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Neurofeedback
If you feel the effects of anxiety, depression, stress, or chronic pain, or if you are dealing with addiction, impulsivity, behavioral disorders, or ADD/ADHD, then neurofeedback can help. Neurofeedback is known by several names, like neurotherapy, EEG biofeedback, or neuro- biofeedback. It can be hard to figure out what it IS exactly or how it works, but I think this is a pretty easy way to explain it.
So many of our struggles are neurologically based. Medication may stem the expression of our struggles, but it only treats the chemical side of our brains. It does not treat the root problem- brainwave activity that is either the wrong frequency, wrong amplitude, or that portions of your brain are either talking too much, or not enough. “Whoa!” you say, “I am already confused. How do we fix this?” It’s simple. We teach the brain the right way to function! Guess what? It’s not as hard as it seems!
A neurofeedback session occurs in 3 parts:
1. Set Up
2. 30 minutes broken into 3-5 minute Training Periods
3. Clean Up
Set Up
time: aprox. 10 minutes
I will put sensors on your scalp. These sensors receive information from the brain and send that information to the computer. They are NOT able to send electricity into the brain. This is not electro-shock therapy!
Step 1: I will clean your scalp with alcohol, this helps the sensors to get a clean and clear signal, as well as allowing it to stick on the scalp.
Step 2: I will put some paste on the sensor. This paste is a kind of adhesive that can be washed off. It allows electrical signals to pass through it, so the sensor can pick up an accurate wave.
Step 3: I will place the sensor on your scalp on one of sixteen different spots on the brain, depending on where you need the training. Sometimes I need only one sensor, other times 2 or 3, again depending on what our goal for that session is.
Training Periods
time: aprox. 30 minutes
This is where the treatment occurs! I am writing this in steps so that you can see the process, but really these things are all happening at the same time.
Step 1: The sensors will tell the computer what frequency and amplitude they are picking up from your brain.
Step 2: I will tell the computer what frequency and amplitude it should reward, as well as how often.
Step 3: The computer then sends you almost instantaneous feedback in a visual and/or auditory way. It will reward good waves only!
Step 4: Your brain learns how to receive the reward, thereby creating the correct waves.
One example of feedback is a “game” in which you are looking at 3 space ships, all racing towards various planets. The computer is showing you feedback in three categories, one for each ship. The first ship that you see is purple. This ship moves faster when your brain is making waves that are either too slow or too low in amplitude. The second ship goes faster when you are making brainwaves that are in the target frequency and amplitude. This ship is blue, and it is the ship you want to win the race! This is the “reward.” The third ship is yellow, and it reacts when your brainwaves are either too fast or too high in amplitude. As I watch the EEG readout on my computer screen, I will tell the computer to reward you between 60-70% of the time that you are meeting the goal. This percentage is not me being stingy with the reward, it is because if I reward less of a percentage, you will feel frustrated and give up, where if I reward more often, your brain will not understand that it is having an impact on the ship moving.
Clean Up
time: aprox. 10 minutes
In these 10 minutes, we will go over what happened in the session, clean up your scalp and discuss future goals. We will talk about what signs to be looking for, both positive and negative. Now side effects of neurofeedback are very mild: you sleep more or less than normal, you have more energy than normal or a little less than normal, etc. You may be asked to watch for headaches, hyper focus, or drowsiness. If the side effect is bothering you too much, you can always call, and I will get you in and take care of it quickly.
The Research and History
Many doctors do not accept neurofeedback because they say it is “not researched” while their medications are. The fact is that there is more research and literature about neurofeedback than any of the medications out there. Neurofeedback has been in use for over forty years and its results are well documented. It is a safe, proven, and reasonably cost-effective technique which is technology based. It is not quackery. It has been used for many years by the U.S. Military and NASA, as well as The Menninger Clinic. It’s effects are permanent, meaning that once we determine that your brain is trained, you do not need to return over the course of a lifetime. Because the brain is self-regulating, it will correct itself easily and naturally, if it is given the right tools. Compare that to medication, which you have to continue taking in often increasing amounts.
I have seen amazing results with neurofeedback in the more than 5,000 hours in which I have utilized this technique. I have also had it done on me to help with focus and anxiety issues in the past!
There is a plethora of other information available through EEG Spectrum International. If you have not found the answers you need on this page, please give me a call or send me a message.