Over the years, I’ve had many people ask me about whether neurofeedback can help with weight loss or smoking cessation, and I’ve always had to tell them that although neurofeedback calms the nervous system and may help with self control, there is no literature to support its application for dieting or quitting smoking.  That has changed with the publication of a small-scale study in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition.  Israeli researchers have found that using an offshoot of neurofeedback called near infra-red hemoencephalography (nIR HEG for short) helped dieters develop greater self control over their food intake, resulting in weight loss.

This was only a pilot study with a few participants, but it is significant because it marks the first time that self regulation of diet was achieved under clinical conditions.

Check out a summary of the study here:  http://www.clinicalnutritionjournal.com/article/S0261-5614(18)30043-8/fulltext 

If you’re interested in knowing more about HEG, I use both near infra-red and passive infra-red for brain training.

In the most recent edition of European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, an international group of researchers published a meta-analysis of studies done on neurofeedback. It shows that the effects of neurofeedback training on youth with diagnoses of ADHD are sustained at least six months after training.  The authors found their results promising and called for more study of longer-term effects, as well as non-specific effects.  You can find this study here and an overview of the study here.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00787-018-1121-4

https://www.brainclinics.com/meta-analysis-confirms-sustained-effects-of-neurofeedback-adhd

Although neurofeedback practitioners know anecdotally from contact with former clients that the benefits last years, there are few studies that look that far ahead.  One that did was conducted in Australia close to 15 years ago.  It found that children with a diagnosis of ADHD who received 40 sessions of neurofeedback not only did not lose the benefits of training a year later, they actually improved their focus.

“The longest part of the journey is said to be the passing of the gate.”

Ancient Roman scholar Marcus Terentio

I like to research pretty much anything before I make a significant purchase. I dig up as much data as I can find, make a decision based on those facts, waver, then decide again and again.  Eventually, I make a final decision that usually makes me happy.  My process of constantly revisiting data points drives my husband a little batty, but I happen to enjoy it.

The truth, though, is that after finding all the pros and cons for each option I’m seriously considering, I set aside the facts and choose the one that feels right to me—the option that makes me feel good about my choice. The data I gather inform my decision, but they don’t make it for me. It’s really a gut and intuition thing in the end.  And when I don’t do this, I’m often quite sorry about the choice I’ve made.

I suspect that although most people probably don’t savor the decision-making process itself like I do, most end up taking a leap of faith in the end that they’re making the right choice for them and their situation. If one doesn’t trust her gut, making a choice can be overwhelming.  If money is involved in the decision-making process, choosing to move forward with a decision can be downright daunting.  Questions arise about whether the expenditure of funds make sense for the family, whether you’ll get your money’s worth, whether you’ll be satisfied in the end, etc.

Choosing to spend on a tool like neurofeedback is harder still. It’s one thing to invest in something like a new pair of shoes and trusting that they’ll feel comfortable and serve you well when you get them home and another thing altogether to invest money in something that you’re not even certain you know what it is, let alone that it will help whatever it is you’re hoping it will help.

Making things more complicated is all the noise out there about who is and who is not a good brain trainer. No amount of advanced degrees or certifications matters if that person doesn’t serve YOU well or isn’t really as competent at providing a service as they are at marketing themselves as the very best.

So, what do you do? Gather more data?  Read a few more books?

My opinion is that you step beyond online searches and journal articles and books to find your comfort level. Reach out and interview a practitioner. If that person feels like a good fit and in your gut you have a sense of trust, then you’re probably going to be in good hands, even if you still feel nervous about trying something that, due to the cost and investment of time to work has still not become as wildly popular as I personally think it should be.  (Obviously, if you don’t have a good feeling about a person or clinic’s competence, caring, or ethics, step away.)

People who are considering neurofeedback can reach out to me and schedule a free consultation with no pressure. I do this because I think fitting well with someone is as important as competence with the technology.

I also think environment is important, and I want potential trainees to feel the environment I’ve created for them. If you step into my waiting room, my hope is that you will not feel like you’ve stepped into a medical office.  I have comfy upholstered chairs, an antique table, and a bookcase full of titles you’re welcome to pull down and browse.  I have water and tea available to enjoy, too.

My training space is, I hope, similarly inviting. I try to keep the space as calm and non-clinical as possible for a tool that involves things like EEG devices and electrodes and whatnot. You’ll find even more comfortable chairs, scenes of nature on the wall, and natural elements like rocks and fossils and seashells for those who need fidget items to hold.

As a result, if you’re expecting white lab coats, linoleum floors, and stainless steel trays, I may not be the right fit for you. If you’re looking for competence combined with deep caring and a soothing environment intended to promote relaxation for training, I’m probably an excellent fit. And, perhaps surprisingly for a high-technology solution like neurofeedback, the softer quality of fit really does matter.

One of the most frequent questions I’m asked is how often and for how long one must do neurofeedback training to see results that stick. The answer, “it depends,” can be frustrating, so let me share the range possibilities, because I customize work for each client.

Consistency Over Time is the Key

The number and frequency of sessions can change depending upon individual goals and timeframes, but if you want to see results and have them last, it’s necessary to do regular training over time. I like to compare exercising the body to exercising the brain, in that you wouldn’t expect exercising once a week, then skipping a few weeks before going back, to result in greater fitness.  It’s the same with neurofeedback.  To see results, it’s important to come consistently, with no more than a week in between sessions.

The typical person who does brain training comes for sessions twice a week for about five months, then tapers off to once a week and then once every other week before stopping somewhere around the 40-session mark. That said, many want to see results quickly or get as much training in as possible over as short a time as possible.  During spring and summer break from school, for example, many students will come in three or four times a week rather than the usual twice.  They still need the same overall amount of sessions, but condensing the timeframe opens them up to move on and do other things.

It is okay, though, to train more frequently, even every day, if you want to get training over with quickly. For someone that determined, all it takes is commitment to come five days a week. I once had a client who was leaving the area and had a hard deadline for squeezing in as much training as possible.  We did 90-minute sessions (rather than the usual 60 minutes) twice a day for a few weeks and got good results.  It was quite tiring for the trainee, and this extreme commitment to training isn’t for everyone, but it helps show how neurofeedback can be adapted to meet one’s schedule and needs.

The opposite—a little training, spaced out broadly, is not recommended, but it can be done if the trainee is truly dedicated. About a dozen years ago, I studied under a clinical psychologist who had a client that lived several hours away, in an area with no neurofeedback practitioners.  The parents brought the boy consistently, every other week for five years.  Five years!  It took that long to achieve results that lasted, but because the training was never missed, it eventually worked.  This family was highly motivated in ways that most of us are not, so you will find that most practitioners highly frown on such a practice. I personally will not work with anyone less than once a week, and I only agree to do once a week training under special circumstances, simply because it stretches out the process too long.

The other variable in training is the overall number of sessions needed. Most people need about 40 sessions, but I’ve done as few as 20 for people whose brains are already in good shape.  For others, especially those who are older and have more entrenched patterns, as many as 60-70 sessions might be in order.  Then, there are those with really stuck brains, and they may need upward of 100 sessions.  Knowing this can be upsetting, but the reality is that most people can achieve their goals in just a few months.

The bottom line is that neurofeedback training can be customized to meet your needs, as long as you are willing to make the commitment to do the work that will improve your quality of life.