Over the past few months, I’ve been asked several times about various hand-held devices meant for a layperson to use at home, and I thought it might be beneficial to share my responses more broadly.

Neurofeedback is a means of gently teaching new electrical patterns to the brain using tones and other non-invasive rewards. It does not force the brain into specific states, and because it is a teaching tool, it takes time to create long-lasting results.  Once the brain learns those results, however, the patterns are set, and the brain holds onto its progress.

Unlike neurofeedback, most portable entrainment devices provide no feedback to show the brain what it is doing and create space for change. Instead, these devices—some called AVE, or audio-visual entrainment, some called CES, or cranio-electrical stimulation, and some called binaural beats—push the brain into a desired state using sound, light, or even light electrical charges to achieve change.  These devices, generally considered safe for relaxation purposes, do not teach the brain to change.  Because they force the brain into a new condition, changes may happen in just minutes, but the changes are short-lived and in most cases will not become permanent.

Entrainment devices have their benefits, even though they don’t create long-lasting change. For those who cannot afford the time or money to pursue a course of neurofeedback brain training, for example, entrainment tools provide immediate, short-term benefits until the person is able to do neurofeedback. They also are beneficial for some people to use in between neurofeedback sessions to extend the benefits of training—in fact, I keep a few types of entrainment tools available to share with my clients.  In addition, many neurofeedback software programs include binaural beats to help the brain shift into new states, so they can be useful during brain training.

The bottom line is that to create long-lasting change that does not require continual daily effort, neurofeedback is the better path. For short-term benefits to hold one over before implementing longer-term solutions, entrainment is a beneficial choice.