Neurotherapy/EEG neurofeedback is a form of complementary medicine that can help to treat a wide range of psychological and physiological disorders.

Neurotherapy/EEG neurofeedback can assist people in improving their quality of life, whether they have a problem or not. It also can be used as a starting point to treat dysfunctions of the central nervous system (brain) and its regulatory mechanisms. It can also help optimize the performance of an otherwise well-regulated nervous system. Physical and emotional calmness through neurotherapy has been shown to enhance organization, attention, creativity, and motivation. These, in turn, are manifested as higher achievement in school, work, sports, artistic endeavors, and musical performances. In addition, body functions which involve brain regulation can normalize. This can involve body systems that seem to operate quite independently from the brain such as the pulmonary, cardiac, gastrointestinal, endocrine, urinary, reproductive, and immunological systems.

A detailed medical history and physical helps establish the areas of the brain that might benefit from improved regulation. The neurotherapist uses her knowledge of functional neuro-anatomy to place high-tech sensor equipment on the patient’s head to monitor brainwave activity. This analysis is comprehensively non-intrusive, thus the patient hardly knows that it is taking place.

Once the brain patterns of the individual have been established, it is up to the therapist to make the patient more aware of that activity. She trains the patient to regulate brainwave frequency and quantity by rewarding the beneficial brainwaves and inhibiting the less desirable ones. By doing this, the affected person eventually does not need the help of the therapist, having learned the ability to self-assess and self-regulate over many sessions of practice.

An ingenious system has been developed to help the patient learn this practice. A digital EEG amplifier reads brainwaves signals from electrodes placed on his or her head. Brain frequency patterns are then transmitted to a computer operated by the therapist. The client then learns how to play a video game or control a video based on their EEG activity. After several sessions with the video game or video, the patient will have developed the ability to recognize and alter particular brain waves. Practice sessions allow clients to sustain brain control in everyday life. The neurofeedback process is a complex one that requires a knowledgeable and skilled practitioner to be on hand for all sessions in order to achieve maximum benefit for the patient.

Suruchi Chandra, MD gives a great summary of how neurofeedback works here:  https://www.chandramd.com/blog/what-is-neurofeedback?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=neurofeedback