Neurofeedback & Neuro-Therapies
What if you could reduce conditions like ADD, Depression and Chronic Pain just by watching a movie or listening to music?
Neurofeedback is a drug-free, non-invasive system that can improve the quality of life dramatically and eliminate your need for medications. Imagine getting better sleep, improving memory, having more energy or being more alert and focused. By optimizing brainwave activity, neurofeedback can improve your health and improve or eliminate the symptoms that slow you down.
What does neurofeedback do?
Neurofeedback monitors brainwaves in real time and sends signals to help the brain refocus and function better. It does not directly target conditions and symptoms: it targets irregular brainwaves and modifies timing patterns in the brain. This is achieved over multiple neurofeedback sessions as the brain is re-trained into normal patterns. The result is an improvement in brain regulation which can impact a variety of symptoms.
Think of your brain as a musical quartet. When all musicians are in sync, the sound is harmonious. But if one musician is out of tune, the overall sound is affected. Brainwaves operate in much the same way, working together to keep your mind and body in sync and running smoothly. If any brainwaves are off, it can impact your entire system negatively. Many common conditions like anxiety and depression can occur when brainwaves are running too fast or too slow. Neurofeedback teaches the brain to regulate its brainwaves properly which can result in better overall health.
How does neurofeedback work?
Neurofeedback helps the brain refocus and operate better. The process is non-invasive, safe and requires very little effort by the patient.
Neurofeedback has 3 main goals:
- Identify irregular brainwaves (Alpha, Beta, Delta and Theta)
- Guide those brainwaves back into regular patterns
- Teach the brain to maintain regular patterns permanently
Neurofeedback monitors brainwaves on the surface of your head by placing small electrodes on your scalp. These electrodes have a paste on them which makes it easier to pick up brainwave patterns. For the next 30 minutes, you get to watch a movie of your choice, listen to music or listen to an audio book. That is all that is required of you. It is non-invasive, uses no drugs and does not involve any radiation.
During a normal session, the computer is monitoring your brainwaves for any that are out of the normal range. When it finds one, the system triggers a response that changes the movie or music. This change is subtle enough to get your attention and make you focus more. Refocusing corrects the irregular brainwaves which then move into the normal range. At that time, the movie or music will resume normally. This process is called Operant Conditioning. Over the course of multiple sessions, the brain eventually learns to make healthy patterns on its own. At that time, no further neurofeedback sessions are needed.
Why does neurofeedback work so well?
Research shows that people who suffer from neurological issues can have irregular brainwaves. For example, a person with ADD will have slower Beta brainwaves, which are responsible for attention and focus. They also have faster Theta brainwaves, which can lead to daydreaming.
Training the brain can change these brainwaves over time – speeding them up or slowing them down where needed. Neurofeedback can improve alertness, attention, emotional regulation, behavior, cognitive function and mental flexibility. When brainwaves are running at the right speed, users will often see a reduction in symptoms.
Results are often permanent and may allow someone to eliminate medications completely. Where medications only manage the symptoms, the goal of neurofeedback is to address the underlying cause and restore normal brainwave function.
Why I offer Neurofeedback
“Many patients come to me after seeing their primary care physician, who only offered drugs for their symptoms. But drugs do not work very well on neurological problems. I know all too well that the root cause often lies in the brain.
These people have tried many other methods and are fed up. I know how effective neurofeedback can be, so I feel confident offering this service. Once I show a patient their brain map and they can visually see just what is wrong, they become very excited about the possibilities for permanent relief.”
-Dr. John Silva, D.C.
