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The following article was published in Your Health Magazine. Our mission is to empower people to live healthier.
Deborah A. Stokes, PhD, BCIA-EEG
Improve Your Brain Function Through Neurofeedback
The Better Brain Center

Improve Your Brain Function Through Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback is a non-drug alternative for conditions such as migraine, ADHD, depression, anxiety, brain injury and overall stress management.

Neurofeedback is a painless method that helps train your brain to relax and/or focus so that stress and pain are better managed, performance is improved at school, in sports or in the performing arts. For example, members of the Italian soccer team who won the 2006 World Cup were undergoing neurofeedback sessions prior to their win.

In the November 2006 issue of the journal Pain, two German researchers conducted a meta-analysis of biofeedback for migraine headaches and reported its “robust” effects on this condition.

A study published in Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America (2005), indicated that EEG biofeedback should be considered “probably efficacious” for the treatment of attention deficit disorder and that “research findings published to date indicate positive clinical response in approximately 75% of patients treated in controlled group studies.”

In another study published in the Australian Journal of Psychology (1991), 22 of 24 subjects undergoing neurofeedback for learning disabilities increased their full scale IQ scores at least 15 points after approximately 28 sessions and the other two subjects increased their IQ scores 13 and 14 points.

Neurofeedback assists individuals in improving their overall functioning. It is a non-invasive, painless method for training the brain. Sensors are attached to the scalp, which feed brainwaves into an electroencephalogram (EEG) machine that is linked to a computer. The brainwaves are converted to audio and video displays, which resemble video games. Individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), for example, often have a higher percentage of slow brainwaves compared to non-ADHD individuals.

Watching the screen and listening to tones gives the client immediate feedback on whether his/her brain is making faster or slower brainwaves. By practicing the making of brainwaves that are normally present when they are calm and focused, clients learn over time to maintain the desired state. There are neurofeedback protocols for a variety of conditions and success treating the following

Attentional Disorders inattentive, hyperactive and/or impulsive types, and lack of motivation or initiative.

Anxiety Disorders generalized anxiety, panic disorder, phobias, obsessive compulsive disorder, agoraphobia.

Mood Disorders major depression, anger and rage disorders, low motivation.

Pain Disorders migraines (see the ABC news special about success with migraines), tension headaches, fibromyalgia.

Miscellaneous bedwetting, bruxism, tics, Tourette's, head injury, chronic fatigue syndrome, brain fog.

Neurofeedback should only be provided by those licensed for independent practice in a mental health field (LPC, LCSW, or PhD in psychology) or medical doctor (MD).

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