Do you suffer from anxiety or sleep problems? Have you experienced traumatic experiences in your life? Have you suffered a stroke or other neurological issues such as Parkinson’s?
Neurofeedback is a subdivision of biofeedback, which is a method of gaining information by monitoring a person’s blood pressure, skin temperature, brains waves, and heart rate to help promote control over what are usually involuntary processes.
No matter the type of biofeedback involved, it will use some type of monitoring device along with electronic sensors to share data about what is going on in the body. In neurofeedback, special sensors offer information about specific brain waves: are the brain waves working harmoniously or is there dysregulation?
Think of dysregulation like an orchestra that is tuning up before a performance. No one is playing WITH one another, instead there is a cacophony of noise that doesn’t sound so nice.
So thanks to technology, we can get accurate information about how parts of our brain are working, a map if you will. Some types of neurofeedback can also compare one brain to others of the same gender and age for health screenings.
How Does Neurofeedback Help Neurological Issues?
The interesting thing about neurofeedback is that it can be used to ascertain brain health as well as treat brainwave dysregulation, which in turn can help a variety of neurological issues including:
- Stroke/aneurysm
- Concussion
- Anxiety
- Sleep problems
- PTSD
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Movement disorders such as myoclonic
When the brain is given real-time information about itself, it is able to make necessary adjustments. And it can make these adjustments quite rapidly, too. This means after just one session, an individual may notice an improvement in their mood, regulation or attention.
Neurofeedback also helps brain flexibility. What do I mean by that? Well, you’ve probably experienced a sudden shift in brain activity yourself. Maybe you felt kind of down all day and then suddenly your basketball team makes the winning shot and you feel elated. This is an example of the brain, and brain waves, being flexible.
But often people get stuck in a particular mental state and that can cause problems in their relationships and ability to focus. As another example, there are some people that can become angry but quickly come back down to a state of calm. Others, though, stay in the anger state for far too long.
Neurofeedback helps the brain to shift states more fluidly. This can help people who suffer from anger issues, anxiety, depression, impulsivity, and behavioral issues.
If you or someone you know may benefit from neurofeedback, please reach out to me. I would be happy to discuss how I may be able to help.