Neurofeedback is a type of biofeedback that helps to harmonize brain waves. Research shows it may effectively treat ADD, sleep problems, anxiety and depression, and fibromyalgia.

Neurofeedback is also used to improve the direction of slow cortical potentials in schizophrenic patients. It is considered safe and has few side effects.

What is Neurofeedback Therapy?

Neurofeedback training is a non-invasive treatment that improves your brain’s ability to self-regulate and heal. It has decreased emotional and physical symptoms like anxiety, depression, insomnia, fibromyalgia, migraines, chronic pain, and addiction.

During sessions, we place sensors on your head and use software to monitor your brain activity. We then show you what your brain is doing, so you can learn to change it. We teach you to target brain regions that are causing discomfort.

Infra Low-Frequency HD Neurofeedback (ILF HD) is a drug-free technique that targets brainwaves to treat high-arousal conditions, including PTSD complex trauma, ADHD, anxiety and insomnia. It can also help with tinnitus, fibromyalgia, restless legs syndrome and other chronic health problems. During ILF HD neurofeedback, we train the brain to increase low-frequency delta and theta waves while decreasing beta wave activity which has been shown to reduce anger, fear, anxiety, stress, fatigue and insomnia.

Traditional Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback therapy (EEG biofeedback) helps people learn to change their brain wave patterns. It is a non-invasive therapy that has been around for over 50 years and is based on scientific research.

The client sits motionless while a machine monitors their brainwaves. A computer program shows a movie or display of sounds and uses it to help the brain learn to bring abnormally high or low brain waves into an optimal range. Over time, it becomes easier to do this naturally without medication.

Sometimes, the therapist may target specific brain regions causing uncomfortable symptoms such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, chronic pain, and addiction. Those targeted areas are generally in the frontal lobes, FP1, FP2, FPZ and F3, responsible for emotions, social skills, time management and moral fiber.

This method of Neurofeedback is very similar to LENS but offers quicker results, fewer sessions and requires a much smaller investment. Both are shown to be effective in a wide variety of conditions.

Direct Neurofeedback

During direct Neurofeedback, electrodes attached to your head detect brainwave frequencies to show you. These frequencies can then be used to train your brain to change its behavior to alleviate symptoms. This drug-free approach treats ADHD, anxiety, insomnia and chronic migraines.

The information from sensors placed on your scalp and then sends a tiny, invisible current back to your brain. These signals help your brain break old, inefficient neural patterns that may keep you stuck or frozen. Patients have the opportunity to see the date from this feedback on  small computer monitors. 

This therapy can be very effective and is especially useful for veterans suffering from depression, PTSD, traumatic brain injuries, chronic pain, anxiety and restless leg syndrome. However, most insurance does not cover it, and sessions can be expensive. Nevertheless, double-masked studies are underway, and the field is gaining popularity, with more providers offering the service. Some even provide a pay-what-you-can model to ensure access for those who need it most.

EMDR

Neurofeedback is a safe, non-invasive, drug-free treatment. It is used to help improve mood and sleep and increase energy levels. It can also be used in conjunction with traditional therapy and a modality called EMDR. While traditionally used to treat PTSD, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is used for a variety of psychological disorders. It is shown that when EMDR and neurofeedback are combined, it has life altering positive effects. 

For example, EMDR addresses the psychological effects of depression while neurofeedback pinpoints the effects of depression in your brain’s neurological pathways. In this way, people are able to change neuropathways in the brain which provides pounced relief from not just anxiety, depression and PTSD, but chronic pain from fibromyalgia, migraines and more. 

Neurofeedback involves electrodes on the scalp and ear lobes that look for specific brain frequencies, like theta and delta. This information can then be used to change the way a person functions. It has been shown to help people with ADHD and and restless leg syndrome. Neurofeedback looks for the frontal lobes, which are responsible for working memory, emotional regulation and judgment. It uses 19 electrodes and targets symptoms like anxiety and insomnia. Several studies have found that this method reduces the number of stimulant medications needed for ADHD. CHADD recommends caution if considering this treatment due to the limited research and high cost.