What Is Neurofeedback?
Neurofeedback (sometimes referred to as Electroencephalographic Biofeedback [EEG]) is a therapeutic process that has been effective in treating many disorders including: Epilepsy, sleep disorders, closed head injury, depression, anxiety, tinnitis, chronic pain, Tourette Syndrome, tics, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), dissociative disorder, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic attacks, attention deficit disorder (ADD), and others. It has been in use by Biofeedback practitioners and medical doctors for over seventy-five years. The publication of new research and the appearance of new, highly sensitive and sophisticated computer based equipment have increased its use in the treatment of attention deficit disorders and other disorders which have the brain as their central locus.
How It Works
The person receiving
treatment sits in front of a computer monitor screen and contro
ls the action on
the screen. What is on the screen may be a game like Pac-man or an
airplane in flight. The person is connected to a computer by tiny sensors
pasted to the patient's scalp with conductive wax. As the person learns
how to control the action on the screen better, he or she learns how to be
better in control of his or her own brain and what it is doing. The
process is entirely non-invasive and completely safe in the hands of a trained
practitioner. Anyone can do it, and children (as well as adults) find the
games enjoyable. [Computer screen courtesy of Legacy Suite by Thought
Technology, Inc.)
How Does It Help?
The human brain is a highly complex electro-chemical computer. It
controls not only our conscious movements like moving, walking, talking, but
also our unconscious functions like the beating of our heart, our digestive
system, our endocrine system, and the system which prevents disease from
spreading throughout our bodies.
Highly sensitive medical
instruments which enable doctors to see what is going on in the brai
n
reveal that the action of the brain produces electromagnetic fields which can be
detected by sensitive electrodes attached to the scalp. These electrical
fields can be separated into bands of frequencies for the sake of observation.
What has been observed is that these different bands of frequencies need to be
in balance with each other for the brain to function at optimal efficiency.
For example, when the low frequencies (Theta waves) are predominant over the
higher frequency waves, the person tends to be sluggish, under aroused.
This is a rough description of the ADD patient. The cure for this patient
is to reduce the predominance of the low frequency waves while increasing the
activity of middle wave frequencies (Beta waves).
One might say, "If I could
just see what is going on in my brain, I might be able to control it better."
That is what Neurofeedback does. The Neurofeedback therapist programs the
computer to give the patient positive feedback when brainwaves are moving toward
normalization, and the patient learns to control his or her brain in ways that
trains the brain to function that way even when the patient is not using the
biofeedback instrument. After a while the patient can control his or her
attention or his or her arousal. After still more training, the brain
builds neural pathways that enable it to function in an optimal way even without
the patient being conscious of the need to control it.
What Happens In Neurofeedback Sessions?
A typical session is an hour long during which the patient will spend up to a half hour connected to the computer and running the training game. The rest of the time, the therapist will give the patient and the patient's sponsors (in case of a child or adolescent patient) some education in better ways to deal with the symptoms, corrective diets and other information needed to ensure a complete recovery from the disorder. Remember, the goal of the therapy is to remove the symptoms completely and end dependence on drugs.
How Many Sessions Does It Take To Be Cured?
Some patients will feel some better after one treatment. Most patients will experience significant improvement in the symptoms after ten sessions. For cases of ADD patients or patients with more severe disorders, such as Tourettes Syndrome or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, thirty or more sessions may be required. Progress is measured and tracked each session, and no one is kept in the treatment regimen longer than required. For patients who are also on drug therapy, coordination with the prescribing physician is essential so that the strength of the dosage can be titrated (reduced) as needed until no more drugs are required.
Is the Treatment Expensive?
Compared to what? Compared to the cost of continuing on drugs which become less effective the longer the patients takes them? (The cost of Ritalin, for example, is about $3,000 per year for a child.) Compared to the cost of increased medical fees, legal fees for a child who gets in trouble with the law? Compared to the cost of having a child's teeth straightened? Compared to living the rest of the patient's life not fully functional? EEG therapy is the most cost-effective treatment you can find.