofeedback and education. He’s a consummate professional, dedicated, conscientious, and fastidious in his work.

When I regard Robert, I see Christ. This is the way it’s supposed to be, the way God wants, and the life to which I aspire. Robert’s devout Catholicism permeates his presence, his humility, his patience, and his dedication to duty and family. He is quiet, but assertive when necessary. Robert is a model and a leader by example. He’s always a servant, reliable and diligent, perceptive and communicative. He’s not preachy, but I know he’s always praying; and sometimes, we do so together in the privacy away from, but on behalf of, patients and families.

Robert is modest in lifestyle, but steady and bold in faith. In my eyes, he is great because of his faith and unwavering humility and dedication. He’s a leader by example. The people around him can count on him. He inspires hope.

Robert is a reserved and ordinary man whose greatness emanates because he reflects and encourages the greatness of Christ to shine through to others.

Larry Greene has been my dear friend for over thirty years. Though he lives in Los Angeles, and I rarely get to see him, we are united at many levels. Larry is a scholar who has written twenty-two books (mostly about developmental learning), and he does editing for me. Larry refines my ideas into plain language, so that people will read and understand what I have to say. He challenges me in concepts, syntax, and semantics. (If we were younger, he’d probably challenge me in basketball, too. As it stands, he likes the Lakers.)

Larry is inveterately Jewish—a bond we share actively by heritage, upbringing, culture, and humor. Though he does not share my dedication to Christ, Larry respects my beliefs and writings, and works diligently and with an open mind to help me express my spiritual ideas. That takes a big and humble person.

Educated at Stanford, Larry ran a thriving private practice in San Jose for decades (the Developmental Learning Center). He has helped many thousands of children to overcome learning obstacles and succeed in school and in life.

These days, Larry is nursing his ill health, and he prefers to stay behind the scenes, supporting and editing talented writers. The heyday of New York publishers and book tours behind him, Larry lives quietly and expresses his cogent wit and expertise in language through edifying and correcting the ideas of fuzzy-minded authors. I share the traumas in my life with Larry; he understands, consoles, comforts, and loves me.

He keeps me real. If you like my writing or at least think it’s clear and organized, we should both thank Larry Greene.

Daniel Feldman is the owner of MacMind. He does IT and computer work of all kinds. Boy, is he good…, er, great! Daniel is the manager and support service of my digital life. From iPhone to computer networks, he enables my business to run efficiently and digitally. Databases, security, computer wizardry—he seems to know it all. You can imagine how much work it must take to keep up with constant updates and changes.

Yet, Daniel is virtually always available. And I do emphasize the word virtually: Daniel is an amazingly talented problem-solver. Upon my phone call, he can access any of my computers remotely, fix the constantly occurring glitches and problems, and assist me in learning how to solve and manage my computer issues in real time.

With the marvels of remote access notwithstanding, Daniel’s feet follow his brain to my offices to install and repair computer networks when necessary. He’s not only knowledgeable and ingenious, he’s reliable, dedicated, and always gets the job done. He guides me in selecting and ordering the most appropriate and cost-effective equipment for my needs. He helps me avoid scams and security risk exposures.

Daniel Feldman embodies the epitome of excellent customer service. His greatness accrues from the combination of ingenuity, experience, dedication, friendliness, willingness, and the perseverance to fix the problem every time.

Shaye Larsen runs Fabuso, a company that develops and supports websites. I am fortunate to have found him. He has revamped and revolutionized my website, enabled me to extend my communications reach and services, and rescued me from devastating hacking intrusions.

When you visit www.marksteinberg.com, you are seeing the work of Shaye Larsen as well as Mark Steinberg. His team developed the inviting interface and website organization, as well as the programming for my on-line tests. Shaye posts my videos and testimonials, as well as my articles and descriptions of services. He helped me develop my apps.

Shaye is easy to work with, and is a man of dedication and integrity. He’s incredibly creative and knowledgeable about website design, digital optimization, and how people use the Internet. He’s also a family man and a spiritual servant of God.

Shaye is one of the “behind-the-scenes” geniuses whose work makes others visible and prominent. He is a great servant.

Von Capell (Giovanni Capellini) was my dear friend, mentor, and therapist. Known as “Von” or “Doc,” he is the person I credit with teaching me how to be a winner.

I met Von when I was in college. I was lost, frustrated, and headed down unproductive roads. He took me under his wing, taught me how to be practical, and mentored me through my graduate school years. Von was a worldly man, a psychologist, businessman, and polo player. He traded horses and played polo around the world with many wealthy and influential people. Though he hob-nobbed with the elite, Von was a down-to-earth guy. He lived on a farm and commuted to the city daily to do his professional work. He rode horses, baled hay, and picked rocks from his horse trails. He was a man of many talents, but none better than helping people overcome their psychological problems and become happier and more successful.

Von went to medical school in Italy, but never got his license to practice medicine in the United States. With his Ph.D. in psychology, he practiced as a school psychologist and in private practice. Von used his vast knowledge of biology and physiology (without prescribing medicines) to help me understand the biological bases of behavior; he planted the seeds for what was to become my career and contribution working with people’s brains and solving emotional problems from a physiological basis.

Though Von was erudite, astute, and insightful about psychodynamics, his methods were simple and practical. His steadfast guidance helped me reform my behaviors, reinvent myself, and develop a healthy, confident self-image. He often guided me by reviewing my actions and beliefs, saying, “Losers do that; winners do this.” Since I desperately wanted to be a winner, I took his advice and accepted his coaching.

Von helped me interpret and understand the motivations of others. He taught me how to establish a give-and-take-flow with people. He helped me “de-satellize” from my dependence upon and resentment of my parents and to initiate and nurture healthy peer relationships.

He taught me about nuances in the work and professional world, and he helped me develop the grit and perseverance to obtain my doctoral degree. When it was time for me to move away from Buffalo, he encouraged me to fledge, often reminding me of his belief that I would achieve greater things than he did and taking a fatherly satisfaction in helping me.

Because Von believed in me and cared for me, I was able to accept and implement his often stern advice about my attitudes and behaviors that I didn’t want to hear. Von Capell possessed a wonderful blend of traditional, spontaneous, wise, and disciplined talents and traits, and he was above all supremely interested in life and in other people. He infused me with hope when I had none.

Von showed me how a skilled therapist and mentor could make such a huge difference. Though he passed away in 2010, his efforts and love continue to bear fruit in my life.

Peter Wilkes is my dear friend. He was the lead pastor at South Hills Community Church in San Jose during the years when I raised my children. Peter was a powerful preacher at South Hills and other churches. He is a true spiritual leader, holding fast to the bible and the outreaching salvation and grace of Jesus Christ.

Peter was an eloquent speaker, and his messages preached the unwavering truth of the gospel. Certain characteristics made him even more compelling: he is British and extremely articulate; he spoke openly of his personal challenges and those of his family; he spoke with grace and forgiveness, but also held accountable those who would act with hypocrisy, pride, or deceit. Peter holds a Ph.D. in Material Science and had formerly served as a Professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, while also pastoring—two full-time jobs!

Peter was especially effective at apologetics—the art of explaining and defending the bible to questioners, skeptics, and disbelievers. In the Silicon Valley, where science and wealth tend to take precedence, Peter was a beacon of intellect, challenging those who relegate Christians as simplistic, uncritical thinkers. He was a model as an astute and penetrating thinker, yet also as a man of faith.

Peter helped me stand firm in raising my children. He provided insight, counsel, and encouragement. He guided me to be a better father. He held me fast to the Word of God throughout my troubled first marriage.

Though I’d been a Christian long before I met him, Peter welcomed me into a church family, and he showed personal interest in me and in my work. Eventually, he married me to Giulia, who accepted Christ in front of Peter before we married.

Ron Gentile was my mentor and major professor in graduate school at the University of Buffalo. I first met Ron when I took his introductory course in psychology and learning theory as an undergraduate. At the time, I’d been a college student for years, and I was quite disenchanted with academics. Ron changed that; he lit a fire for learning in my heart and brain.

Ron introduced me to the progressive concept and practice of mastery learning. This approach is an instructional strategy and educational philosophy proposing that students must achieve a level of mastery (e.g., 90% on a knowledge test) in prerequisite knowledge before moving forward to learn subsequent information. When students don’t achieve mastery on the test, they are given additional support in learning and reviewing the information and then tested again. This cycle continues until the learner accomplishes mastery, and they may then move on to the next stage. This humane and effective method of teaching and learning opposes the standard “cutthroat” method of norm-referenced grading, which forces students into a bell curve distribution of grades, where only a small percentage of students may receive A grades.

Ron was part of a radical movement to redefine educational roles, methods, and objectives. His teaching over the years transformed my ideas and techniques about how people learn and become self-controlled and successful. His teaching undergirds my effective practice of behavior modification for four decades—the science and practical rudiments by which I help people change their habits.

Ron told a story I’ll never forget. He was recounting his stay in Japan, where he visited to learn about the Japanese educational system and its potential applications to American schools. Ron was skeptical about the Japanese reports, thinking that they might be sweeping under the rug their “failures.” So, he asked them, “What do you do with the students who can’t learn?” The Japanese educators exchanged puzzled looks and responded, “We teach them.” Thinking they misunderstood, Ron repeated the question several times. The Japanese answer was the same: “What do you mean, can’t learn? We simply teach them, according to the ways they can learn.”

Thus, Ron Gentile began my gradual “education” in sane and effective teaching and leaning methods. He launched me on a career, first as an educational psychologist, and eventually as a clinical psychologist. He guided me, supported my research, and helped me to attain my doctoral degree.

Ron is a wonderful man, a visionary and leader in his field. He is a published and widely recognized authority on mastery learning and teaching methods. He is also a songwriter and musician. I remember fondly listening to Ron and his wife, Kay, perform. I remember seeing Ron play catch with his son in the fields adjacent to the university.

I attribute my rekindled desire for learning and my eventual academic and professional success to Ron’s skillful teaching and graduate school guidance. Let it be known that teachers can make lasting impact and crucial differences in the lives of students.

Ron is a great teacher who profoundly influenced the course of my life and career and, hence, the lives of many others.

Phil Howard has been one of my closes friends for decades. I first met Phil and his wife, Sharon, at a bible study group in San Jose. Phil is rock-solid, a bastion of strength and faith. Phil is about my age, but we have very different backgrounds. He grew up in Ohio, quite a ways from the South Bronx. He served in the Navy for years, and is now approaching retirement from Lockheed-Martin, where he has worked for decades.

If I had to select people to “help me survive on a (proverbial) island,” Phil would be my first choice. He’s loyal, smart, and extremely practical and reliable. Phil scours the Internet to read manuals and learn how to do, obtain, or fix just about anything. I admire and appreciate his regulated lifestyle and his discipline (perhaps derived from the military). While most of us are trying to grasp deep sleep, Phil awakens in the wee hours to go to work.

With his wife Sharon, Phil takes care of people. He and Sharon have made a practice of visiting and caring for the sick and elderly. Presently, they devote themselves (in addition to Phil’s full-time job, where he commutes from Monterey to Sunnyvale, an eighty-mile trip each way) to caring for Sharon’s elderly and ill parents. What hearts of service they have!

Like me, Phil is conservative, traditional, and staunchly dedicated to studying and following biblical principles and the lead of Christ. Since we grew up in the 1950’s and ‘60’s, we draw upon a reservoir of that culture, including its music, entertainment, and political icons. To give some perspective, we remember gun violence when JFK and Martin Luther King were assassinated. We view the world with similar outlooks and values. We follow different paths and missions, yet we remind each other to be loving, tolerant and prayerful.

Phil is a man of great faith, a saint, really, in my view. He is willing to commiserate with me and lend a shoulder and an ear for my burdens. He reminds me to “lay it at the cross” when all seems desperate. I can always count on Phil. What better example of “ordinary greatness?”

My father passed away in 2002. His eight-six years were filled with hardship and depression. He loved me deeply, and he provided, supported, and cared for me. He was there for me in the toughest of times, and he celebrated my victories—sort of. Daniel was a difficult person to be around. He had few friends. He was lonely, fearful, and depressed, though his travails went misunderstood and undiagnosed until several years before his death.

I am grateful, of course, that my father gave me life; and that he provided well for me, including many material things, opportunities, and a protective environment in my childhood. He did the best he could to navigate the uncertainties of parenthood and the constant conflict with my mother over fifty years of their marriage. My father was cynical, sarcastic, mistrustful, and abusive (verbally to me and physically to my mother). My home was a nuthouse, filled with conflict, screaming, rebellion, hostility, and resentment. Much of it was my own contribution. I, too, did the best I could… which, as I recall and reconstruct, was a poor job. I was an ungrateful child, a handful, self-centered, restless, spoiled, and unhappy. I thought that the world owed me. I blamed my parents for many things, including their (in my mind) lousy parenting, boorish personalities, terrible examples of how to live, and their ambiguous message that I was “special,” but not special enough to be treated with celebrity.

So, why do I think my father was a great man?

He often used to say of his father (with whom he was very close), “I wish I could dig him up from the grave and have a conversation with him. I would tell him how right he was about so many things, and I would thank him. Most of all, I miss talking with him. How much he understood!”

In recapitulation, I echo the same words and feelings about my father. Daniel Steinberg was a bright and practical man, hardworking, and devoted to his family. He was constantly critical, caustically chiding everyone around him insensitively (more often, of course, his family). Yet, I wish I could dig him up, talk to him, thank him, and acknowledge him for his care, wisdom, and insights.

My father was a great man because he persevered in the face of many hardships for his entire life. He lived with undiagnosed and untreated depression, anxiety, and agoraphobia. He had lifelong severe eczema that marred him with terrible skin lesions, constant itching, and social anxiety. He was allergic to so many foods and substances that made eating and living fraught with fear and physiological toxicity. The world awarded him little sympathy or recognition. He worked as a dentist for decades, hunched over people’s mouths to provide for our family. He did a very good job providing; and yet, my mother rebuked him for his thriftiness and for his lack of adventure. I climbed on the bandwagon, inadvertently adding to the misery. We taunted, mocked, and took advantage of my father’s generosity and his fears. How I wish I could go back in time and be nicer and more sensitive and tolerant. I was full of myself, foolish, prideful, and without enough mercy.

In retrospect, I remember my father as a very wise man who tried to guide and protect me with the benefit of his experience and wisdom. I rejected his wisdom, but accepted his money. Yet, he continued to advise me and fund me when I needed support. He paid for college, and gave me seed money to move to California and start a new life. This from a man who lived his entire life under the canopy of his domineering father, also a dentist, who dwelled in the same apartment building as our family. How difficult it must have been for my father to watch me move far away (geographically and from his values), to experiment, reject him, and land in all sorts of trouble! (Yes, he literally bailed me out of jail once and paid for my lawyers—but that’s another story).

Daniel Steinberg was a great man because, despite his many glaring faults and weaknesses, he was loyal, faithful, dutiful, and perseverant. He worked hard and loved us despite his ceaseless personal pain and anguish. He was protective and generous, yet unacknowledged for these gifts and virtues. He was respectful of society and authority, law-abiding and responsible. Perhaps his lack of self-confidence and poor self-esteem marginalized his success and happiness; but they characterized a person who was relatively content with little in the way of material things, validation, and human support. From his genes, modeling, and instruction, I learned to value quality in character, to discern with keen judgment, to watch my back and the backs of others.

My dad was not religious, but he was humble and respectful. He often deferred to “the man upstairs,” thus acknowledging his human frailty and mortality. He had many aphorisms, some of which I repeat on occasion, giving him due credit. Among my favorites:

You were, right, Dad, about so many things, including that last reminder. I wish I could dig you up, and we could reminisce and laugh together. You were a great man!