Brain Training 101: What is Neurofeedback?

Neurofeedback: A workout for the brain

The short answer: Neurofeedback is a non-invasive, powerful brain therapy that helps reorganize brainwave patterns to address symptoms including, but not limited to, anxiety, depression, ADHD, trauma and PTSD, physical effects of chronic stress, effects of TBI, sensory sensitivity, sleep problems, and brain fog.

If you've been searching the internet for 'the long answer' with more details about neurofeedback, chances are, your Google search has created more questions than answers. There are two major reasons why search results are so chaotic:

1) It's difficult to make sense of published neurofeedback research articles. The equipment and software rapidly advances and changes each year. Additionally, research standards that make sense for things like medication make much less sense for neurofeedback (for example, neurofeedback participants tend to easily recognize whether or not they're receiving the placebo; so, their insight basically ruins everything!) Plus, there's the issue of number 2 below:

2) There are tons of different types of neurofeedback. Here's a short list of different neurofeedback styles: SMR, Z-score, LORETA, fMRI, LENS, Neurofield, NeurOptimal, ILF, ISF, Othmer Method, and Alpha-Theta neurofeedback. That's right, that's the short list. And these all differ in equipment, protocols, treatment timelines, etc.

With this in mind, let's clear up the mystery and get down to the question at hand:

What Is Neurofeedback?

Neurofeedback is a therapy for the brain where it learns to regulate its own activity. Just like medication, it's capable of addressing a very broad range of mental, emotional, and even physical ailments. But unlike medication which gets things done by altering the brain's chemicals, neurofeedback gets things done by helping your brain better coordinate its electrical patterns. It's based on the principle of neuroplasticity, meaning the brain is capable of adapting and reorganizing itself with the right training. Neurofeedback is a way to train your brain in a way that is non-invasive, painless, and medication-free.

How Does Neurofeedback Work?

Even though there are a lot of different styles of neurofeedback, they have the following elements in common:

1) A way to "live stream" your brain waves. To help better coordinate your brain's electrical patterns, we need to be able to see what's happening in your brain in real time. Anywhere from 1 to 20 electrode sensors are placed on the scalp to measure brainwave activity. The process is painless and does not involve any "zaps" or signals sent to the brain. We're just seeing what's going on in there.

2) Some form of feedback so your brain can see its own activity. The brain needs to see itself to make changes. It's like learning a dance; someone can give you instructions or demonstrate how to do it, but you don't really know if you're doing it right until you see yourself in the mirror. In neurofeedback, the "mirror," or feedback, is provided by visual, auditory, or tactile cues that change in response to your brain activity.

3) Ability to improve emotion regulation, mental clarity, and overall brain flexibility and performance. It takes just a few minutes for the brain to recognize itself through the visual, auditory, and/or tactile cues. Once it recognizes its own patterns, the brain will make micro-adjustments to improve its function. Depending on the type of neurofeedback, micro-adjustments may be guided and conditioned by the therapist, or the brain may self-correct. The learning and self-regulation created by neurofeedback helps reduce symptoms of conditions like anxiety, ADHD, trauma, and sleep disorders, and can help the brain more readily reach a calm and focused state.

Who Can Benefit from Neurofeedback?

The question of who can benefit from it is similar to asking who could benefit from psychotropic medication. The answer is: Lots of people! And not just for those who have a diagnosis--it's for anyone who wants their brain to work better and feel better. People use it to address unpleasant symptoms--such as sensory sensitivity, trouble with focus and attention, feeling stuck in 'survival mode', and physical manifestations of stress like headaches and stomachaches--or to optimize brain function and pursue "peak performance" in things like music, sports, and performing arts.

Because neurofeedback trains the brain to overall function more efficiently, it can improve a wide range of issues, including, but not limited to:

Mental and Emotional Benefits

• More balanced mood, rather than mood swings or emotional reactivity

• Quiet overactive mental chatter, overthinking, and obsessive thoughts

• Decrease or eliminate occurrences of panic attacks

• Get 'unstuck' from fight/flight/freeze survival responses after trauma

• More readily experience feelings of joy and light-heartedness

• Reduce nightmares and night terrors

• Soften intense emotions so you can pause and make more clear-headed decisions

• Improve focus and the ability to feel present, alert, and grounded

• Overcome impulsivity and addictive behavior by strengthening inhibitory functions and emotion regulation

• Regain cognitive strength after a stroke or brain injury

• Delay the effects of neurogenerative disease

• Decrease emotional agitation and mental fog caused by chronic pain

Physical Benefits

• Reduce occurrences of headaches, migraines, and stomachaches

• Improve overall sleep, including falling asleep faster, getting deeper sleep, waking up refreshed, and decreasing snoring, and sleep-walking/talking

• Softening or eliminating motion sickness and vertigo

• Reducing muscle tension/pain and teeth grinding

• Enhance body awareness, balance, and motor coordination

• Decrease sensory sensitivity

• Overcome chronic constipation

  
  

With regards to age range, babies can do it. Kids, teens, and adults can do it. The elderly can do it. To be honest, they've even done neurofeedback on cats and dogs (although, this would be tough to find at your local clinic).

Is Neurofeedback Right for You?

If you're reading this and are seriously considering contacting your local brain trainer, here are a few screening questions they may ask to determine if neurofeedback is the right fit for you and/or if now is a good time to get started:

1) Have you had any recent changes in medication? If so, it's best to wait until your nervous system has gotten used to your new medication so we can start neurofeedback with a clear baseline of what your symptoms typically look like day-to-day. Otherwise, things may get sticky with trying to assess if mental, emotional, and physical changes are due to your medication or the neurofeedback.

2) Are you able to attend and sit through sessions so you can get the benefits of this treatment? Different types of neurofeedback may vary on their minimum necessary time commitment and frequency, but generally, it's advised to have a minimum of 20 weekly neurofeedback sessions that can be 30-90 minutes long. During those sessions, electrodes will remain on your scalp, so comfort with keeping the electrodes on and sitting in one spot is required.

3) Have you had any recent brain injuries that cause swelling or bleeding in the brain? If so, it's best to wait until your doctor has confirmed that the swelling/bleeding has subsided before starting neurofeedback.

What Style of Neurofeedback is Best?

This can be tricky to answer, and while we may biased toward the specialty at our clinic--Othmer Method neurofeedback--the truth is, if you meet a neurofeedback therapist who insists that their style is the absolute only way to go, this may be a red flag.

Many patients have gotten life-changing benefits from all kinds of neurofeedback, and sometimes it's a matter of what your nervous system prefers. One person's brain may respond very well to one style of neurofeedback, while another person may not get much of a benefit. Here are some general things to keep in mind:

1) You get what you pay for. Providers who price their services higher tend to do so because they know the value of the equipment and technique that they use is very high. You can still go far with mid-range priced services; they may be worth trying out, including ones that you can use at home (with the remote help of a trained therapist). Just work within your budget so you can complete the recommended number of neurofeedback sessions. And, don't get a neurofeedback system on Amazon.

2) "Brain maps" can be helpful, or unhelpful; it depends. There's a cluster of neurofeedback styles that emphasizes the necessity of a brain map to do real neurofeedback. This may be true for a few neurofeedback types that rely on those maps, say, to compare to their database of 'normal/healthy brains' throughout treatment, but many styles don't require it. Additionally, many providers do brain maps because that's what they're trained to do or because they feel more comfortable doing so for certain issues such as TBIs, but it may not actually impact the protocols they use once treatment begins. In short, ask more questions before you pay for a brain map.

3) Give it a 5-10 session "trial" before deciding to move on. Some people feel fantastic after the very first session, and some don't feel good until further into treatment. Five to ten sessions should give you enough time to see if any particular style of neurofeedback is right for your brain, or if you should consider trying a different style.

Ready to Get Started With Neurofeedback?

If you're located in the Sacramento area or are looking to travel to our clinic, you can contact us for a free phone consultation by booking a call through our website.

If you are looking for a brain trainer near you, you can search directories on Psychology Today (adjust your search filter to find neurofeedback specialists), EEGInfo, or BCIA.

Best of luck on your brain training journey!

Original illustrations by @theoverthinkingbrain