What is neurofeedback?
Neurofeedback is the biofeedback of the cerebral waves. Imagine neurofeedback as training for the brain, so that it might work better.
The brain training leads to the opening of the neuronal paths which allow the brain to have enhanced performances in certain areas.
A person tries to maximize the teta and alfa waves, associated with rest, meditation and creativity, in contrast with the beta waves, associated with stress, irritability, and low concentration of attention.
Neurofeedback vs biofeedback
Neurofeedback is a form of biofeedback which differs from it through some very important aspects.
Biofeedback traditionally measures the functions of the body (tension, musculature, temperature) situated at the periphery.
The client learns to become aware of the very small changes of his physiology that, before, were outside his aware.
The next step is learning to take action on that specific part of the body in a certain way, for example rising his hand temperature.
Important for the client: the self-conscious learning of techniques that positively affect the body, their regulate practice, in order to maintain those faculties and use them in difficult situations.
For example, Maria learns how to relax her muscles and when she’s feeling panicky she has to remember to use the relaxation techniques. The point is that muscular relaxation will help her fell less anxious. Also, focusing on relaxation, her attention will be averted from anxiety, thus reducing it.
In conclusion, biofeedback uses aptitudes consciously learned, which have to be practiced and which will influence the peripheral nervous system and the concordant body system.
Neurofeedback is very different in the sense that it works directly with the brain or the Central Nervous System (CNS). Neurofeedback has an immediate and profound effect on all the other body systems.
The client will actually have nothing to learn consciously, conscious learning being to slow for the established purpose. The client sits relaxed on a chair, listens to music with his eyes shut ore opened or sees a movie. The brain will learn by itself at a faster speed then the conscious mind. The brain uses information about his activity in order to reorganize. And when this happens, an entire succession of physical and emotional difficulties will disappear.
Thus Maria doesn’t have to do a thing to avoid panic. She will suddenly realize that challenges have disappeared and that her life is easier.
Neurofeedback is the biofeedback of the cerebral waves. Imagine neurofeedback as training for the brain, so that it might work better.
The brain training leads to the opening of the neuronal paths which allow the brain to have enhanced performances in certain areas.
A person tries to maximize the teta and alfa waves, associated with rest, meditation and creativity, in contrast with the beta waves, associated with stress, irritability, and low concentration of attention.
Neurofeedback vs biofeedback
Neurofeedback is a form of biofeedback which differs from it through some very important aspects.
Biofeedback traditionally measures the functions of the body (tension, musculature, temperature) situated at the periphery.
The client learns to become aware of the very small changes of his physiology that, before, were outside his aware.
The next step is learning to take action on that specific part of the body in a certain way, for example rising his hand temperature.
Important for the client: the self-conscious learning of techniques that positively affect the body, their regulate practice, in order to maintain those faculties and use them in difficult situations.
For example, Maria learns how to relax her muscles and when she’s feeling panicky she has to remember to use the relaxation techniques. The point is that muscular relaxation will help her fell less anxious. Also, focusing on relaxation, her attention will be averted from anxiety, thus reducing it.
In conclusion, biofeedback uses aptitudes consciously learned, which have to be practiced and which will influence the peripheral nervous system and the concordant body system.
Neurofeedback is very different in the sense that it works directly with the brain or the Central Nervous System (CNS). Neurofeedback has an immediate and profound effect on all the other body systems.
The client will actually have nothing to learn consciously, conscious learning being to slow for the established purpose. The client sits relaxed on a chair, listens to music with his eyes shut ore opened or sees a movie. The brain will learn by itself at a faster speed then the conscious mind. The brain uses information about his activity in order to reorganize. And when this happens, an entire succession of physical and emotional difficulties will disappear.
Thus Maria doesn’t have to do a thing to avoid panic. She will suddenly realize that challenges have disappeared and that her life is easier.
The Neuro Care Program, from the Zengar Institute, Canada, is the first neurofeedback program brought in the country, being different from the others in that it is not necessarily a diagnostic. It transmits information to the brain, about what it has just attained, moment by moment. Another difference is that it does not tell the brain what to do, the brain adapting “live” to its own activity.
In what cases does the neurofeedback help the client?
At the beginning and the end of the session a basis track is recorded, in order to see each session’s progress. Though, the most important way to check the progress is the client’s condition. Afterwards the session starts, watching a movie or listening to music, during which short pauses of sound or image will be produced.
Sometimes the pauses are so short that they will never be noticed. The precise purpose of these pauses is to deliver information to the brain about what it has just done to reorganize itself. The relaxation allows the brain to do his job. The session last about 20-35 min.
How many neurofeedback sessions are necessary?
Usually, the client sees the changes after 6 sessions, or even earlier, after 3 sessions. Thus he will sleep better, feel less anxious, and will be capable of focusing more easily, these being the signs that the CNS reacts to the information required. It is possible to feel better in less than 10 sessions, and, for more “persistent” problems, after 20-30 sessions. One can interrupt, and when feeling ready, to resume the sessions for strengthening the learned aptitudes.
How much do the neurofeedback effects last?
You have results because your brain learns, even though not consciously. Once it learned, the neurofeedback effects will remain. It can slow down, but the effects remain. Although the nervous tissue can be affected by stress, chemicals, alcohol, anesthetics, a few sessions can be held, and everything becomes normal. It helps to know that when one passes through difficult periods, one can make 1-2 sessions to regain his optimal state of work.
Useful links:
- Persons that want to enhance their performances: managers, sportsmen, students, pupils
- Anxious disturbances
- Attention deficit and hyperactivity (ADHD)
- Autism
- Self-immune dysfunction
- Chronic pains
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Behaviour disturbances
- Depression
- Anorexia
- Epilepsy
- Alzheimer disease
- Disability to learn
- Migraines
- Compulsive obsessive disturbance
- Pre-menstrual syndrome
- Post-trauma stress syndrome
- Sleep disorders
- Vascular cerebral accident
- The Tourette syndrome
- Cerebral Traumas
- Alcohol and drug dependence
- Violence
- Schizophrenia
At the beginning and the end of the session a basis track is recorded, in order to see each session’s progress. Though, the most important way to check the progress is the client’s condition. Afterwards the session starts, watching a movie or listening to music, during which short pauses of sound or image will be produced.
Sometimes the pauses are so short that they will never be noticed. The precise purpose of these pauses is to deliver information to the brain about what it has just done to reorganize itself. The relaxation allows the brain to do his job. The session last about 20-35 min.
How many neurofeedback sessions are necessary?
Usually, the client sees the changes after 6 sessions, or even earlier, after 3 sessions. Thus he will sleep better, feel less anxious, and will be capable of focusing more easily, these being the signs that the CNS reacts to the information required. It is possible to feel better in less than 10 sessions, and, for more “persistent” problems, after 20-30 sessions. One can interrupt, and when feeling ready, to resume the sessions for strengthening the learned aptitudes.
How much do the neurofeedback effects last?
You have results because your brain learns, even though not consciously. Once it learned, the neurofeedback effects will remain. It can slow down, but the effects remain. Although the nervous tissue can be affected by stress, chemicals, alcohol, anesthetics, a few sessions can be held, and everything becomes normal. It helps to know that when one passes through difficult periods, one can make 1-2 sessions to regain his optimal state of work.
Useful links:
- www.eegspectrum.com
- www.eegspectrum.com/Articles - list with English press articles
- www.eegspectrum.com/Articles/ScientificArticles - list with scientific articles
- www.eegspectrum.com/Applications/InfoNetwork - an index of the diseases which neurofeedback treats, with real examples, study cases, testimonies, documents.
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