An Adventure in Self-Regulation


Neurofeedback is one of the most compelling examples of the body's ability to self-regulate and bring itself back into balance. It offers individuals an opportunity to participate in their own health. The neurofeedback process unfolds as follows:

A Non-Invasive Process
Non-invasive sensors, or electrodes, are connected to specific sites on the surface of the head. The sensors enable the brain wave patterns to be displayed on the computer screen. By placing the sensors strategically on the head, specific areas of the brain can be trained to normalize rhythmic patterns.

The high-speed neurofeedback equipment can filter out and display any EEG electrical pattern or frequency produced by the brain. Two of the most significant ones are beta fast waves, and theta, a slow wave which ranges from four to seven cycles a second. Generally, the client's goal is to inhibit excessive theta wave patterns, and lower their amplitude. The computer assists the brain in recognizing normal patterns by producing audio and visual reinforcement when they occur. The brain makes the appropriate corrections immediately.

Real Time Digital EEG Neurofeedback Results
Neurofeedback helps to improve functions such as concentration, short term memory, speech, motor skills, sleep, energy level, and emotional balance. The results of the training are permanent unless injury occurs. Once the brain's normal patterns have been restored, the neurofeedback training is no longer necessary. The effects of neurofeedback training is similar to the effect of training wheels on a bicycle. Once you learn to balance by yourself, the training wheels are no longer needed. The body does not forget.

"It's my contention that I discovered a basic paradox, a posi-tive paradox, in brain activity: the brain doesn't know how to correct itself in a depressive situation until it's told what it shouldn't do first. That's why this instrumentation is so impor-tant. It combines inhibition and reward simultaneously. What happens is that the brain in an effort to establish homeostasis or normal balance can produce high-frequency brain waves in an effort to inhibit slow wave activity but, once the brain is successfully taught this dual process, both brain wave patterns disappear."