Alternative Solutions for ADHD
What if Focus Isn’t Just in the Brain?
By Creative Lives Director, Maureen Burford
For parents, teachers, and counselors seeking root cause solutions for ADHD and focus issues.
At Creative Lives, we’ve seen remarkable breakthroughs in children and teens with symptoms of ADHD—not through medication, but by helping them access and sustain focus through a surprising strategy: strengthening the function of their human energy system, also known as the chakra system.
If that sounds unconventional, you’re not alone. Many educators and parents have not considered this perspective. But the chakra system is far from a “New Age” trend—it’s an ancient, cross-cultural model of the human energy field.
New Discoveries About Human Development
Our approach is grounded in the pioneering discoveries of educator Ellen Tadd, who investigated the practical role of the chakra system in human development. Could this energetic mechanism help explain human behaviors, strengths, and challenges? Could it offer actionable insights into supporting human potential? After decades of study, Tadd’s answer was a resounding yes.
She discovered that each of the seven primary energy centers, or chakras, governs a different aspect of our essential nature, including innate capacities such as focus, concentration, and discernment. The way these centers function provides insight into which aspects of an individual’s potential are being expressed in healthy, constructive ways—and which may be diminished or overactive, calling for greater balance and support.
Tadd adapted her findings into a transformative new approach — A Framework for Wise Education® — that offers profound insight into how every child can reach their unique potential for learning, contribution, and fulfillment. A central concept in this Framework is a deeper understanding of the mechanics of focus and attention, including for individuals exhibiting symptoms of ADHD.
Understanding Focus Through a New Lens
One of Ellen Tadd’s key insights is that sustained focus is not solely a brain-based function. Instead, it is closely tied to the function of a specific energy center—commonly known as the third eye chakra, located at the center of the forehead. When this center is actively engaged, both children and adults often experience a sense of inner calm, heightened awareness, and the ability to move forward with clarity and intention.
In children with ADHD, this center often operates in a diminished or inconsistent way. These children may struggle to access their natural capacity for focus, as well as other vital qualities associated with the third eye chakra, such as discernment, clarity, and wisdom.
The good news? Like a muscle, the ability to focus can be strengthened over time with proper support and effective strategies.
Children with ADHD also need to strengthen their base chakra, located at the base of the spine. This center governs discipline, including the consistent, often hard work required to build the focus “muscle” across various settings and situations.
In my work with hundreds of youth and adults diagnosed with ADHD, understanding the partnership between the third eye and the base chakra is a game-changer. It’s a missing piece in how we understand and support focus—not a quick fix, but a powerful foundation for long-term growth. It doesn’t mean that we, or the child, won’t have to work hard. But it does mean the work will pay off.
An Example from the Field
Some years ago, I worked with a first grader—let’s call him Justin—who had been diagnosed with ADHD. He was full of natural aptitudes: nimble, athletic, bright, and deeply sweet. But his behavior was erratic, his mind scattered, and his brightness dulled by a persistent lack of focus.
For months, I tried everything I could think of to help him “get into the Wise View”—our term for a state of focused perception and presence. Nothing stuck.
One day, I took a new tack. I invited Justin to a private piano lesson with me, a skill set from my earlier life. What happened next still brings tears to my eyes.
As soon as he sat at the piano, Justin transformed. He was gripped by attention. Fully present. It was the first time I’d seen his third eye focus activate—and it was breathtaking.
When this center opens, cognitive ability also ignites. Memory returns. The analytical mind works in tandem with insight. Emotional clarity follows. In that thirty-minute lesson, Justin mirrored my hand movements, repeated sung notes, translated melodies onto the keyboard, and improvised duets with me, all with sensitivity and awareness.
Two days later, he remembered everything. It was as if a locked door had opened and music was the key.
Importantly, Justin was not yet on medication for his diagnosis. It had been under consideration, but after this breakthrough, his mother found him a piano teacher. She and our team began using strategies to help Justin carry his deepening experience of focus into other parts of his day. Piano was his access point—his gateway to building both focus and discipline. Learning more about his Wise View (without discussing chakras) was his next step.
And here’s a critical note: when any of us is truly focused, fear dissipates. That’s why, when trauma is part of the ADHD picture, strengthening the third eye can help the healing begin. This is true for all of us. The more consistent we become at holding focus in the third eye, the more insight and relief we find—one moment, one practice at a time.
Holistic ADHD Strategies:
What You Can Observe Right Now
Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or school counselor, you can begin by asking:
When does this child naturally sustain focus for more than 10 minutes? If you don’t know, please find out!
What circumstances, habits, or attitudes most disrupt their ability to focus?
What is this child like (how do they behave, feel, communicate) when they are keenly focused, versus when they are not?
These are the same core observations we teach in our trainings—and they’re often the key to unlocking fundamental transformation. In our experience, focus habits vary widely from child to child—and they’re not set in stone. Children (and adults) can shift dramatically from moments of scattered attention to states of deep concentration.
When you begin with clear answers to these questions, it becomes far easier to apply the tools and strategies we share for cultivating consistent focus at Creative Lives — and the importance of doing so. The goal is to help young people strengthen their own “focus muscles”—and, just as significantly, to give them more agency in their learning and development.
Why This Matters: Focus Builds Confidence and Capacity
Children with ADHD often feel frustrated, misunderstood, or left behind. However, when they learn to focus at will, even for brief periods at first, their confidence increases, they feel empowered, capable, and ready to learn.
Focus is what helps children:
- Retain knowledge
- Perceive context and retain learning
- Make wise choices
- Manage emotional overwhelm
- Feel more connected in relationships
Don’t Overlook the Physical Side
We also encourage parents and other support team members to investigate physical contributors to ADHD symptoms, including:
- Poor sleep quality
- Overstimulation from screen time
- Sensitivity to artificial lighting or sound
- Environmental toxicity
- Nutritional imbalances
- Spinal misalignment or chronic tension
These factors matter, and when addressed in conjunction with understanding the function of the chakra system in human development, the results can be life-changing.
Want to Learn More?
Enroll in The Wisdom Factor—our new self-paced training on focus, clarity, and discernment.
Perfect for:
- Educators seeking fresh tools for managing attention challenges in the classroom
- Parents looking for non-medication ADHD strategies
- Counselors who want to support children’s focus, self-awareness, and growth
You’ll gain practical, accessible methods to help children find and sustain their focus, unlocking their potential from the inside out.
👉 Pre-Enroll in The Wisdom Factor now, or join us for our live online course, Foundations 1 in Ellen Tadd’s Framework for Wise Education