This was a question that surprised me. I think of it the same way I’d think of asking someone if their muscles were resistant to strengthening while a person was in the midst of bicep curls with heavy weights. It seems a little silly.

Sure you can be a little stiff and inflexible, but those muscles are going to tear and rebuild, because that’s how our bodies work.

But, there are esteemed professionals in the field of neurofeedback who say that yes, a person can be resistant to neurofeedback. The example I heard was of someone who was basically dragged into a neurofeedback practitioner’s office and forced to do training.

That scenario is, indeed, going to result in resistance—who wants to be dragged or forced anywhere? Still, even if a person is only grudgingly present, their brains are going to be responding to the feedback just as surely as one’s muscles respond while lifting weights.

Here’s my experience. I’ve had a few people over the years who most definitely did not come to my office of their own volition. Most of them have been men who didn’t think they had a problem. They didn’t think neurofeedback worked. They all left their course of training amiably enough, sure that they’d pleased their wives or partners by coming for training.

They showed up for brain training, listened and saw the feedback regarding what their brain was doing in the moment, and the cells of their brains responded, just like cells of muscle tissue respond. They were simply resistant to believing it was happening.

The funny thing about these individuals, though, is that I knew enough not to rely upon them for feedback about how things were going. Their wives told a very different story. Each person changed significantly in ways that made family life better, even if they were not or chose not to be aware.

I had the same thing happen with a few teenagers who were glum and reluctant about coming. In the end, they changed and their lives improved.

All this said, people can be resistant to change, and it may be challenging for such people to acknowledge that they have changed, especially if there is some kind of secondary gain attached to remaining in a stuck place.

Not wanting to acknowledge change is not the same as not making changes with neurofeedback. That can happen. I try to avoid it by filtering out people whom I don’t think can benefit, for whatever reason.

So, if you or a loved one are afraid neurofeedback might not work because you need to believe in it more than you do, or you’re afraid that your body might resist changing, talk to me. We can work out whether you are or are not a good candidate for brain training.