YOU CAN TRAIN YOUR BRAIN
This is a brief introduction to EEG Neurofeedback (EEG NF) training.
“EEG” stands for “electroencephalograph,” the method we are familiar with that measures and displays brainwaves created by the neurochemical and electrical activity in the brain.
EEG studies are often conducted with 8 to 24 electrode sensors placed over specific area of the head. Each sensor picks up the activity of about 10,000 neuron cells directly beneath it. In turn, each group of 10,000 cells at the surface is interconnected to about 100,000 cells, so we are recording the activity of many more cells than 10,000 at a much deeper level than the surface of the skull. In an EEG survey, each electrode sums all signals it is receiving. Since the signals are in microvolts, that is one one-millionth of a volt, they are amplified and filtered before being shown on a monitor or written on paper record. An EEG survey records activity in the brain so that overall patterns can be seen.
In contrast, EEG NF records the signals from a particular area of the brain, records what is happening, breaks the signal down into some common frequency groups that we understand, and allows the therapist and the patient to see what is happening in the brain almost instantly. The feedback allows the patient to see what is happening, hear sounds that allow her to know when her brain is working effectively and at the frequency most appropriate for what she is doing. She and her brain work together so that her brain can learn from the experience and she can teach herself and her brain to be more flexible in responding to what she needs to do at the time.
Can the brain really learn this way? Yes, a common example of changes in the brain is riding a bicycle. As children, we start out very shakily on a two-wheel bicycle. At first we have training wheels to help us coordinate our large and small muscle groups to balance on the wheels while also pumping the peddles, steering for direction, judging the safety of the environment, perceiving where our arms, legs and body are in relation to the bicycle and ourselves, scanning the environment with our eyes and determining what is safe or not, etc., etc.
At some point, we remove the training wheels and a parent stands beside us, helping with balance and coaching us to coordinate all the different movements that need to take place. When the parent thinks we have fairly good balance, she lets go and we ride for a few feet before we put our feet back on the ground because we haven’t learned well enough to ride alone. This procedure occurs many times until one day when the parent lets go, the child rides far enough and long enough to begin riding independently. The child continues to practice, not only with balance and coordination, but also with perceiving safe and dangerous situations and responding to them. At some point, we have learned this complicated procedure so well that we nod in agreement when it is said, “Oh, it’s like learning to ride a bicycle; you never forget it.” We never forget it because structural and neurochemical changes have been made in our brain based on our experience of learning to ride the bicycle.
Likewise, we learn to work with our brain and many changes take place in it based on the experience we give it. Think of learning to read. At the time of birth, no one knows how to read. However, we begin to learn the importance of letters and their relationship to words early in life. Just think about the toddler who points at the golden arches and says “McDonald’s.” Throughout life, our brain learns from experiences and we have the ability to train it and ourselves to function better when we know how and have the right tools to do it.
Further, we are constantly learning, whether we intend to or not. We learn from the examples of behavior in our environment and our responses to them. In fact, as long as we are conscious, we will continue to learn automatically. What we want to do with EEG neurofeedback is learn to work with our brain and have our brain work automatically for us intentionally rather than accidentally. We can’t help but learn, so let us learn what is helpful. EEG Neurofeedback can help us do it.
HOW EEG NEUROFEEDBACK IS DONE
The System Provides the Feedback – The Brain Does the Work
First, we take a rather detailed survey that asks about many signs and symptoms that suggest how your brain is working. There are many questions about sleep, response to alcohol, medications and over-the-counter drugs and illicit drugs. We are not interested in condemning you for experiences with drugs or alcohol; your experiences help us estimate sensitivity to EEG NF. We also ask about behavior, impulse control, attention and concentration as well as head injuries, balance, common diseases, and much more.
It is very good to have the report from your last EEG survey if you ever had one done, but not absolutely necessary. Based on symptom reports, your goals and realistic expectations, your therapist can share initial and long-term goals as well as time estimates. Know that these initial considerations can be modified from week-to-week based on actual responses to EEG NF training and other information.
Before beginning EEG NF training, we ask you to complete a short computerized continuous performance survey. We use the Connor’s Continuous Performance Test which is administered on the computer using a very simple task to measure responses and time to respond. We use this independent survey as a base-line measure independent of results or reports from EEG NF training. It takes under 20 minutes from beginning to end.
In an actual training session, the patient sits in front of one computer while the therapist sits in front of a second, connected computer. Small metal disks are pasted in three or four areas of your head. The disks pick up the signals in your brain; they never put any signals into your brain. The patient sees a summary of the signals from her brain in the form of a game with colors for certain frequencies as well as sounds and movement to show what is happening. The therapist sees the combined or raw signal from the sensors as well as the breakdown of the raw signal into common ranges of signals that indicate how the brain is working at the time.
Based on what the brain is doing at the time and what the client wants the brain to do, the computer and the therapist assist the patient in seeing and knowing what brain waves to encourage, thereby reducing the brain waves that aren’t helpful at the time.
You might ask, “Why not use 8 or 24 locations on the head as they do in the EEG survey? With that many locations we couldn’t know which areas we were training. It would be too complicated for us to learn from. Therefore, we break down our brain training to one area at a time so we can see what is happening.
Each EEG NF training session takes about 50 minutes, with about 30 minutes actually training on the computers. The remaining time is needed to apply the sensors, discuss results from previous training, revise the training plan according to what has changed since the last session, and discuss what has happened in the present session.
WHEN IS EEG NF MOST EFFECTIVE?
EEG NF was first used with epilepsy. It is now widely used for treatment of attention deficit disorder, attention deficit with hyperactivity disorder, and attention deficit combined type. The wide range of conditions where EEG NF is used in combination with psychotherapy are:
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Spaciness |
Daydreaming |
Poor concentration |
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Inattentive |
Lack of Motivation |
Hyperactivity |
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Impulsivity |
Distractibility |
Many competing thoughts (busy brain) |
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Irritability |
Agitation |
Aggression |
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Depression and Anxiety |
Panic Attacks |
Bedwetting |
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Autism |
Pervasive Developmental Disorder |
Normalization of Sleep – Insomnia, Frequent Awakenings, Not Rested After Sleep & Other Sleep Disorders |
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Concentration |
Improved Motor Skills |
Improved Cognitive Functioning |
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Improved Socialization |
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder |
Pain |
EEG NF also is used to promote appropriate arousal and stability in the brain. The disorders listed below are often responsive to EEG NF, but each is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. These disorders often require a longer course of training, perhaps 80 to 120 sessions.
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Bi-polar Mood Disorder |
Traumatic Brain Injury |
Migraine Headaches |
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Rage |
Addiction |
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder |
HOW MANY SESSIONS?
The most common course of treatment is 40 sessions. To effectively learn, at least one session must be scheduled each week. Two sessions a week work well for getting enough practice spaced closely enough to facilitate learning. EEG NF specialists recommend three sessions a week.
We ask a patient to commit to a minimum of 10 sessions before making any decisions about the helpfulness of EEG NF training. After all, how many of us learn to change our behavior and response to any situation with just one or two experiences? If you took two sessions a week, you would complete 40 sessions in about 5 months. At three sessions per week, you would complete 40 sessions in less than 3 months.
IS IT SAFE?
Yes. There are no known cases serious injuries of any kind from EEG NF training. If a side effect of the training is undesirable, it can be reversed in one or two sessions.
If you are interested in EEG Neurofeedback, please contact our office for an appointment. Call (520) 885-0557 weekdays between 9:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.
EEG Neurofeedback – Suggested Reading
And in him you too are being built
together to become a dwelling in which
God lives by his Spirit.
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Cornerstone Christian Counseling, Inc.
7660 East Broadway Boulevard
Suite 207
Tucson, AZ 85710
info@cornerstonechristiancounseling.org
Andrea A. Russell, Ph.D
Arizona Licensed Psychotherapist
