What is Neurofeedback Therapy?
Neurofeedback is a non-invasive, drug-free brain training that uses real-time feedback about the brain’s electrical communication, or brainwaves, to help improve mental health and optimize cognitive performance.
The therapy aids in treating a variety of conditions such as ADHD, PTSD, anxiety, concussions and insomnia by using visual or auditory cues to reinforce healthier brainwave patterns and promote neuroplasticity. It is often used in conjunction with other treatment modalities as part of a holistic approach to mental and brain health.
History of Neurofeedback
Neurofeedback therapy originated in the 1960s. Dr. Joseph Kamiya and Dr. Barry Sterman, two pioneers in the field, are credited with the development of this revolutionary technique. By using a reward system to modulate and control brain activity, they laid the groundwork for modern neurofeedback therapy.
Dr. Kamiya initiated the first wave of neurofeedback research by training individuals to self-regulate their alpha brainwave activity. He used real-time EEG feedback, offering rewards when the desired brainwave activity was achieved. His work played a crucial role in demonstrating that humans could change their brainwaves, a premise that was previously met with skepticism. This discovery was prior to the understanding of neuroplasticity, or the brain’s ability to create new neural connections.
Simultaneously, Dr. Sterman conducted ground-breaking research involving cats. He trained these animals to control their brainwaves for rewards, revealing the potential of neurofeedback techniques. Expanding on this work, Sterman later trained humans with epilepsy, leading to remarkable results.
Following this, the use of neurofeedback therapy broadened significantly. Researchers like Dr. Joel Lubar and Dr. Eugene Penniston applied it to treat conditions like ADHD, addiction, and PTSD. Their work further validated neurofeedback’s effectiveness, leading to greater recognition in medical and scientific communities.
The success of these early investigations propelled neurofeedback therapy forward, leading to its application in various sectors. NASA even incorporated neurofeedback into their astronaut training program, recognizing its potential for enhancing performance under stressful conditions.
Today, neurofeedback therapy continues to make strides in mental health and peak performance training. Its non-invasive nature and ability to help the brain self-regulate have made it a go-to method for treating various conditions like ADHD, anxiety, PTSD, and traumatic brain injury. As technology advances, neurofeedback therapy is becoming an even more potent tool, poised to revolutionize mental health and optimize performance.
How Does Neurofeedback Therapy Work?
Neurofeedback therapy, a subcategory of biofeedback, is a technique where real-time feedback is used to train the brain to better regulate its electrical activity. (The brain functions through changes in electrical impulses and chemical reactions.) By utilizing visual and auditory cues, the automatic functioning brain of the trainee learns to change their brainwaves to be better aligned with current needs. Brainwaves play an integral role in brain function and consequently affect our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Different brainwave frequencies such as delta, theta, and alpha correspond to various mental states and, as such, can significantly impact one’s overall well-being.
An essential tool in this process is the electroencephalogram (EEG), a noninvasive method used to measure brainwaves or the electrical activity of the brain. During neurofeedback therapy, sensors are placed on the scalp to measure this electrical activity. This data is processed by software which performs thousands of calculations to determine when to give feedback for the unconscious brain to utilize to improve emotional and cognitive functioning.
This process can be through visual or auditory feedback. For example, one might steer a car or control the movements of a character through their brainwaves. The idea is to encourage particular patterns of brain activity that correspond to a more relaxed and focused state, thereby promoting a healthier brain function.
During these activities, the individual is receiving real-time feedback based on their current brainwave patterns. In some systems this feedback acts as a reward system, where desirable brainwave patterns are positively reinforced, and undesirable ones are not. In this way, the individual brain works towards producing more desirable brainwave patterns and, with time, it learns to produce these patterns autonomously.
However, it’s important to note that there are different types of neurofeedback systems, each with their unique approaches and benefits. For example, Myndlift provides a mobile and accessible form of neurofeedback training that can be done from home, using a wearable device and an app to provide real-time feedback. While not as sophisticated as professional devices, it does provide easy access to brain training.
On the other hand, BrainCore therapy uses qEEG technology to map the brain’s electrical activity, allowing for highly targeted neurofeedback sessions. BrainCore emphasizes the balance and harmony of brainwaves and works towards optimizing these for improved mental health.
Lastly, NeurOptimal is a Dynamical Neurofeedback™ system, which differs from the traditional linear neurofeedback. Unlike systems that require brain mapping for diagnosis, NeurOptimal relies on real-time feedback without the need for prior brain mapping. It uses mathematical calculations to translate brainwaves into frequencies, providing feedback through micro-interruptions in music during training sessions. This type of system utilizes the brain’s natural listening process and optimizes brain function based on good, real-time information. NeurOptimal is a testament to the brain’s innate ability to make efficient decisions leveraging neuroplasticity and neurogenesis, and has been used by wellness professionals for over 15 years.
Why We Introduced Neurofeedback to our Practice
We brought neurofeedback, or neurotherapy, into our mental health practice in 2011 as a support for our clients to reach their goals faster and more effectively than just talk therapy alone.
Neuroscience tells us that the brain’s habitual brainwave patterns significantly contribute to symptoms. Most clients seeking help don’t realize that their symptoms are produced by the automatic (auto-pilot) brain regions and that there is now brain training technology, called neurofeedback, that is designed to help the brain reset to be able to regulate emotions, and function better cognitively.
We have found it to be a significant support for clients to regulate emotionally and have better focus and resiliency. For example, when doing trauma work, having the automatic brain also working on the stress reaction while we work consciously through talk therapy, we see the shifts occur more quickly and with fewer disruptions.
Watch this webinar to learn how it works.
NeurOptimal® Neurofeedback uses EEG sensors to track millisecond-by-millisecond changes in voltage on the head. The software takes 256 data points per second looking for the mathematics of state change. When it detects the brain is changing it interrupts music that the client is listening to. That interruption serves as a “meditation gong” but for the automatic functioning brain, cuing it to notice what function it is performing. Like presenting a mirror, the brain will “see” its own functioning and automatically correct habits that are inefficient.
Is Neurofeedback Safe?
NeurOptimal® is purely feedback. Nothing is added to your system. Precisely timed feedback to alert the brain to pay attention to itself. It is 100% safe and non-invasive. We train children and adults.
Fortunately, children doing neurofeedback therapy have an advantage over us adults. Why? Because they have billions of unassigned neurons so they can adapt quickly to new information. As well, their habitual inner narrative about themselves and the world is not well-formed as in adults so their thoughts will more quickly adapt to the changes in their felt experience. For example, if they have anxiety and have worrying thoughts when the brain calms down, their worrying thoughts will shift to match their felt experience. The anxious brain producing a stress response and the thoughts “I’m afraid of the dark” becomes a calm and regulated brain and the thoughts shift to “The dark is a little scary but I have my Teddy to keep me safe.”
Parents, sign up to watch our webinar: Neurofeedback therapy for children
Why Neurofeedback is Effective?
We can argue that many of our mental health issues: anxiety, depression, the stress-response, is, in part, the result of the brain doing the wrong thing in the present moment. Dr Besel van der Kolk, leading expert in PTSD/complex trauma, gives a detailed description in his book, The Body Keeps The Score, of how the brain becomes habituated to a stress response. He describes how neurofeedback, as part of a larger treatment plan for PTSD, can greatly benefit clients’ anxiety and depression symptoms.
With NeurOptimal® neurofeedback over time, symptoms start to fade. The goal is that the brain learns to use the present moment to decide what to do next, not habitual patterns. Why is that significant? The stress response, which we experience as anxiety, worrying, feeling hopeless and depressed, is a habitual pattern. It is the brain just taking a couple of cues from the present environment and deciding it “knows” now is like the past and just repeats the same habitual response. As the brain trains with NeurOptimal, it is learning that all the good information is in the present moment. Over time, it changes behaviour from doing what’s habitual to tuning in to the here-and-now. When the brain has learned to do this regularly is when we see symptom relief.
Clients shift from being anxious, depressed, fixating on worries, unable to focus and having poor sleep, to being able to access calm, focus, hope, and clarity.
At our NYC office clients can use neurofeedback as stand-alone training or in conjunction with contemplative psychotherapy, and/or mindfulness meditation. All our therapists are also certified NeurOptimal® Neurofeedback Trainers. Learn more.
Our Habituated Brain: Where Eastern and Western Views Meet
The Buddhist teachings describe how our suffering as humans comes about, in part, due to our habitual patterns. When our actions are reinforced over and over again it increases the tendency that we will react similarly, and automatically, next time. We all know if we let the irritation, for example from an annoying driver cutting us off, “get to us” that it’s more likely to arise again and create a pattern of behaviour. This is how we created “negative karma.”
As the field of research into the workings of the brain grows, we have come to understand that the brain becomes habituated to its response patterns. A simple example to illustrate the point is when, as a child, we are bit by a dog, our brain perceives that dog as a threat and the part of our brain in charge of responding to danger with the “fight/flight/freeze” response goes into action. We either freeze or run away, as our instinctual response to a threat. Years later we see a dog that is similar and our body goes into the same fight/flight response. And the response is automatic.
Schedule a neurofeedback therapy session in NYC
Neurofeedback Reviews – From our NY Clients
Jim, after 6 sessions:
“The effects lie beyond conscious control, yet within the field of perceptible awareness. I walk out synchronized and in step, every time. I look forward to my sessions because I know I’m going to have a good night’s sleep when I get home. This type of brain training is a must for any healer or meditator to try.”
Teri, Zen practitioner and trauma survivor:
“It’s so interesting to watch the contrast between my body now, which is calm and clear, and what my mind still wants to do. It’s wanting to create stories about how I’m not safe, how the world is out to get me. But when I notice my body it’s still. I’m seeing so clearly how my story is just old and my body is finally in the present.”
Neurofeedback Cost
Price per neurofeedback sessions: $150. Contact us here to schedule a neurofeedback therapy session.
Neurofeedback at Home
As a more cost-effective alternative, the NeurOptimal neurofeedback device can also be rented for home use. Go to our other website, specifically for neurofeedback training to learn more about the cost of our rental packages and how it works. A live demonstration how to operate the home system is available upon request when scheduling an in-office session. Our NYC neurofeedback trainer Amy is also available to answer any questions. Chat with us here.
Do you have questions about neurofeedback and whether it’s right for you? Reach out.