Frequently Asked Questions

Who Uses Neurofeedback?

People from all walks of life have safely used neurofeedback for a variety of purposes.  Most trainees are average people, but elite performers especially recognize how it helps them. A few examples include athletes, musicians, and military officers:

• The Canadian Olympic team used neurofeedback to improve its performance at the 2010 Vancouver games.
• U.S. Marine Special Force teams have been known to use neurofeedback training to deal with high-stress, life-or-death situations they will be exposed to in the field.
• Top students in London music schools have used neurofeedback to improve their outcomes in high-stakes juried performances.
• Italy’s World Cup Champion soccer team in 2006 credited neurofeedback training for improving individual and team performance.

In addition, a growing segment of users are people who do their training from the privacy of their own homes. Home trainers generally have reasons for doing so, such as having training goals that require far more than the typical amount of sessions.

For most people, it makes more sense to see a professional, but learning to train at home saves them time and money for those with exceptional needs.

Who succeeds at neurofeedback training?

People who get the best results from training are those who commit themselves to their well-being and make it a priority, which includes dedicating time each week for brain training.

They also recognize that neurofeedback does not happen in a vacuum and do not expect it to be a magical cure-all. If a person needs medical or mental health care, she will have better outcome from neurofeedback training by taking care of those other needs, too.

How do I know it will work?

Almost everyone can achieve some benefit from brain training; the question is generally one of how much benefit and not whether it will work. Better results come from:

• Consistent training, especially early on.
• Good self-care habits. This includes taking care of your eating patterns, sleeping properly, moving your body, and nurturing your spirit.
• Keeping your professional caregivers in the loop and collaborating with them. This includes not just your doctor and mental health care providers, but your chiropractor, acupuncturist, etc. This is particularly important when medications are involved, because they may need to be titrated down, and only your doctor can do that with you.
• A collaborative relationship with your neurofeedback provider.  This is a team effort between trainee and coach, and your feedback is essential to making your sessions customized to you.
• Addressing issues in your life. Neurofeedback may feel relaxing, but it’s a small tool in the face of more powerful stressors like a toxic work environment or a crumbling relationship.

What costs are involved?

It depends. I recommend that most people mentally plan for around 40 one-hour sessions over the course of five to six months, and most people do use a full 40 sessions. This helps avoid the issue of doing a much smaller number of sessions but needing annual “tune-ups.” That said, the total number of sessions is customized per person and may vary. The typical range is 30-60.  I aim for not doing any fewer or any more sessions than necessary.

Currently, individual sessions are $140, and the initial brain map is $345.

Comparing prices among practitioners can be confusing.  With me, you are getting a measurement of 20 standard sites compared with ratios that researchers have found are present in the brains of optimally functioning people. It is called a “Trainers’ QEEG.” This produces recommendations for where and what to train. I do not stop there, however. I am trained to examine the brain map and decide whether different and additional sites ought to be included in the training plan. This means that in addition to spending time conducting the assessment, I spend time processing it and analyzing it.

This is different from some practitioners, who send your electrical brain recordings off to be compared with normative databases that provide training based on how different you are from a “normal” brain. There is nothing wrong with this, but I do not think that any one person has a “normal” brain.  Still other practitioners conduct rapid assessments that they advertise cheaply to pull in clients. Then, there are practitioners who decide what to train based on interviewing you and not on measuring what’s actually happening in the brain.  Please understand that although these are not my preferred choices for conducting training, they are valid methods and often get good results. You deserve to know what you’re comparing besides just price.

Individual training sessions in my office last one hour, and I use every bit of that hour for training. Most people get around 40 minutes of training per hour in my office. You will be working with me and not a technician.

As far as insurance coverage goes, this is a source of frustration for those who expect neurofeedback to fit into a medical model.  Unless you have a high-end plan, insurance rarely covers neurofeedback beyond the occasional initial consultation and a couple of introductory sessions, or for a diagnosis of autism.  If you will not do neurofeedback without insurance coverage, I encourage you to start by contacting your insurance company to see if your provider is one that does provide coverage.

More encouraging is that most people have found that they can use pre-tax dollars with health-care spending accounts.

You may find psychotherapists who claim that your insurance will cover brain training because they will also do psychotherapy along with your brain training.  They may get away with it, but this is a practice that ranges from a gray area into fraud, depending upon how any one insurance company chooses to address it.  Not only do I not do this, I no longer work as a counselor and do not provide psychotherapy for my clients.

What if I want to do neurofeedback training but feel it’s too expensive?

There are ways to make this work for you! I do my best not to turn anyone away for financial reasons.

The expertise and time of a skilled practitioner who is working one-on-one with you has value, and at the same time, I do my best to keep prices reasonable. For some, though, it’s not a matter of not wanting to pay for another person’s expertise, it’s a matter of not being able to afford it.  When that’s the case, please feel free to reach out to me. There are several options at your disposal, including:

Payment Plans. As a small business, I have the flexibility to offer payment arrangements that work for you. Past clients have taken a year or more to pay for their training sessions. I do not have set plans or programs and instead will work with you and your particular situation. I also do not charge interest for these plans.

Home Training. If you are willing to learn, we can do a hybrid arrangement in which I set up a training plan for you, and you execute it at home with rental equipment.  There is a significant learning curve involved, so you have to be highly motivated to do this, but I help you along the way, and you save on the cost. This is a great option for people who need many more than the usual number of sessions, and it is most certainly an option to consider if COVID-19 is a concern for you.

Do you offer a military or first responder discount?

Yes!  You and your immediate family may receive a 10% discount if you are active duty.

What age groups do you work with?

My practice centers around teens and adults, but I frequently train with children as young as eight.  My youngest client ever was four, and my oldest was 84.  You or your child probably fit in.

How does neurofeedback affect a security clearance?

I held a TS/SCI clearance for many years, so I understand the sensitivity of this question.  Because my approach does not entail treating mental health diseases or disorders, neurofeedback with me should not be an issue. Over the years, I have provided brain training to many people who have clearances, and none has had it arise as an issue during re-investigation. Even if it did, I do not communicate with anyone without a signed release.

What are the side effects of neurofeedback?

I wrote a blog post about the side effects of neurofeedback, which you can read here.   A second blog post explores something I called spillover effects, and you can read that here.

What happens if I don’t like it?

I have never had a client say that they couldn’t tolerate training. It can be a little intimidating during the first session to have a new experience like working with your brain’s energy patterns, but the idea is for it to feel good, and it almost always does.

I like to tell the story of a young man whose parents barely persuaded him to try brain training. He arrived in my office the first day with both a ball cap on this head and a hoodie covering the cap, making it a challenge for me to reach his head for training.  He refused to provide eye contact and answered my questions with monosyllabic grunts.  By the end of the first session, he gave eye contact.  Within four sessions, I knew all about his girlfriend, favorite television shows and movies, and outside activities. This occurred because he felt safe and, most importantly, the training felt good to him.

I have a special need.  Can I still do brain training?

Almost everyone can do training. If you have an especially challenging situation, such as autism, stroke or TBI, or have a history of problems relating to adoption, it may take you longer than others to achieve results, and learning to home train may be a good option.  It is also important to collaborate with your physician or psychologist.

What is a brain-training session like?

I addressed this question in a recent blog post, which you may access here.