Ülle Toomeoja

I am the founder and developer of MER Biofeedback® Therapy, a practising therapist, and a trainer of MER Biofeedback® therapists.

Since 2003, I have been dedicated to practising, refining and developing MER Biofeedback® Therapy. Over the years, I have carried out more than 17,000 therapy sessions.

If you would like to learn more about my journey and how MER Biofeedback® Therapy developed, I invite you to read my story.

My story

Looking back, I realise that life itself has been my greatest teacher.

Throughout my life, I have experienced abandonment, abuse, loss, burnout, anxiety and depression. These experiences helped me develop a deeper understanding of both myself and others. They taught me empathy, the importance of listening and the value of being there for someone when they need support.

I have also learned to let go of what no longer serves me or helps me move forward.

Business, burnout and a turning point

I began my entrepreneurial journey in 1987 and built several businesses from the ground up.

For many years, I was completely devoted to my work. Gradually, it became a large part of my identity, and I lost the ability to properly rest or simply be present.

By January 2000, I had reached burnout. My energy was depleted, and this was followed by anxiety and panic attacks that I struggled to manage on my own.

I sought professional help and attended emergency care on several occasions. Medication provided temporary relief, but I still felt that I had lost my enjoyment of life and motivation to move forward.

I tried different treatment approaches, but did not experience the relief I had hoped for. Eventually, I realised that I also needed to look more deeply at the way I was living my life.

I took time to reflect and recognised that for years I had placed extremely high expectations on myself. I had been constantly striving to achieve more and prove myself.

It required enormous amounts of energy, yet it brought very little sense of inner fulfilment.

I began to understand that I did not always need to be achieving something. I needed to learn how to rest, be present and trust life more.

That realisation marked the beginning of a completely new chapter in my life.

I decided to make a change and start again.

A new beginning and a discovery that changed my direction

On 23 April 2000, I left behind my business in Estonia, my home, my financial security and my familiar way of life, and travelled to the United States with a friend.

I started again from scratch.

It was one of the biggest decisions I had ever made.

While living in America, I learned to slow down, meditate and appreciate simple things again. Within around six months, my energy gradually returned, together with my enthusiasm and motivation.

Once I felt stronger, I started a new business in the United States, working with nutritional supplements and natural skincare products through an online shop.

I later moved to Syracuse, New York.

While living there, several people independently suggested that I visit a nearby company involved in developing and selling biofeedback devices.

Because of my previous experiences, I was highly sceptical of anything that sounded like a “miracle device”. But when three completely different people recommended the same place, I decided to put my assumptions aside and see it for myself.

That was how I met Chris Keser, the creator of the biofeedback device.

Rather than giving me a lengthy explanation of the technology, Chris connected me to the device and went through the results with me.

He described some of my main stress patterns, negative thought patterns and limiting beliefs.

I was surprised by how closely the information reflected aspects of my own experience and inner world.

My scepticism quickly turned into curiosity, and I wanted to understand much more about the technology and how it could be used.

I later learned that Chris had more than 30 years of experience in homeopathy. Through his work, he had developed the view that long-standing stress patterns and limiting beliefs could play an important role in a person’s overall wellbeing.

With Chris’s encouragement, I purchased my first biofeedback device in 2003.

The purchase included a three-day training course, after which I received my Certified Biofeedback Technician certificate.

The real learning, however, began after the course.

I started exploring the capabilities of the biofeedback device in depth, both independently and with Chris’s guidance.

I became particularly interested in identifying and rebalancing negative thought patterns and limiting beliefs.

Chris shared his many years of practical experience with me and helped me understand which stress indicators appeared to be particularly useful to focus on when working with clients.

Learning and personal change

I found the learning process fascinating.

I began by working on myself and spent the following four months identifying and rebalancing my own negative thought patterns and limiting beliefs.

What I noticed surprised me.

For years, I had worked on forgiveness using different approaches and believed that I had moved on from the past. Yet I realised that certain emotional reactions were still very much present.

For nearly 20 years, my relationship with my mother had been difficult.

Even small disagreements could trigger tension, irritation and old feelings of having been treated unfairly. Over time, I had found it easier simply to keep my distance.

After working with biofeedback therapy, I noticed a change that I had not expected.

I was able to communicate with my mother more calmly, without the same intensity of old emotions resurfacing.

The memories were still there, but anger, tension and irritation no longer seemed to influence my reactions in the same way.

Our relationship gradually became warmer, which was both meaningful and encouraging for me.

I then began offering biofeedback sessions to some of my friends.

They also reported positive changes in how they felt, and their feedback encouraged me to explore the field more deeply.

That was when I realised that this was the work I wanted to dedicate myself to.

The development of MER Biofeedback® therapy
2003–2011

I began working with clients in Syracuse.

Every person I worked with taught me something new, and it was this practical experience that encouraged me to keep refining and developing my approach.

Over the years, a more clearly defined method began to emerge through hands-on experience, observation and client feedback.

This gradually developed into what is now known as MER Biofeedback® Therapy.

At the same time, I began studying Quantum Biofeedback at the Canadian International College of Holistic Studies.

In 2011, I completed my studies and was registered as a biofeedback therapist with the Canadian Examining Board of Health Care Practitioners, receiving the professional qualification R.B.T. 9-1004.

My studies included anatomy, physiology, biofeedback therapy and the foundations of quantum physics.

However, I remained particularly interested in understanding how negative thought patterns and limiting beliefs could be identified and rebalanced.

As this was not a central focus of my formal studies, I continued learning independently, reading specialist literature and regularly discussing my observations with Chris.

My aim was to understand which stress indicators and thought patterns appeared to be most relevant in practical work with clients.

Between 2003 and 2011, I carried out more than 6,000 biofeedback therapy sessions in the United States.

This gave me invaluable practical experience and reinforced something I still believe today: every client teaches a therapist something new.

From 2011 to 2018, I worked in two holistic therapy centres in the United States, supporting people experiencing emotional exhaustion, burnout, anxiety and depression.

The approach was also used with athletes to identify and rebalance competition-related stress and anxiety, with the aim of supporting a steadier state of flow and helping them perform closer to their full potential.

Returning to Estonia

In November 2011, I returned to Estonia to visit my parents and relatives.

During that visit, I introduced my biofeedback approach at the Holistic Institute and offered complimentary sessions over three days so that people could experience the method for themselves.

After I returned to the United States, I was invited to come back to Estonia regularly to work with clients.

At first, I was unsure, but eventually decided to begin travelling to Estonia once every three months.

That was how my work with clients in Estonia began.

In 2018, I realised that Estonia was where I wanted to build the next chapter of my life.

I sold my home in the United States, gave up a secure income and decided to dedicate myself fully to developing MER Biofeedback® Therapy and supporting people in Estonia.

In 2020, I founded Lifekeskus to make this distinctive form of therapy more widely available.

Over the years, I have come to believe that a deep understanding of negative thought patterns, limiting beliefs and the connections between them develops primarily through extensive practical experience.

Every client has taught me something and contributed, in one way or another, to the continued development of MER Biofeedback® Therapy.

In June 2023, MER Biofeedback® was officially registered as a trademark.

My Approach as a Therapist

You may be experiencing mental exhaustion, burnout, fear, anxiety or panic. Or perhaps you simply feel that you have reached a point in life where you cannot see a clear way forward.

I understand how difficult those periods can feel because I have experienced challenging times in my own life.

I believe that people have the capacity to change, grow and develop new ways of responding to life.

Sometimes, what we need is the right support, a different perspective and the opportunity to understand ourselves more clearly.

My role is to support you through that process and help you move, step by step, towards greater emotional balance, clarity and wellbeing.

If you feel ready to make positive changes in your life and would like support along the way, you are very welcome at Lifekeskus.