Testimonials

About 10 years ago, our son had developed a gaming addiction while he was in college. When he returned home during his Junior year, he was a shell of the person he once was. He had lost 30 pounds and looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks. He had also spent so much time gaming that he had flunked out of school. We encouraged him to get therapy. He saw a couple of therapists but nothing seemed to work until he was treated by Dr. David Greenfield. After several sessions, our son started to develop other interests and gave permission for my husband and I to speak with Dr. Greenfield. Dr. Greenfield gave us the hope we needed. He told us that our son was very smart and would be successful when he was closer to 30. He told us that something would happen, most likely by accident and he would get the break he needed. He also told us that he would never be overly social and that he would never care about money. About 3 years after Dr. Greenfield made these predictions, our son got a lucky break with a job that worked into another job and today he is a very successful software developer and although he does not initiate social relationships, he is engaged to a lovely woman. And Dr. Greenfield’s statement about how our son feels about money and material things couldn’t have been more accurate. I would highly recommend Dr. Greenfield to anyone who has an Internet addiction.

I will always remember your office as a sanctuary; where my husband and I sat across from each other and from you too (Imago instructions in hand)safely beginning our delicately choreographed explanations of our marriage and ourselves.

You provided me with a critical blend of information based on science and statistics, literary and historical anecdotes as well as carefully nuanced perspectives and personal stories, all the while coaching us with warmth and humor and a developing sense of intimacy.

To have shared these hours with my husband was profound, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. “Boot Camp” was a source of inspiration in bravery, in honesty, and in intimacy.Thank you for every single word.

On this one year anniversary of my daughter’s initial visit, I felt it fitting to let you know how very much you and EMDR have helped her. The changes are quite impressive. You are amazing! I am so grateful! I bet there is hardly a week that goes by that I don’t think about the changes that came about in my daughter’s strength, attitude and happiness as a result of EMDR and you. And I thank you immensely.

Dr. Greenfield’s EMDR treatment has been amazing and life-changing. I’m astonished at how quickly the pain, defense mechanisms and intense negative associations melted away. Just as surprising, two years later, the affects of the treatment are just as powerful as when I left his office after the first couple of sessions. I still don’t fully understand exactly how the process works, but I do know that it works better than I ever dreamed possible. EMDR has changed my life. It has made me a better person.

I entered couples therapy with my husband after he admitted to being an Internet sex addict and alcoholic. At the time we had been married for 11 years and had five young children. Needless to say, I had my world ripped from under my feet. At the same time, I learned of our crippling financial situation.

To say that Dr. Greenfield saved our marriage and my life would not be an understatement. I felt so afraid, alone and hopeless. I came from humble beginnings and was used to dealing with difficult times, but this was more than I thought I could handle.
The amazing part was that Dr. Greenfield made me feel that I wasn’t alone and that there was not only hope for our marriage, but that it would be better than ever. This was not something I thought was possible. I thought my marriage was over.

Dr. Greenfield guided us both patiently through EMDR and Imago Relationship Therapy. He treated my husband for Internet addiction and social anxiety.

I was able to start the process of healing my own childhood wounds, and understanding my husbands wounds and addictions. We are now able to speak and hear what the other person really feels and needs with deep compassion and empathy. We are connecting on a level that was never possible before and continues to grow deeper every day. We are living a conscious marriage.

Dr. Greenfield is truly a compassionate and caring doctor. He also happens to know a tremendous amount about trauma, addictions, anxiety, brain science, human behavior and relationship dynamics.
I learn something new about myself and my relationship every time I see him. I will be forever grateful for this healing of my soul and so will my children and my children’s children.

I am a 17 year old high school student that went through Dr. David Greenfield’s intensive treatment program for teens and young adults with Internet and gaming addiction in Fall 2013. I can say with certainty that going through this program was one of the best decisions of my life. I spend far less time now online than I did before going through the program, and most of the time I do spend online now is for social purposes like social media and texting. I have been with my girlfriend  for 6 weeks now and have a very special bond with her. Had I not gone through Dr. Greenfield’s program, I most likely would not have met her, and would not have the relationship with her that I now cannot imagine myself without.

My Life is changed now….

The girlfriend of one of my closest friends (whom my soon-to-be girlfriend was also friends with) was in a talent show at her school which my girlfriend also attends (they both sing), and she invited my friend and I to go see her and then go to a nearby diner with her and some of her friends afterwards. I met my girlfriend that very night at the diner and we instantly connected. Had I not gone through Dr. Greenfield’s program, I probably would have stayed home that night and played video games instead of going to the talent show and meeting her. I cannot express how grateful I am to Dr. Greenfield for having changed my life in such a positive way. I hope other teens and young adults can have as positive an experience in this program as I did.

Having achieved such remarkable results with Dr. Greenfield within just five months, I am sharing a brief summary of my experience with the hope that it may resonate and possibly motivate at least one person to schedule an appointment or explore the range of treatment options offered by Dr. Greenfield.

My Situation

I’m a “guy’s guy” in my early 50’s with a very decent and comfortable lifestyle by most measures. However, I have effectively coped with mild to moderate anxiety and depression for most of my adult life. The past year was particularly tough – a perfect storm of concomitant personal, work, marital and family related issues and stress. While unpleasant, I’m certain that my “storm” was probably similar to the everyday challenges that most people face. It was just more than I was capable of effectively handling at the time. I realized that I need to do something different and the first step was to reach out for help. With this realization, my goal was to simply return to my steady state of coping with the “normal” anxiety and depression to which I had been accustomed. Just to get past this rough patch and “back to normal”.

My Experience

Having achieved limited success with more traditional therapy several years ago, I was searching for something different. It had to be medication-free and preferably something that would deliver quick results. Based on these criteria and a fair amount of on-line research, I am blessed to have found Dr. Greenfield. During the course of five short months, I have not only wildly surpassed my modest, (almost laughable) goal of a “return to my normal state of anxiety and depression” but I have truly become a happy, engaged, enthusiastic and present human being. I have also learned a great deal about myself and the root causes of my previous state. With Dr. Greenfield’s guidance, these learnings are now linked with new thought processes, techniques and an outlook which will allow me to sustain and build on a foundation of greater peace, happiness and resilience.

I am an eighth grade student at Parras Middle School in Redondo Beach, California. Recently, I have been researching the addiction with technology and I have found several shocking stories of people’s obsessions with digital devices. This greatly distresses me because as a teenager, this tremendously affects me, my peers, and our futures.

During’ my research, I noticed your name appeared in several articles. Your work with eyber psychology, technology and behavior, and internet addiction has truly helped and had a great impact on our nation. I would like to thank and congratulate you on helping normal people realize they can have a better life without being attached to a computer. I think it’s amazing that you’re known as one of the world’s leading authorities on Internet use and abuse. I have read parts of your book, Virtual Addiction, in articles and I believe your methods are very unique. You have done so much to help our young, and even older generations.

Lastly, I had some unanswered questions on this subject. Since the technology addiction affects teenagers specifically, what could I do to help my peers with their obsessions? Do you know where most addicts originate from? Finally, what is the most popular type of internet addiction? Thank You for taking time out of your day to read my letter. I really appreciate your efforts to help this cause.

My 16-year-old son turned into a “junkie” in just a few short months of creating a FaceBook page and exploring the social network world on the Internet.  Having been diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum at the age of 6, he was challenged with difficulties with social skills and expressive language, and self-regulation.  We are involved in many social skills and behavioral programs and I thought FaceBook might be a way for him to socialize with others with common interests as our  neurotypical children and their friends do .  However, he withdrew from our family and school activities and became secretive and protective of his new life.   We were faced with severely limiting his time on the Internet and use of electronic devices, and shutting down his FB page after discovering inappropriate chats. He then fell into physical and emotional withdrawals, escalated into aggressive tantrums, and ended up threatening to kill me in my sleep if I didn’t give them back.  I felt like I had lost my son.  Even though I am a special education teacher in the Autism Program and already very familiar with behavior modification therapy and strategies, I found myself unsure how to detox him from the cyber world knowing we could not stay off the internet forever.

We live on the Central Coast of California, just outside the Silicon Valley.  I assumed I would surely find a therapist who specialized in helping kids and adults with technology addiction and/or virtual compulsive disorders.  Through my research I found Dr. David Greenfield, the most experienced professional in this area, and he was only on the other side of the U.S.  My son and I traveled back East for the week-long Intensive Therapy and returned home feeling more healthy and hopeful.

I found Dr. Greenfield to be warm, understanding and approachable while remaining clear and firm on the therapy plan.  He was able to give us specific, well-defined boundaries and strategies, which he has already found successful for others with this addiction.  Our treatment plan encompasses multiple facets of the neurological and emotional aspects of cyber addiction with the goal of self-management of Internet use for my son’s future.  As with any addiction, he is not cured but in recovery and Dr. Greenfield was especially helpful with preparing me for expecting the “loop-holes” and relapses, as well as with understanding the process of recovery. Dr. Greenfield helped him understand what’s going on with his body and brain and how to recognize triggers leading to unwanted behavior.

My “son” came home with me from The Center for Internet and Technology Addiction and our relationship is as intact as probably any teenager would be comfortable with.   Our therapy did not end when we left the Connecticut and we continue to work with Dr. Greenfield and his IT team as needed to support my son in facing his challenges.  I truly cannot thank Dr. Greenfield enough for helping our family; he is a true professional who actually cares.  I welcome the opportunity to listen to and share with anyone who may have questions about our successful experience at the Center and I can be reached through Dr. Greenfield.

“I am married to one of the most loving, kind, and thoughtful men in the world.   God truly smiled down on us when He brought us together. When my husband told me that he was addicted to internet pornography and had been caught doing this at work I experienced a plethora of emotions:

Shock because I thought this was totally out of character for the man I loved and married. Anger because I felt that he had betrayed me by doing this and never sharing these problems with me. Doubt because I thought I knew him and now I found out that he had been living a secret life. Would I ever be able to trust him again?? Fear because I thought our wonderful, happy, supportive marriage was at serious risk.  Maybe I really didn’t know him after all.  I didn’t want to lose him yet I didn’t know how I could continue to be married to someone who was not honest with me.

I knew little about disorders such as his.  In the past I stereotyped these kinds of behaviors as weird and perverted without understanding the reasons that caused this type of distraction and confusion. Once I got over the initial shock and came to terms with my emotions, I reminded myself that I loved this man very much and I had made a lifetime commitment him.  I recognized that he needed me now and I would do anything I could to help him resolve these issues. I vowed to help my husband to find the best psychological help to work through these problems.  We found that Dr. David Greenfield was a widely respected authority in this type of addiction.

At this time I was still overcome with fear.  Could my precious husband ever overcome these bizarre addictions??  What did it all mean??  Were his problems so deeply rooted that they could not be resolved??  Would I ever know who he really is??  I experienced resentment because our life had seemed so happy and now it was so complicated, so uncertain, so frightening.

My husband began to meet with Dr. Greenfield weekly.  Several times we met with him together.  He was very honest with us saying that my husband had serious, longstanding issues to resolve.  However, while he acknowledged the seriousness of these issues, he never gave us the feeling that they would be impossible to address.

Through Dr. Greenfield’s guidance and the use of a process called EMDR^®, my husband was able to resolve issues that were rooted in the first 5 years of his life.  He had been a victim of sexual abuse by his oldest brother at age 3 and experienced the death of his mother at age 5.  These tragic events occurred through no fault of his, yet his life was negatively impacted by the residual effects for over 40 years. Using EMDR^®, Dr. Greenfield returned my husband to those events and he painfully relived them.  By doing so he is now able to view them from an adult perspective recognizing that these events were not his fault and storing them back in his mind in the proper context, thereby freeing him from the guilt, shame and anxiety that he had experienced for decades.

My husband is like a new person.  His self-esteem has improved dramatically.  He is focused on improving his skills and utilizing his numerous talents.  He is no longer distracted and tormented by thoughts and behaviors that he did not understand.  He is happy.

Throughout this period of time, Dr. Greenfield has been so caring and supportive to both of us as he helped us to resolve the most significant challenge of our marriage.  I thank God every day for guiding us to find Dr. Greenfield and for the visible difference in my husband as a result of his guidance and support.

In addition, I believe I have become a better person because I have come away from this experience with much more tolerance toward people who exhibit problematic behaviors.  I now wonder about the underlying cause of their behavior; I wonder if as a little boy or girl these people were victims of life-altering events such as those my husband experienced.  I pray that they, too, will find a Dr. Dave to give them their life back.”

With deepest gratitude,

When I went to David Greenfield my habits were completely out of control and I harbored personal secrets that I had revealed to no one.   David quickly put me at ease with his informal and very frank approach.  His wisdom about internet addictions and the male psyche were profound and helped me discover a part of myself I’d long neglected.  Within only a few sessions he was helping me recover suppressed childhood traumas and with his expert use of EMDR^® guided me to rewrite my personal history and find healing.  With his help I have found comfort and peace with who I am and have the tools to understand and manage all those  triggers of my bad habits.  The two years of intensive work with him have turned around my life.  Although I see him rarely now I know he will always be available and an advocate for my health and balance.

Thank you for your care. I had been in need of your help for many months prior to finding you. You have an understanding of my condition that I thought I could not find in another. If there exists true treatments of the psyche, their form is exactly of the nature you provide: holistic and individual. You guided my return back to university, showing me the agency in my condition; I am responsible for my actions and my actions determine the life I lead. Your insight has proven true. From your care and with your wisdom, I will create the life I want to live. I can’t thank you enough.

I think I do not have a need for further consultation. My responsibility is to practice the art of good living through right action. I can’t thank you enough for your care and the support you gave to my parents at this important time of my life. I will let you know if the need arises in the future.

There was a time in my life where I would have considered myself to be the doormat of the social universe.  Many events like Christmas parties, family dinners, and nights out with friends so that I could squeeze in a couple more hours on my favorite games.  I had passed up trips to the zoo, dinners at nice restaurants, poker nights with the guys, and even when there were things I wanted to do outside gaming – I would sometimes forget. Upon hours and hours of time I had relinquished to someone else’s created world. I realized that I had completely lost time with everything that was and remains important in my life.  I had to do something.  But that something was not something I could do on my own. Dr. Greenfield introduced me to the truth behind video gaming, and with his program successfully pushed me out of the competitive, manipulative addictive world I was living in.  I now see that there’s a bigger picture and that’s not simply a metaphor.  The world is in fact much bigger than a 17″ screen. The only world that truly provides us with endless possibilities.

Dr. Greenfield was instrumental in helping me recognize and overcome my denial of the self-destructive vortex that overuse of online computer games had pulled me into. In my conversations with him, he taught me to deal with computer games, how to control my desire to play them and also how to better ground myself in the real world. Thanks to his straightforward attitude, without any psychological mishmash or self-victimization, Dr. Greenfield told me the truth, whether I wanted to hear it or not, and then helped me learn to accept it. He’s one of the rare psychologists who will tell you it you straight, cares about your well-being and is interested in you getting well and becoming a better, more whole person, free from any and all addictions. For this, I’m very grateful.

Thanks to his straightforward attitude, without any psychological mishmash or self-victimization, Dr. Greenfield told me the truth, whether I wanted to hear it or not, and then helped me learn to accept it. He’s one of the rare psychologists who will tell you it you straight, cares about your well-being and is interested in you getting well and becoming a better, more whole person, free from any and all addictions. For this, I’m very grateful.

Thanks to his straightforward attitude, without any psychological mishmash or self-victimization, Dr. Greenfield told me the truth, whether I wanted to hear it or not, and then helped me learn to accept it. He’s one of the rare psychologists who will tell you it you straight, cares about your well-being and is interested in you getting well and becoming a better, more whole person, free from any and all addictions. For this, I’m very grateful.

(Dr. Dave) can and does help. He is a real person, safe and good. And he continues walking me to a path of good, toward a life of my own.

From the moment I met with him the first time, he made me feel at ease and comfortable. After our first session, I couldn’t wait to see him again because I knew I was stepping toward healing.

What I admire most about Dr. Dave is that he is real. He showed me his tremendous sadness when his own mother passed away. He admitted that life isn’t always fun, but it’s up to us to enjoy the ride.

The good doctor has changed my life and I will never forget it. Although we don’t socialize outside of sessions, I consider him one of my closest and dearest friends, and I love him.

“Dr. Dave is very personable and his demeanor makes it easy to talk about personal issues.  His therapy included review of the different physiological make-up of men and women which allowed me to better understand how my actions and issues and my wife’s reaction were influenced by primeval circumstances.  This resulted in allowing me to change my behavior based on positive behavior modification and not a condemnation of my actions which would have resulted in a negative approach to problem resolution.

Dr. Dave’s approach is to strengthen and preserve the marriage as opposed to finding fault in any one party.  At no time did he take sides on any issues, but encouraged us to discuss our differences so we understood each other’s viewpoint even if we didn’t agree. Dr. Dave taught us how to apply Imago to problem resolution and this has become a very powerful tool in discussing our feelings and concerns in a non-confrontational way.”

“I had heard about Dr. Greenfield online before my parents proposed I meet him, and was skeptical; Internet/Technology addiction wasn’t a thing, and I wasn’t an addict. It took failing out of college for me to admit my addiction, and when I finally met with Dr. Greenfield for the two day intensive for Internet and Technology addiction, I thought I had run out of options. I left feeling more optimistic than I had in years. Internet/Technology addiction is a real problem, and Dr. Greenfield is the person to see. I now have the tools, and more importantly, the clarity to get through this. He listens, and in doing so, forces you to listen to yourself; not as a critic or a judge, but as a mentor.”

“Imago is a way for my husband and me to communicate our feelings to each other so we actually hear what the other person is saying and can understand each others point of view. It is our “tool box” to resolve any conflict or ill feelings one of us might have. We find that by practicing Imago we are brought closer together in a loving relationship.”

“Dr. Dave helped save my life, my marriage and my job. In addition to helping me, Dr. Dave helped my wife – the most beautiful, loving, patient person in the world and my best friend and soul’s companion – understand what I was going through. My wife and I often say “there aren’t words to describe” the love we have for one another. Similarly, every single day, we also say “Thank God for Dr. Dave”.