by Wesley D. Center, PhD
Reading time: 4 min
After retiring from the Marine Corps after 20+ years of active duty service, I began a second career in mental health counseling. After working several years in inpatient psychiatric and substance abuse/dependence treatment facilities, I began to wonder if the current bias toward medications interventions was the most effective way to treat those suffering with mental illnesses and substance use disorders. During my masters and doctoral studies, I was introduced to brainwave biofeedback, initially for treating symptoms related to ADHD in children, and later, in remediating the symptoms of mood disorders and PTSD in adults. After a few years of investigating psychophysiology while working toward my PhD in psychology, I concluded that adding neurotherapy to talk therapy was a better approach than medications alone, or in combination with talk therapy.
Psychophysiology is not a new field. Hans Selye, an endocrinologist, described a theory of stress that he called the general adaptation syndrome in 1936. Stress is an interactive process involving psychological appraisal and physiological response. The psychophysiology of stress and anxiety is well understood, and a number of behavioral interventions, to include gradual relaxation, guided imagery, heart rate variability, and diaphragmatic breathing, are routinely used in psychotherapy to manage stress. The German psychiatrist Hans Berger experimented with EEG recordings in the late 1920’s, and noted the prominent sinusoidal rhythm of the brain, which he called the alpha rhythm, was prominent in the posterior regions of the brain when the eyes were closed. In the 1950’s, psychologist Joe Kamiya began training people to produce alpha rhythms using the EEG. In the late 1960’s M. Barry Sterman, a psychologist at UCLA Medical School, used operant conditioning to train cats to produce 12-19 Hz beta in the sensory motor cortex, making them resistant to seizures when exposed to hydrazine. Sterman called this EEG pattern along the sensory motor strip, sensory motor rhythm (SMR). Hydrazine, an ingredient in rocket fuel, had been causing seizures in air force personnel during refueling operations. Sterman applied the SMR training to human subjects with epilepsy and found that SMR training reduced the frequency, duration, and severity of their seizures, often controlling the seizures permanently. In the late 1970s, Joel Lubar at the University of Tennessee, used operant conditioning to train the theta : beta ratio in children with ADHD. Joel and his wife Judith have used theta : beta ratio training to successfully assess and train children struggling with ADHD for over 30 years.
Neurotherapy (EEG biofeedback, or neurofeedback) uses electronic monitoring equipment to provide moment-to-moment information to an individual on the state of their neurophysiological functioning. During therapy, sensors are placed on the scalp and then connected to sensitive, computerized electronic equipment that detect, amplify, and record specific brain activity. This information is fed back to the client through visual, auditory, and tactile (the sense of touch) means. Software is used by the clinician to adjust how and when feedback is provided to the client with the understanding that changes in the feedback signal(s) indicate whether or not the client’s brain activity is within the range(s) designated by the clinician. Based on this feedback, the brain’s ability to learn guided by the clinician’s input, changes in patterns of brain functioning occur and are associated with positive changes in physical, emotional, and cognitive functioning. Often the client is unaware of the mechanisms that underlie the changes as they are occurring, although many report acquiring a ‘felt sense’ of the positive changes after the session.
Neurotherapy is distinguished from other forms of biofeedback by its focus on the brain and central nervous system. Neurotherapy takes into account behavioral, cognitive, and subjective aspects of individual function as well as brain activity. Neurotherapy challenges the brain to function better. This powerful brain-based technique is not new; it has been successfully helping clients around the world for over 30 years. It is a non-invasive procedure with dramatic results for a multitude of symptoms. Neurotherapy does not involve surgery or medication, nor is it painful or injurious to the client. Neurotherapy sensors and equipment are passive - they only detect, amplify, and display the electrical activity of the brain. Clients generally do not experience negative side-effects.
Neurotherapy is preceded by an objective assessment of brain activity and psychological status. A variety of assessment techniques are employed by our clinical staff in the assessment to include interviews, assessment instruments (some are computerized, others are paper and pencil, and some may be completed on the Internet), and Quantitative Electroencephalogram (qEEG). The qEEG, MICROCog computerized test of neuropsychological functioning, computerized continuous performance tests, and the clinical interview are the most commonly used assessment tools employed by the clinicians at Focus for Living.
After the assessment, the clinician will go over the results with the client and recommend a treatment plan to address the problem(s) identified in the assessment and the symptoms identified by the client. Think of Neurotherapy sessions as personal training for the brain. Training the brain to function at its potential is similar to the way the rest of the body is exercised, toned, and maintained. Brain training exercises the neural pathways that allow the brain to function optimally in a variety of areas.
During a standard session we will observe brain activity charting the several brain wave frequencies and measures of brain function. Depending on the specific area of the brain being exercised, we will train brain activity by inhibiting some activity while rewarding other activity, or by encouraging the brain to move toward normal performance across a number of performance measures, thereby creating shifts toward a more appropriate and stable brain state. The process occurs gradually over the course of 20-40 sessions of 30-50 minutes each. With newer approaches, such as LORETA neurofeedback, the course of training can be reduced to as few as 10-20 sessions.
Neurotherapy is used to treat a variety of symptoms associated with a broad range of neuropsychological problems. Neurotherapy has been found to be effective in retraining the brain and remediating, and often resolving, the symptoms of the following conditions:
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Post-traumatic Stress DisorderSubstance Abuse Disorders
Depression
Bipolar Disorder
Anxiety
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Compulsive Behaviors including Compulsive Sexual Behaviors
Migraines and headaches
Bruxism (grinding of the teeth)
Learning Disabilities
Chronic Pain
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Psychophysiology is not a new field. Hans Selye, an endocrinologist, described a theory of stress that he called the general adaptation syndrome in 1936. Stress is an interactive process involving psychological appraisal and physiological response. The psychophysiology of stress and anxiety is well understood, and a number of behavioral interventions, to include gradual relaxation, guided imagery, heart rate variability, and diaphragmatic breathing, are routinely used in psychotherapy to manage stress. The German psychiatrist Hans Berger experimented with EEG recordings in the late 1920’s, and noted the prominent sinusoidal rhythm of the brain, which he called the alpha rhythm, was prominent in the posterior regions of the brain when the eyes were closed. In the 1950’s, psychologist Joe Kamiya began training people to produce alpha rhythms using the EEG. In the late 1960’s M. Barry Sterman, a psychologist at UCLA Medical School, used operant conditioning to train cats to produce 12-19 Hz beta in the sensory motor cortex, making them resistant to seizures when exposed to hydrazine. Sterman called this EEG pattern along the sensory motor strip, sensory motor rhythm (SMR). Hydrazine, an ingredient in rocket fuel, had been causing seizures in air force personnel during refueling operations. Sterman applied the SMR training to human subjects with epilepsy and found that SMR training reduced the frequency, duration, and severity of their seizures, often controlling the seizures permanently. In the late 1970s, Joel Lubar at the University of Tennessee, used operant conditioning to train the theta : beta ratio in children with ADHD. Joel and his wife Judith have used theta : beta ratio training to successfully assess and train children struggling with ADHD for over 30 years.
Neurotherapy (EEG biofeedback, or neurofeedback) uses electronic monitoring equipment to provide moment-to-moment information to an individual on the state of their neurophysiological functioning. During therapy, sensors are placed on the scalp and then connected to sensitive, computerized electronic equipment that detect, amplify, and record specific brain activity. This information is fed back to the client through visual, auditory, and tactile (the sense of touch) means. Software is used by the clinician to adjust how and when feedback is provided to the client with the understanding that changes in the feedback signal(s) indicate whether or not the client’s brain activity is within the range(s) designated by the clinician. Based on this feedback, the brain’s ability to learn guided by the clinician’s input, changes in patterns of brain functioning occur and are associated with positive changes in physical, emotional, and cognitive functioning. Often the client is unaware of the mechanisms that underlie the changes as they are occurring, although many report acquiring a ‘felt sense’ of the positive changes after the session.
Neurotherapy is distinguished from other forms of biofeedback by its focus on the brain and central nervous system. Neurotherapy takes into account behavioral, cognitive, and subjective aspects of individual function as well as brain activity. Neurotherapy challenges the brain to function better. This powerful brain-based technique is not new; it has been successfully helping clients around the world for over 30 years. It is a non-invasive procedure with dramatic results for a multitude of symptoms. Neurotherapy does not involve surgery or medication, nor is it painful or injurious to the client. Neurotherapy sensors and equipment are passive - they only detect, amplify, and display the electrical activity of the brain. Clients generally do not experience negative side-effects.
Neurotherapy is preceded by an objective assessment of brain activity and psychological status. A variety of assessment techniques are employed by our clinical staff in the assessment to include interviews, assessment instruments (some are computerized, others are paper and pencil, and some may be completed on the Internet), and Quantitative Electroencephalogram (qEEG). The qEEG, MICROCog computerized test of neuropsychological functioning, computerized continuous performance tests, and the clinical interview are the most commonly used assessment tools employed by the clinicians at Focus for Living.
After the assessment, the clinician will go over the results with the client and recommend a treatment plan to address the problem(s) identified in the assessment and the symptoms identified by the client. Think of Neurotherapy sessions as personal training for the brain. Training the brain to function at its potential is similar to the way the rest of the body is exercised, toned, and maintained. Brain training exercises the neural pathways that allow the brain to function optimally in a variety of areas.
During a standard session we will observe brain activity charting the several brain wave frequencies and measures of brain function. Depending on the specific area of the brain being exercised, we will train brain activity by inhibiting some activity while rewarding other activity, or by encouraging the brain to move toward normal performance across a number of performance measures, thereby creating shifts toward a more appropriate and stable brain state. The process occurs gradually over the course of 20-40 sessions of 30-50 minutes each. With newer approaches, such as LORETA neurofeedback, the course of training can be reduced to as few as 10-20 sessions.
Neurotherapy is used to treat a variety of symptoms associated with a broad range of neuropsychological problems. Neurotherapy has been found to be effective in retraining the brain and remediating, and often resolving, the symptoms of the following conditions:
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Post-traumatic Stress DisorderSubstance Abuse Disorders
Depression
Bipolar Disorder
Anxiety
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Compulsive Behaviors including Compulsive Sexual Behaviors
Migraines and headaches
Bruxism (grinding of the teeth)
Learning Disabilities
Chronic Pain
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Wesley D. Center, PhD, LPC (Board Approved Supervisor), NCC, BCPCC
Focus for Living
Website: www.focusforliving.net
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 817.295.8708
Seminar: AACC 2011 Therapy with the Brain in Mind PowerPoint
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