Neurofeedback | Brain Training

Neurofeedback requires a doctor who is a licensed professional and equipment designed for receiving and reading brainwaves, so patients must engage in sessions at the doctor’s practice.

Most neurofeedback therapy sessions last for about 30 minutes. On average, it can take about 30 to 40 sessions. However, an individual’s condition may necessitate more sessions for optimum results.

There are various research materials and studies proving the efficacy of neurofeedback therapy when it comes to managing anxiety. By regulating certain brain waves related to anxiety, such as the alpha or theta brainwaves, through training you will be able to better manage these types of issues.

This will depend largely on your condition and our initial findings. At the beginning of your treatment, a QEEG (Quantitative Electroencephalogram is used to measure the dysregulated brain waves, which will determine which regions of your brain need realignment. This information will help determine how many sessions you will need and how long each one will take.

This is a great question and one we get often. Technically you could train your brain every day if you were so inclined and results with this are fantastic. We recommend most people shoot for about a three times per week training schedule until the protocol is complete. We definitely suggest no less than two times per week. Additionally, there will be some simple home passive training exercises for you to do on days where you are not in the office actively training. Training any less than this will really not be of any benefit. Think about it, if  you went to the gym once per week to do an exercise, how long do you think it will be before you realize any benefits from that exercise?

Ideally, over the course of training you will start to see/feel subtle improvements with your particular issues with each neurofeedback therapy session. Issues can be spotted right away before they escalate into bigger problems. Oftentimes friends and family may start to see hints of these changes even before you feel or notice them yourself. Sometimes it may even just feel like an overall sense of improved wellness. However, most importantly, throughout your training protocols there will be at least two different times where we will remap the brain with another qEEG. This information then will be compared directly with the previous results and we will have metrics demonstrating objective changes with the brainwave frequencies. Occasionally some people have a hard time personally noting some of these changes and with that it is always recommended to complete sessions for best results.

A certified, trained, and trustworthy practitioner with the right equipment is the best candidate to provide neurofeedback therapy. They should be able to complete a qEEG assessment before the training sessions begin and are knowledgeable about accurately identifying abnormal brainwaves. A well-trained practitioner should also know which regions of the brain should be targeted for best results, as well as be able to place sensors in their proper locations.

Neurofeedback primarily deals with brainwaves, while biofeedback is more of an umbrella term that describes any type of feedback training where bodily functions are monitored by medical equipment. Some examples of this equipment include a thermometer, blood pressure cuff, or PET scan. That said, neurofeedback is classified as a type of biofeedback.

Neurofeedback is not harmful and is a very safe and effective therapeutic modality. Versus side effects, it is more typical that we say neurofeedback has side benefits because quite often, there are other realized positive changes that come along with improving the initial concerns and issues. Neurofeedback can be successful nearly 80% of the time.