Neurofeedback Frequently Asked Questions

Neurofeedback training, also known as EEG biofeedback or neurotherapy, is a technique that utilizes real-time monitoring of your brainwave activity to provide your brain with valuable information about its functioning. By using specialized equipment and sensors, neurofeedback training enables your brain to observe and modulate its patterns.

This is done by letting the brain witness its activity in real time and through the use of traditional operant conditioning process of rewarding best performance, reshape dysregulated patterns that result in your behavioral symptoms, to be replaced by more efficient, stable ones. The result is  reducing and ultimately extinguishing those symptoms. 

But it not just for symptom relief, neurotherapy can, and is used widely, boost well performing brains to even  higher levels. 

You can think of neurofeedback as “peak performance training” for your brain.

The mechanism behind neurofeedback training was revealed working with cats, who learned to control their brainwaves. It works on humans as well, young and old. It’s never too early or too late!

Your success with training can be improved by getting enough restorative sleep, providing the brain with quality nutrients (your diet), keeping hydrated and other items under your control. Our Functional Medicine Health Coach will assist you in making changes that will support best outcomes.

We do not accept any insurance for our services.

We wish it was not so, but it is rarely covered and unfortunately, many insurance companies exclude neurofeedback specifically. Please check with your carrier and ask- the CPT code for neurofeedback is 90901. It must come with an appropriate diagnosis code.

Insurance covers medications to mask your symptoms but you’re here looking for a better solution. 

We have identified and recommend two financing options, read about them here– https://www.thebalancedbrain.com/financing-options/

The symptoms you are experiencing are the expression of your brain’s inability to properly self-regulate, to find and maintain the balance between action and rest, and to find its equilibrium.

We reveal the information to discern between useful and non-useful activity in your brain. This is an organic learning process that, over time, shows your brain a better way to function, something it never learned to do properly in the first place or, due to various life circumstances, has forgotten how to do properly.

Neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to wire and rewire itself, allows it to find the best way to perform at its best, and the symptoms you have will dissolve as the newer, more efficient way of working becomes routine.

This a very common question and difficult to answer since every brain is different. The severity of symptoms is variable, and the general physical health of the client is another. Are you eating well? Do you have a positive social and spiritual life? Wellness is a holistic concept, and we’ll discuss all of that. Our Functional Medicine Health Coach, Madison MacEocain, is skilled at advising on changes that will enhance your training with us to be most impactful.

Generally speaking, training takes approximately 40-60 hours, depending upon the person and their goals. The training frequency is usually two to three times weekly and can taper to once a week, until training is finished. Sessions are scheduled by the hour, and clients receive approximately 45 minutes of actual training time in that hour. We can also do 2 hour sessions, shortening the calendar time you’ll need to spend driving here!

The key is regularity and frequency, like any other training.

The equipment reads your brainwave activity and presents it back to the brain, to show how it’s performing in real-time, and your brain determines the decision to move to a better state of function. Since no electrical currents or magnetic charges are put into your brain, the process is quite safe.

Success with neurofeedback is judged on behavioral change reported to us by you as training progresses. It’s not possible to predict ahead of time, but there are things that you can do to improve your outcome. Proper diet and lifestyle choices, good sleep hygiene, physical exercise, a supportive family and community, and purposeful spiritual life can all help create an environment for the best brain function.

Since neurofeedback is a learning program, as the brain figures out how best to operate, symptoms are vastly decreased and often eliminated entirely. Training is then complete, and the results are permanent for most people, but some clients may need occasional extra sessions to maintain those results, especially if environmental issues persist.

When you come to our office, we attach tiny sensors to your scalp with a conductive paste; you sit in a comfortable chair and watch your chosen visual content, movies, documentaries, television programs, while your brain observes pattern changes on screen and in your headphones that it learns to recognize and take control of.

The content is wide-ranging and entirely up to you to pick; the neurofeedback is built into the program. It can be enchanting digital landscapes of waterfalls and forests, rocket ships flying through tunnels, random patterns of light and sound, movies, fiction, or documentaries. Every client finds something that they enjoy. You will too.

Medication makes no permanent changes in brain function. Neurofeedback does.

Drugs flood the brain with chemicals that have a fast-acting and powerful effect on brain function. They can be very useful for acute symptoms, but there are drawbacks; the effects only last as long as you take them, and there are side effects.

Neurofeedback is a way to teach brain self-management techniques that optimize brain function in a natural, side-effect-free way.

With EEG training, your brain is empowered to take control of all aspects of its function by training the regulatory networks responsible for our behaviors.

This is why so many symptoms improve or disappear.

Mastery over your brain state is fundamental for all you do in your life, from sleeping to working to expanding your consciousness.

Research on neurofeedback has been going on for decades. A casual look at PubMed or a Google search will yield voluminous results on its efficacy for various conditions. For a well-organized look at the current state of clinical research, click this link http://www.eeginfo.com/research/. and https://isnr.org/isnr-comprehensive-bibliography

Neither list is comprehensive, there are new studies being published all the time.