What to expect
Before anything is done, I will request that you complete a patient form. This paperwork provides me with your health history and information on your condition.
What to Expect during a Neurofeedback Session
Sensors are placed on your scalp and your brainwave activity is measures at different areas of the head. At no time is any electricity going into your scalp. The sensors are only measuring the electrical activity within the brain. These readings are analysed and a plan of treatment is recommended. On subsequent visits one or two areas are trained for approximately 45 minutes although the entire process will take one hour due to the amount of tine it takes to place the sensors. The client will be asked to watch the computer screen and try to make the ‘game’ work by producing the correct amount of brainwaves we are looking to increase or decrease. Gradually the practitioner will make it harder so the client needs to keep meeting the criteria to make the game function. The brain wants to keep meeting this criterion because it receives rewards for doing so in the form of visual or auditory responses. By doing this repeatedly we are getting the brain to function more effectively by creating new dendrites or neurological pathways making these changes permanent. You can think of it as physiotherapy for the brain!
Although certain conditions respond quicker than others, the amount of sessions required will vary per individual. Studies have shown that depression, anxiety and insomnia usually responds within 20 sessions. This usually involves activating the left hemisphere of the brain by increasing the Beta waves and relaxing the right hemisphere by increasing the slower Alpha and SMR waves. Learning deficits and ADD/ADHD can take up to 40 sessions. These sessions usually involve increasing the faster Beta waves and decreasing the slow Alpha and Theta waves seen in these conditions. Clients usually notice progress within the first 5 sessions. Gradually these changes last longer and longer with consecutive training until these changes become permanent.