Let’s look at how neurofeedback works. First we need to understand that our brain communicates in two main ways: through chemicals like serotonin and dopamine and through electrical activity. This is why neurofeedback differs from the pharmacological therapy we use in treating psychological disorders. Medications target the chemical messengers in our brain, while neurofeedback focuses on the electrical patterns there.

The electrical activity in our brains is very subtle. Rebecca likens it to music—something we can all relate to. “It’s like music that’s on an extremely low volume,” she says. “It’s there, but the volume is just too low for us to hear. Usually our brain’s electrical activity is not something we can directly interact with, because the music is on too low. That’s what makes neurofeedback special. It acts as an amplifier, allowing us to ‘turn up the volume’ on our brainwaves so that we can do something with them.”

Neurofeedback is a type of biofeedback, which is defined as “the process of gaining awareness of physiological processes and making changes in them, usually by self-regulation.” Biofeedback works by providing real-time feedback on your body’s physiological processes such as heart rate or muscle tension through machines connected to sensors placed on your skin. For example, if you are learning how to control your blood pressure with biofeedback then you will see numbers displayed on a computer screen showing how high or low it is at any given moment in time during a given exercise.

Neurofeedback differs from other forms of biofeedback because it doesn’t involve direct measurement but makes use of indirect measures such as electroencephalography (EEG) recordings from electrodes placed on specific locations on the scalp along with other imaging techniques like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, which provide information about activity levels within different parts of our brains over long periods of time.

Neurofeedback works through operant conditioning, which is using rewards and punishments to modify your behavior. In this kind of operant conditioning we measure brainwave activity. The model my team uses is called New Mind Maps. We create a brain-training protocol based on a clinical exam and on the data gathered from a qEGG (quantitative electroencephalogram), which takes about 30 to 40 minutes. This data is analyzed to find clinically significant outliers within your brainwaves. It is these outliers that are often associated with symptoms such as low mood, lack of motivation, inability to focus, anxiousness, brain fog, and more. With consultation between the client and the practitioner it is typically these outlier frequencies that become the targets for neurofeedback training.

In a recent video, which you’ll find in the sidebar of this article, Rebecca explains further. “There are two parts to how Neurofeedback works,” she says. “First, it measures data from our brain, and then sends that data back to our brain, creating a communication loop that we don’t normally have access to. When neurofeedback is taking information from our brain, it’s using special sensors on your scalp that are able to pick up the extremely subtle electrical signals your brain is making. It sends these signals into something called an amplifier, which allows a computer program to analyze your brainwaves, basically acting like turning up the volume on a speaker.”

In the process a trained clinician places a cap with 20 electrodes on the head. Through the use of a sophisticated software program, the client will then be able to read how their brain is functioning in those electrode locations while watching Netflix or a meditation video or listening to music. As they watch the screen or listen to the music, the electrodes send information back to the brain through a visual or auditory stimulus when brainwaves are in the targeted frequency. The computer program is then able to identify when your brain is making certain kinds of electrical activity connected to better cognitive functioning, physiological regulation and emotional balance.

The reward in this operant conditioning comes from you being able to see a screen more clearly or hear music better. When the computer program identifies that your brain is making balanced optimized brainwave patterns, which it does organically, it signals to your brain by making the screen that you’re watching become brighter, or the music that you’re listening to get louder based on how your brain is functioning. If your brain is operating at the level that we want it to be attaining, then you are rewarded through being able to watch the show successfully or hear the music better. If your brain slips into old, less-than-preferable patterns of functioning, then the screen gets darker and darker and darker or the music gets lower and lower, making the rewards go away.

Through neurofeedback brain waves are being trained in the desired direction through rewards generated by changes in the audio/visual stimulus. Over time and through its natural bent toward regulation, the brain can retrain itself to function within optimal frequencies, thus reducing symptoms. This is what we mean by New Mind Maps—your brain is making new neural connections to more preferable places.

So, with neurofeedback we are taking advantage of an evidence-based treatment that uses brain training to improve the brain’s ability to self-regulate. Our brain is very pattern-focused and so if we have ADHD or if we have experienced trauma over the course of our lives, our brain develops specific patterns of electrochemical or brainwave functioning. Neurofeedback is a powerful tool to help reestablish the norm that we would like your brain to have or to train it to operate in new ways. This non-invasive treatment can help people with PTSD and other stress and anxiety disorders decrease their symptoms over time. It can also help them become more resilient and better able to cope with the stressors in their lives, as well as learn how to regulate their emotions.

Not only is neurofeedback an exciting new tool for mental health, it is also used as a therapy for mental wellness as well as performance enhancement in athletics and other areas where sharp mental focus is key. The plasticity of our brains means they have the potential for positive change and growth that we can help drive. Neurofeedback has been found to be beneficial for many people. It helps their brain make strides toward becoming its best self in a way that is long-lasting and sustainable.

You deserve to live your most fulfilled life. Go to our Neurofeedback and Biofeedback Page to learn more about our neurofeedback services.