WHAT IS NEUROFEEDBACK
Neurofeedback, also called EEG Biofeedback, is a system of training the brain with reward sounds to reach a desired outcome. With neurofeedback the brain can be taught subconsciously how to regulate in order to diminish unwanted mental, emotional and/or physical dysfunctions that can occur through life's ups and downs.
How does Neurofeedback work?
First you need to schedule an assessment. Once the assessment is complete, Dr. Woodbury will examine the assessment and discuss the results with you. After discussing these findings with the client, a plan will be designed to train the disregulated waves through an auditory reward system. The brain literally trains itself through this system of reward sounds and the disregulation in the brain resolves leaving the person without the symptoms previously experienced. The number of sessions will vary depending on the disregulation of the brain waves. Training can vary from 15 hours to sometimes 40 hours of training. The more often the training sessions the faster results are achieved.
An easy example is when a child has difficulty focusing and paying attention. They are distracted by their environment, they have a hard time staying on task or completing a task. When they try to do homework their brain won't cooperate so they can't sit still and focus. This kind of activity is most commonly seen when theta brain waves increase while a child is trying to focus on a task. A medical practitioner may diagnose this as ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) but to a neurotherapist this is a disregulation in the brain that can be trained with neurofeedback.
Who uses Neurofeedback?
Adults and children of all ages have had great success with neurofeedback training. Generally people who either are experiencing symptoms of or have been diagnosed with the following disorders use neurofeedback: Anxiety, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Conduct Disorder, Migraines, Sleep Disregulation, Epilepsy, Substance Abuse, Learning Disabilities, Cognitive Impairment, OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), Autism Spectrum Disorders, ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), MTBI (Mild Traumatic Brain Injury), and PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)
Many famous athletes and top business executives commonly use Neurofeedback so they can achieve their "peak performance" in what they do. Additionally people with migraines have excellent success relieving their migraines and discontinuing their medications forever. Autistic children and others within the spectrum have their lives dramatically changed as well as bringing a higher quality of life to the entire family. Both children and adults that have been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD have had enormous success with neurofeedback. The list of brain disregulations is tremendous and amazing.
What are Brain Waves?
Brain waves are electrical signals produced by cells in the brain called neurons. Certain brain waves increase or decrease depending on what a person is doing.
- Delta brain waves are the slowest of all your brain waves and usually increase when a person is fast asleep.
- Theta brain waves are produced when someone has their eyes closed and they aren't really asleep but they aren't totally awake.
- Alpha brain waves are produced when someone is in a state of relaxation or is daydreaming.
- Beta waves are fast brain waves and they are produced when a person is actively engaged in a mental activity.