A brain map is how I almost always get started with a round of neurofeedback training. It is a measurement of the electrical activity in the brain and is conducted to help the brain trainer know what and where to train to help a person reach their goals.

This is done using precise spots on the head. Neurofeedback uses the same address system on the scalp that neurologists use, called the international 10-20 system. Each of these sites on the scalp corresponds to brain functions in the area below it, so it matters where on the head we place electrodes. Most practitioners are like me and will conduct some kind of brain map.

Brain maps can be cursory or thorough, and the results can be beneficial or sometimes needlessly overly specific. For example, some maps only measure activity at one or two sites out of the 20 on the scalp. Others take measurements that result in 150 or more pages of results, yet all this highly specific data result in suggesting training at just one or two sites on the head.

My approach to measuring is to take recordings of the electrical activity at 20 places on the scalp using something called the Trainers’ QEEG. Each recording captures a person’s state while her eyes are closed, open, and open while conducting tasks such as repeating digits, listening for content, etc. I process these recordings using software that involves many algorithms to help compare the person’s brain against itself. I review these findings, then generate a training plan that involves rotating through a series of what we call protocols—names of places on the brain, along with the electrical frequencies or connections that would benefit from training.  The process of brain mapping takes about an hour to an hour and 15 minutes, with extra time dedicated to analyzing the results.

The training plan that results from these measurements is called Whole-Brain Training. It involves training multiple sites on the scalp, almost like circuit-training the body. A person doing healthy physical training would not train just the quadriceps, because this could result in an imbalance and possibly a pulled hamstring. The same concept applies to neurofeedback. Training just one spot in the brain may sometimes be fine, is almost never harmful, but is usually not optimal.

I conduct Trainers’ QEEGs on almost all of my clients. The exceptions are young children, who can rarely sit still long enough to get reliable measurements, and on rare occasion the adults who also cannot tolerate the process of sitting with one’s eyes closed in an office.

To me, brain maps are foundational, because they entail looking at the brain rather than guessing based on a person’s complaints or goals. If you’d like to learn more about the brain map process and neurofeedback in general, give me a call, or schedule a consultation here.