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Dr. Howard Rankin has become an authority on everything from brain-mapping to relationships to ... golf swings.
The only typical element in Dr. Howard Rankin’s psychology practice is the couch. Most people in his line of work have one, of course. But today, Rankin is the one sitting comfortably — feet propped up on the couch — talking about how his practice came to be.
The Rankin Center deals with relationship issues, addiction, Attention Deficit Disorder, anxiety and a host of other issues. But the cutting-edge practice looks at each patient not just from the traditional angle, but through actual brain-mapping; Rankin delves into the neuroscience of brain function and balance, which can profoundly impact treatments. The center’s motto: “The Science of You.”
This approach — combining modern technology and science with traditional psychology — has garnered both results for his patients and national attention for himself: Rankin has appeared on CNN, “The View” and “20/20,” among others. But his story begins with, of all things, baseball.
As a boy in England, Rankin used to huddle in his bedroom with a small radio that was able to pick up American baseball games. “I got into baseball, football, sports — the whole concept of America,” said Rankin.
Before long, America became a kind of passion. And in his senior year of high school, Rankin became a foreign exchange student and moved in with a family in upscale Palos Verdes, California — not far from Dodger Stadium, home to his favorite team. “I was awed by (America),” said Rankin. “It was so completely different than where I’d come from.” (To this day, he keeps in touch with his exchange family siblings.)
Upon his return to England, Rankin attended the University of Nottingham, majoring in psychology and minoring in — what else — American studies. That was no small feat, as his parents, though hard-working, hadn’t completed high school and only a very small percentage of students from his hometown had attended college. Rankin was equally fortunate to begin his clinical career at the University of London’s prestigious Institute of Psychiatry. “I was able to work with some of the best,” said Rankin.
And in addition to being able to research, practice, teach and publish, Rankin was able to make many important contacts — one of whom was future partner Peter Miller of Hilton Head Island. Rankin returned to the states in the 1980s to serve on the staff of the Hilton Head Health Institute before opening his own practice.
Rankin’s curiosity has afforded him a prolific publishing career, during which he has written (or co-written) seven books on everything from weight loss to wellness to relationship advice to golf swings (he’s part of golf pro Don Trahan’s Peak Performance Golf Swing project, contributing insight on how psychology and neuroscience relate to golf). He is also the only person to have ever published a scientific paper in limerick form. Up next is a book about — what else? — happiness: “10 Steps to a Better Life” will be available soon.
“Psychology has certain similarities to being a used-car salesman,” Rankin said with a laugh. “Both are about influence. Helping people is about influencing them,” he says.
Rankin met his wife in the 1990s while she was vacationing on the island from New York, and notes that his own family experience has helped in his practice. He is the father of two boys: Josh, 26, who is autistic, and James, who is currently studying biomedical engineering at Duke. “They’re both amazing in different ways,” says Rankin. He credits his experience as a parent of a special-needs son for his understanding of what parents go through when their children are diagnosed with ADD or other conditions.
But though his life has had its twists and turns, Rankin maintains a simple answer for what he loves about what he does: “Helping and healing.”
FIND DR. RANKIN ONLINE
Go to www.scienceofyou.com, where you can download Rankin’s books and videos, including the new “10 Steps to a Better Life.”
