To watch a video demonstration of neurofeedback, click here.
What is Neurofeedback?
Neurofeedback is a 50-year-old practice of hacking the brain to improve its functioning. Each neurofeedback session is administered by a professional who uses portable EEG devices and sensors called electrodes to measure faint electrical brain wave signals in the trainee’s skull.
These signals are forwarded to a computer, where sophisticated software analyzes the data and rewards the brain (often in the form of a tone heard via earphones) when it produces the desired changes to the electrical patterns.
Researchers believe that the brain responds to these rewards by creating new electrical patterns, similar to learning skills such as riding a bike or reading in a foreign language.
Slowly, over time, trainees can teach their brains through neurofeedback new — and lasting — positive habits and self-regulation. The training, typically around forty 60-minute sessions for optimum results, is painless, safe, gentle, and done in private.
How Does Neurofeedback Happen?
There are several different theoretical approaches to neurofeedback. I follow the approach of whole-brain training, which means that I take a balanced approach to seeing what’s going on and training several places on the scalp, in rotation.
Although the brain is not a muscle, this approach is similar to working with a personal trainer, in that they would not train to build just one muscle group, they’d work the whole body.
The process begins with an interview to determine your training goals. Then, together we will take a measurement of brainwave activity at 16 or 20 sites on the scalp. This brain map, called a Trainers’ QEEG, is a snapshot in time that is used to determine where and how to begin training.
Together, we then implement a plan for sessions that usually work up to 60 minutes and, at first, occur two or three times per week. Near the end of our work together, we may taper off to once a week or less.
Again if using the exercise analogy, it makes sense to know that training builds over time. It’s important not to go a long time between sessions, just as you would not go to the gym just once a week and expect to get quick results.
Consistent brain training allows most people to begin to see results within 6-10 sessions (really stuck brains may take longer, but we would know this before beginning).
The overall number of sessions required is determined by training goals, how the body responds and whether training is consistent, but for most people it is somewhere around 40 sessions. It is possible to achieve your goals in as few as 25 sessions, but that is not the norm, and people who stop too early often need to return for so-called booster sessions. I do not believe in boosters and try to train people to reach their goals and stay there. Once a person has completed training, there is rarely a need to return for additional training.
To find answers to additional questions you may have, including cost and time commitment, go to Frequently Asked Questions.
You may also get more information from my blog page, which is here.
The blog is divided into categories, and you may wish to start by looking only at neurofeedback-specific posts before delving into the brain science/neuroscience articles.
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