Experience Neurofeedback
During a neurofeedback training session, you will be sitting in a comfortable chair in my training office and either listen to music or tones, or watch a video or strobe light, depending on the modality chosen, and while I record your brainwaves in a completely safe and non-invasive fashion, your brain will be training. Yes, it is that simple.
Now, let me describe the whole process: I will carefully attach small sensors on your scalp and 2-3 sensor clips to your ears/earlobes using a conducting paste that feels like vaseline (NeurOptimal neurofeedback) or salt water (Attention Training Brain Synchrony). The sensors pick up the electrical activity generated by the brain which then it needs to be amplified. One can say that these sensors "listen" to the brain just like the physician listens to your heart and lungs with a stethoscope. Nothing goes into the brain. Brain activity that has been amplified is then fed into my computer or fed back directly to you as light and sound for the synchrony training. At the beginning of a session, I may record a pre-training baseline. This will inform both of us about the quality of the signal as well as where you are in that particular session.
I will also give you a pair of headphones or earbuds and you may listen to music or a series of tones, and/or watch a movie, a colorful display in a computer monitor or a blue strobe light. During a NeurOptimal training session, the information (brain activity) that is fed to the computer is analyzed using sophisticated mathematical algorithms and whenever such activity indicates a dysfunctional or less than optimal pattern, you may notice momentary pauses in the sound or image, therefore giving you feedback. The precise timing of these interruptions is what gives your brain the information it needs to reorganize itself to operate more optimally. You don’t have to do anything while this is happening. You can close your eyes or not, doze off, zone out, be attentive...your brain will do its job no matter what. The duration of each session can vary from around 20 to 45 minutes. At the end, I will record another baseline and compare it with your earlier one. We can revise baselines every session and we will continue to monitor them, but the most important factor in measuring progress will be your personal experience. During an attention training through brain synchrony neurofeedback session, you will be asked to close your eyes and you will listen to "trains" of tones, and light beams from the strobe light will also send feedback to your nervous system. In this case, the precise timing of light and sound stimulation as well as the interruptions inform your brain about being in synchrony on all 5 active sensors on the scalp in the alpha band (typically 10Hz) or not, so that it can operate more efficiently. You will be asked to produce as many trains of light and sound as you can. Your brain will soon learn how to do it and it is also possible you will learn to "feel" when your brain is in alpha synchrony. Sessions with brain synchrony neurofeedback training also usually last 30-45 min.
Some people see initial changes after as little as 3-6 sessions, but more typically after around 10. For effects to last, 20-40 sessions may be required. Monthly, or even yearly tune-ups are also a good idea. After a few neurofeedback sessions, trainees report feeling more focused, calm and centered. One of the first things most trainees notice is a substantial improvement in the quality of their sleep, but neurofeedback has been reported in the scientific literature to be quite successful for AD/HD, mood disorders, particularly PTSD and substance abuse, as well as peak performance in athletes and artists.
Remember, neurofeedback is not a substitute for medication or psychotherapy; it is an adjunctive or alternative learning approach.