Neurofeedback, aka EEG biofeedback, is brain training that teaches your brain to work more efficiently and handle stress better. Since the 1960s, this technology has evolved so much over six decades that Fortune 500 executives, elite athletes, and Navy SEALs use it to improve their mental game and recover from stress quickly. Now you can too.
Through music, a language easily understood by your brain, our software teaches your brain to be less reactive to everyday stressors. It sounds easy, but there’s a lot of complicated software behind it. This is not a short-lived manipulation or a placebo effect. The results are long-last and improve your quality of life.
Thousands of clients would agree that training with us has been life-changing. Click on our testimonials page to see how others have benefited from training and watch this short video to learn more…
Our Neurofeedback Explained
Frequently Asked Questions
Your brain is a sophisticated command hub responsible for controlling all the other systems in your body. Your brain receives information from your body and the environment which it then processes to formulate appropriate responses; most of this happens without your conscious awareness. This is all made possible by a vast and wonderful neural network. The activity of this neural network is measured in brainwaves and brainwaves are read by neurologists with an EEG (electroencephalogram). Neurofeedback uses EEG technology to train the brain to function optimally.
Unlike other neurofeedback systems, NeurOptimal® is designed to focus on your central nervous system (CNS), the brain being the controlling component of the CNS. Therefore,the specific type of problem, be it cognitive, emotional, or physical, becomes less important. It is not surprising then that users and clinicians alike have experienced successful outcomes across a broad spectrum of issues. Our clients have reported BrainSpa’s neurofeedback to be effective in five general categories:
- Cognitive functioning
- Emotional challenges
- Enhancing academic performance
- Achieving an athletic performance edge
- Personal and emotional growth
Training with us is a learning task and brain workout! Using the brain’s natural abilities, the software gives [non-electric] feedback to your brain through music in a way that helps it learn to balance itself and thus your nervous system activity. A well-balanced nervous system contributes significantly to cognitive, emotional, and mental stability.
The software monitors your brainwaves with a real-time EEG and alerts it when activity goes out of balance. As training continues, your brain learns control and functions more smoothly. Neurofeedback is a learning task for your brain just like learning a new dance.
Think of our software as a dance instructor and your brain, the student. The two of you stand in front of the mirror and the instructor makes corrections as you progress through the moves. Like a human instructor, the software ‘coaches’ your brain to perform better and better. The difficulty level increases automatically and with practice, your brain fitness (cognitive functioning, emotional stability, overall brain health) naturally improves.
Much like a stethoscope detects and amplifies a heartbeat, our sensors are simply detecting your brainwaves using an EEG. An EEG is non-invasive and there is absolutely no electricity entering your head. Our neurofeedback is 100% naturopathic.
During the session
Your trainer will give you earbuds and you will listen to music during which you may notice very brief pauses in the sound. The precise timing of these pauses communicates with your brain in a way it understands very easily and without conscious effort on your part. Your brain needs this vital information to reorganize and operate more optimally. We will explain more about why this works in your free consultation.
You don’t have to do anything while all this is happening; it is okay to work on your computer, relax, read a book, or play a game without audio. Our neurofeedback software is so fast (256 samples per second) that it bypasses the conscious brain and works at the subconscious level.
After the session
Because the software we use is non-invasive, it is highly unlikely you will feel anything other than relaxed after your sessions. Any noticeable shifts in mood, awareness, or energy level after brain training depends on the individual brain and its plasticity.
Yes! Training with us is a learning task for your brain. This learning task strengthens your neural network and improves nervous system performance. Much like learning a new dance, your brain does not forget; it has acquired a new skill.
However, your brain is living tissue and it can get derailed by significant stress, substance abuse, anesthetics, or a bump to the head. Simply let us know and we can easily ‘remind’ your brain of what it has learned!
The average is 40-50 sessions, but we move quite quickly so clients are only with us for about 6 weeks. Yay! You'll be able to get on with your life!
There are NO guarantees. Your brain is 100% unique and how quickly it responds is based on plasticity (your brain's ability to learn new information). Response does not depend on your desire for change or buy-in. You cannot consciously control the rate at which your brain learns this new skill set. So sit back and relax; your brain knows what to do!
Additionally, we cannot predict what changes or shifts will take place first. Your brain will decide this through its learning how to be more efficient.
Insurance - insurance companies are behind the times, as we're sure you know. Even though the software we use is already 20 years solid and proven effective, insurers have not recognized its benefits yet. We are in good company with many other technological advancements that go unrecognized as well! We will continue to push forward in this area.
The NeurOptimal® Difference
BrainSpa's neurofeedback software is the most advanced and innovative neurofeedback system on the market today making it different from older neurofeedback systems still in use. It is completely non-directive because it is based on a very different understanding about how the brain works, as well as how it is best optimized.
It is estimated that the human brain has 15-33 billion neurons and each neuron may have as many as 10,000 synaptic connections. Neurons communicate with each other using chemical signals which results in all electrical brain activity. This brain activity is measured in brainwaves with an electroencephalogram (EEG). The frequency of each brainwave tells us a lot about the state of the brain at any given moment.
The NeurOptimal® Approach
The neurofeedback software in use by BrainSpa is designed to work with the brain as an information-detection system. By reflecting the brain’s own activity back to it 256 times per second, this software teaches the brain to reorganize and balance. As a result of training (average 40-50 sessions), central nervous system (CNS) activity stabilizes. Stable nervous system activity can result in better sleep, less anxiety, more focus, and so much more. However, results are based on individual brain plasticity.
How NeurOptimal® is different
BrainSpa trainers do not diagnose; there are no long questionnaires, clinical discussions, or talk therapy. Our advanced software does not ‘treat’ specific symptoms, it trains the whole brain to perform better on all levels. NeurOptimal®, as a software developer, took an advanced and remarkably streamlined approach to writing it’s software that made training faster and more efficient.
BrainSpa’s neurofeedback software does not use the older approach of augmenting and suppressing brainwaves. Instead, it gives the brain information about what it is doing moment by moment. This is a learning process for the brain – not a forced process. Working with brain instabilities, not amplitudes or any other linear measures; this is the most advanced approach in the field.
Relevant Research [generally conducted using older neurofeedback systems]
by Kristy Jenkins | Feb 7, 2017 | Featured Research, Research
A robust body of research documents that there are biological predispositions that often exist for depression, anxiety, and obsessive–compulsive disorder. However, new research has shown that medication is only mildly more effective than placebo in the treatment of these problems. In treating these conditions, neurofeedback (EEG biofeedback) may offer an alternative to invasive treatments such as medication, ECT, and intense levels of transcrancial magnetic stimulation. This paper reviews the neurofeedback literature with these problems, finding particularly positive research support for the treatment of anxiety disorders. New findings on the neurofeedback treatment of depression are presented.
“We are currently experiencing a breakthrough in the remediation of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) through neurofeedback training. With our own best efforts, and growing support from the clinical community, this will ultimately resonate through the military as well as the Department of Veterans Affairs, as the campaign continues to grow. The strongest evidence for this new approach in fact comes from within the military itself. By now more than 350 service persons have experienced neurofeedback at Camp Pendleton, one of six military bases where this work is being conducted. So these new methods are already being field-tested in real-world situations. Specifically, we are talking here about neurofeedback based on the slow cortical potential, what we refer to as Infra-Low Frequency (ILF) Training. This method belongs in the larger field of biofeedback, which has many related applications in the realm of neurophysiological dysfunction that are already well-established.”
by Siegfried Othmer, Ph.D.
From “The Journal of the American Board of Sport Psychology” Volume 1 2007; Article #1 Hammond D.C.
By D. Corydon Hammond, Ph.D., ECNS, BCIA-EEG University of Utah School of Medicine
“Neurofeedback (EEG biofeedback) holds potential for retraining brainwave activity to enhance optimal performance in athletes in various sports. Neurofeedback has been shown to have potential for quieting the mind to improve performance in archery, for example. It can also be used to improve concentration and focus, to improve cognitive function and emotional control following concussions and mild head injuries, and it has untapped potential to increase physical balance in gymnastics, ice skating, skiing, and other areas of performance. Clinical examples are provided on the use of neurofeedback to improve physical balance and controlled research is called for. ”
“The case of “Lynn” (Stewart, Dadson, & Fallding, 2011) involved theoretical integration with regard to structural dissociation, mentalizing, and disorganized and unresolved attachment. Although the article explored integrative theoretical considera- tions with case examples, treatment modalities within sessions were not the central focus. Providing a follow-up to the case, this article describes the multimodal approaches and specific therapeu- tic interventions that were used during session hours, and how these operate within the three phases of treatment for structural dissociation. For example, the progression of a trauma-related issue for Lynn is described from a structural dissociation per- spective. This issue is followed through three sessions, one from each phase of treatment, describing the integrative treatment inter- ventions used to facilitate healing. Additionally, the case study provides a description of how the introduction of neurofeedback into the treatment plan drastically improved stabilization with regard to self-harming behaviors.”
MONDAY, Feb. 17, 2014 (HealthDay News) — New research suggests that children with attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may benefit from getting a type of training during school hours that monitors their brain waves to help improve attention.
The study involved 104 elementary school children with ADHD who were randomly assigned to one of three groups: a brain-wave monitoring (“neurofeedback”) group; a cognitive attention training group; and a “control” group.
The students attended one of 19 public elementary schools in the greater Boston area. They received three 45-minute sessions per week of either neurofeedback training or cognitive attention training, while the control group received no treatment. Six months later, the researchers followed up on the kids with parent questionnaires and classroom observations made by researchers who did not know which child
had received which treatment.”
By Mary Brophy Marcus
HealthDay Reporter
