As I mentioned in a previous post, home-training neurofeedback is an option. It’s not for everyone, though. In fact, most people are likely better served by working with a professional trainer. However, these are challenging times, and if you are dedicated to doing neurofeedback right now, home training is the way to go. (If you don’t want to do home training, give me a call or send me an email. I’m now creating a list for when my office reopens to new clients.)
There are three things you need to get started: the right equipment, the right know-how to do training, and the right mind-set.
Equipment.
Let’s get started with equipment. First, you need a Windows-based computer. It’s preferable to have one that’s solely for brain-training use, because Windows updates and some online activity may interfere with software functioning. People think this isn’t a hard and fast rule, but it really is better just to download what you need for brain training, then disconnect from online activity. You also should have a secondary monitor. This isn’t absolutely necessary, but it makes life much simpler. Monitors, and even small televisions, are relatively inexpensive these days.
Next, you need an amplifier. By the time it makes its way through the skull, the electrical signal that comes from brainwave activity is quite faint, and an EEG amplifier captures the signal and magnifies it so that the computer software can use it. Along with the amplifier, you need electrodes–either individual ones or a cap. You will need some sort of connector to help capture the signal—there is prep gel, conductive paste, conductive gel, or saline, depending upon what electrodes you choose. Then, you need software to capture and process the electrical signal so that it can reward your brain for making changes…and neurofeedback is reward-based.
It sounds complicated, but getting the right gear is fairly straightforward, especially if you reach out for help in your decision-making.
Know-How.
If you purchase a package of training from a website called brain-trainer.com, they include a significant amount of video-based training. This means that you can watch and re-watch videos to learn how to use the equipment. If you don’t purchase their training, I can help you navigate their free training, and, even before the coronavirus outbreak, I was offering online training sessions to get people started with home training. (I also offered in-person training and group workshops. Those will resume when it’s safer to do so again.) uiop[]789+lkjhvc
After 00learning how to operate the equipment, one must learn what and where to train. For most people, this is done by conducting a brain-map, which is a snapshot in time of the electrical signals of 20 spots on the scalp. Again, this can be done virtually, so one is not left at home, alone with complicated gear and instructions.
The data collected from the brain map can then be sent to me for processing using software called a Trainers’QEEG. This data compares the brain against itself—and NOT a normative database—and I use this data to help you come up with a plan for what and where to train. We go through this plan together during an online session to be sure you know how to use the software. Then, you’re off and running!
However, even after this, you’re not on your own. I’m available for questions, and if you purchase your gear from Brain Trainer International, they have free forums on which you can ask questions and learn from others’ questions.
Mind-Set.
One of the biggest problems with home training is NOT the learning curve involved. It’s the fact that many people start off with fits of enthusiasm, learning what they need to do. Then, as enthusiasm fades, those folks get busy with regular life and gradually forget that they intended to do training.
Brain trainers who succeed at brain training are able to bypass this sand through several means that we can talk about during training sessions. One of the biggest tips is to put neurofeedback at home in the calendar and behave as if it’s an appointment with an outside practitioner. When you make an appointment with yourself or your loved one, it’s much easier to keep it.
Another thing that helps people keep going is that they push through until they start to feel results (which happens generally within in the first ten sessions). Then, feeling and acting better propel successful home trainers in to doing more of what made things better. Success creates its own momentum.
How to Get Started
If you want to explore home training, reach out to me, and I’ll offer you a 30-minute session to talk about your needs and whether home training makes sense for you. If you decide that it does, I can walk you through the website where you can purchase equipment, or talk to you about rental options. I’m happy to do this even if you opt not to work with me to learn to train. If you decide that you want to do neurofeedback but home training is too much for you, we can also discuss in-office training for when it’s healthier to do that.