By JAMES EIK
Staff Reporter 

In the business of helping others find happiness

Psychiatric clinic Peak Performance opens just off West Sunset Highway

 

Last updated 2/21/2013 at 3:46pm



Opening his own private practice has been a dream long in the making for Dr. Michael Reznicek, but that dream is finally a reality.

Last week marked the opening of his clinic, Peak Performance psychiatry and counseling, located at 1717 S. Rustle Road, just on the outskirts of the West Plains.

Reznicek has practiced psychiatry for the past 24 years and has an extensive background with military training and corporate counseling. He and his wife Linda, who works in the front office of the practice, moved to Lewiston, Idaho to work at St. Joe’s Hospital before eventually moving to Cheney to work at Medical Lake’s Eastern State Hospital.

While there, Reznicek realized he could do quite a bit of good for the community, particularly for military members.

“Fairchild Air Force Base has a huge need,” he said, noting that some airmen wait up to three months to meet with someone.

Peak Performance is in the process of applying to accept TriCare insurance, which takes a couple of months.

The Rezniceks nearly opened the clinic two years ago, however the pieces didn’t fall into place. But, once the Rustle Road space opened up, things began to change.

“When we saw it was available, that helped us get over the hump,” Linda said.

The name of the clinic, Peak Performance, is intentional. Through his practice, Reznicek seeks to find people’s passions in life in order to bring about greater happiness.

“What I’ve realized in my practice in these 24 years is that happiness really comes from some of the old traditional wisdom that cultures have passed down throughout the eons,” he said. “Things like work hard, persevere, carve out your happiness, form good relationships, think about others. This is how happiness is forged.”

As an example he noted that people who take up playing the piano have specific differences in the cortex of the brain that govern fine motor control. Neuroscience studies, Reznicek said, show that just thinking about playing the piano, imagining one’s fingers moving across the keyboard, causes those areas of the brain to grow. The new thinking of psychology now is imposing new ways of positive thinking.

“We want to kind of get away from this thinking that pills are going to fix everything,” he said. “Pills can be helpful, but what really is so powerful is when people find their passions in life.”

Working in tandem with modern advances, Reznicek also offers video conferencing for patients through WebEx software on the clinic’s website, http://www.peakpsychiatry.org.

“We want to try to tap into the power of the Internet,” he said. “Some people are a bit more comfortable at home.”

Patients fill out paperwork prior to a session, so Reznicek can get up to speed on their history. For clients living in places like Seattle, he said, video conferencing helps save time otherwise spent in traffic, finding a spot to park and taking up additional time during the day.

Reznicek grew up in Nebraska and recalls riding his bicycle just outside of Omaha where an old gothic style building served as an institution. Even at a young age, after seeing some patients through the facility’s windows, he realized things could be different.

“This doesn’t seem like the best way to do it,” he said. “Things could be better.”

That led to him pursuing a career in medical school, where the psychiatric profession stood out from other options. The mystery of what lay inside the mind proved to be an enticing career.

“The mind was so unknown and mysterious,” he said. “Despite all of our advances in science, the mind is still mysterious. For example, consciousness, we still can’t really explain that.”

Each patient is different, and brings a new perspective into the mix. But, just as one person may find happiness and a passion in music, writing or sports, another may find it in community service.

“Happiness doesn’t come on a silver platter,” Reznicek said. “You have to find it, you have to forge it out and make it happen for yourself.”

James Eik can be reached at james@cheneyfreepress.com.

 

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