How does NeuroFeedback work?
You might have heard of neurofeedback before if you have researched non-medicine, holistic, alternative treatments for conditions like anxiety, depression, trauma, ADHD, chronic pain, stroke, brain injury, and concussion. You might be intrigued by the long-lasting results that can come from neurofeedback without having to add another medication to your treatment plan. But still, you might be wondering how neurofeedback works. This post will give you the 4-1-1 on how neurofeedback works and how it might help you!
Neurofeedback works by training your brain to function more efficiently and effectively. During Neurofeedback sessions the neurofeedback equipment, an EEG device, will be viewing your brain's function “at rest”. The EEG has the ability to monitor your brain wave activity. When the targeted areas that we are focusing on hit a more optimal functional criteria, a musical reward will play. This acts as a reward training system to the brain, telling it to act that way more often. It is essentially the same thing you do with training a dog to use the bathroom outside. When they use the bathroom outside, they get a treat. After enough repetition of this, the dog knows to only go outside because that is how it gets a reward. The same thing happens during NeuroFeedback with your brain. The reward is the music playing, which only plays when your brain’s parameters are where we want them. This uses positive feedback to train the brain to act that way more often in order to receive the reward.
The cool thing about this is that it results in your brain retraining itself to correct any old processing errors that have emerged. Using the brain's own learning mechanism, neurofeedback resolves dysregulated and less-than-optimal brain function, as indicated on a function brain mapping. Since your brain is implementing its own plasticity (ability to change and grow), the results are long lasting, even after treatment has stopped. This is the true allure towards NeuroFeedback. We are no longer just treating the symptoms, but are now fixing the problem.The simple answer to the question of "how does neurofeedback work?" is that it uses your brain's own learning, growing, and healing capabilities!
Find out more about NEUROFEEDBACK and our Neurofeedback Specialist, Ben! Call Harper Therapy at 813-434-3639 for a free consultation, and to schedule your neurofeedback appointment.
