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Neurofeedback

Effective treatment for:

  • ADHD

  • Anxiety and Stress

  • Autism

  • Bipolar Disorder

  • Chronic Pain

  • Depression

  • Memory Issues

  • PTSD

  • Sleep Problems

  • Brain Injury

What is Neurofeedback?

Brain training is becoming increasingly feasible using a technique called neurofeedback. Neurofeedback allows individuals to change the way their brains function by responding to personalized feedback about how their own brains work naturally. Neurofeedback is a reward-based training system for your brain. It is a specialized treatment that uses advanced computer technology to balance and optimize your brain. It is a fun, interactive, and engaging treatment that helps you strengthen and retrain your brain to a healthier, more focused state.

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Neurofeedback (NFB), also called Neurotherapy or neurofeedback, is a type of biofeedback that uses real-time displays of brain activity to teach self-regulation of brain function. Neurofeedback, also known as EEG (electroencephalogram) biofeedback, is a therapy that provides immediate feedback from a computer-based program that assesses your brainwave activity. The program then uses visual signals or sound to reorganize or retrain these brain signals. Neurofeedback is a non-invasive treatment that works toward improving the source of your unwanted symptoms. The brain needs healthy fast- and slow-moving brainwave activity to function at its best.

What does Neurofeedback do, and how does it work?

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Sensors are placed on the scalp to measure electrical activity and display measurements using video or sound. Neurofeedback is a way to train your brain to work more efficiently using a reward system. The process starts with an assessment. The assessment involves wearing a cap that has sensors attached to it. These sensors can pick up frequencies or waves naturally occurring inside your brain.

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These waves give insight into how your brain functions and indicate how you may feel. For example, you might be anxious or have racing thoughts if you have too many fast-moving waves. Another example is when you have too many slow-moving waves, affecting your daily alert. The relationship between brain waves and behavior is complex and unique for every individual. Yet, they give the clinician a good representation of the state of your brain and how to improve it.

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Neurofeedback uses brain training sessions. During these sessions, you wear a headband with special electroencephalogram (EEG) sensors that monitor your brainwaves and a computer to send feedback back to you. There are different ways to receive this feedback. It can involve playing games, listening to music, or watching videos. The stimuli (games, music, or video) only operate smoothly when your brainwaves function within an optimal range. This acts as a reward for your brain. When your brainwaves fire at a rate that’s not optimal, you’ll receive negative feedback (your movie pauses, the music stops, etc.). This tells your brain that something is out of balance and causes it to “figure out” how to return to a seamless movie, music, or games.

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Your brain learns from this feedback during a neurofeedback training program, which can promote lasting structural changes within it. The brain then consistently operates within a more optimal range outside of your training sessions, alleviating your symptoms by teaching it to work more efficiently.
 

What does Neurofeedback treat?

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Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of neurofeedback in improving many conditions, including:

 

  • ADHD

  • Anxiety

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder

  • Bipolar Disorder

  • Chronic Pain

  • Depression

  • Headaches

  • Memory Issues

  • PTSD

  • Sleep Problems

  • Traumatic Brain Injury

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Scientific Evidence for Neurofeedback

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Research over the last several decades indicates that our brains are, in fact, malleable, therefore trainable. Neurofeedback has been applied to a wide variety of psychiatric illnesses, as well as to treat subclinical symptoms, and even to enhance performance in healthy populations. Research shows positive physiological, neuropsychological, behavioral, interpersonal, and societal changes following neurofeedback. Studies suggest neurofeedback’s bright future for brain training treatment.

TESTIMONIALS

“I have been on antidepressants for 25 years. Living in New England, I have suffered from SAD for 6 months out of every year. Zoloft, Prozac, Wellbutrin, Buspar have all been tried. While these meds took the “edge” off, I always felt that I was fighting a losing battle. This technology has changed that. I always felt that something wasn’t right, and this device helped my brain “rewire”. It was worth every penny. My life has changed so much for the better. I am so glad I took the chance with it."

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Pat

“I suffered from insomnia for 30 years until using the Fisher Wallace Stimulator before bed. Almost immediately, I had less anxiety, racing thoughts, and transitioned from the devices' finishing to sleep. I used it nightly to start with but now years later if insomnia returns, a simple session or two returns my brain to the relaxed state I seek!”

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Chris G.

“I had a bone marrow biopsy in 2015 and apparently they damaged a nerve because it was extremely painful during the biopsy and the pain continued afterward. This pain continued for over a year. I purchased the Fisher Wallace stimulator and used it as prescribed, red on the back of the neck, black directly over the location of the biopsy. The pain was gone within a week and has not returned!”

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Nick Moore

“Suffered a bad stroke at work and was fired from my job while still undergoing brain surgery in the ICU. Deep depression, memory loss, inability to focus, no concentration, PBA, financial destruction, etc. This device is nothing short of miraculous. Now all I want to do is stand on the cliff and shout out to the world what this FW cranial stimulator has done for me. I am no longer merely existing, I am living! Please, for those who are sad and hopeless for whatever reason, get an FW device!”

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Sarah Nedeau

  • What is Biofeedback?
    Biofeedback is a process that enables an individual to learn how to change physiological activity for the purposes of improving health and performance. Precise instruments measure physiological activity such as brainwaves, heart function, breathing, muscle activity, and skin temperature. These instruments rapidly and accurately “feedback” information to the user. The presentation of this information — often in conjunction with changes in thinking, emotions, and behavior — supports desired physiological changes. Over time, these changes can endure without continued use of an instrument.
  • What conditions are helped by Biofeedback training?
    Successful outcomes, not limited to those listed below, have been reported by Neurofeedback Practitioners for: ADD/ADHD, addictions. anger, anxiety, autism, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, closed head injuries, concentration, depression, headaches and migraines, learning disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), pain management, reading skills, seizure disorders, sleep disorders and stroke recovery. Biofeedback has also proven effective when used for Peak Performance Training, such as developing memory skills, focusing abilities, and increasing concentration.
  • What childhood conditions is Biofeedback successful in treating?
    Biofeedback has been used to treat seizures and subclinical seizure activity, problems of attention and learning, bipolar disorder, autistic spectrum, and other conditions.
  • Why does Biofeedback work?
    The brain is amazingly adaptable. It is capable of making adjustments to improve its own performance if given cues about what to change. When the brain is regulating itself well and is alert and attentive, brainwaves (EEG) show particular patterns. We challenge the brain to maintain this “high-performance” alert and active state. Gradually, after 20 or more training sessions, the brain learns to stay at this high-performance state for longer periods of time and to retain these new skills.
  • Do the effects of Biofeedback training really last?
    If the problem being addressed is one of brain dysregulation, then the answer is yes, and that covers a lot of ground. Biofeedback involves learning by the brain and if that brings order out of disorder, the brain will continue to use its new capabilities, and thus reinforce them.
  • How is Biofeedback training done?
    At a training session, sensors are placed on your body. The sensors pick up information on your brain’s and body activity at very specific locations. (No electricity enters your brain. The sensors merely read information from the brain and body and relay it to the Practitioner’s computer.) You then sit back in a comfortable chair as you watch a computer monitor that displays a computer game, a movie, a bar graph, music, sounds or simply colors that change as your brainwaves change. The Practitioner monitors your brainwaves and sets training parameters which are based upon information obtained during your comprehensive intake process. This process gives your brain instantaneous feedback about its performance during the training session. On a subconscious level it begins to “work out” and It begins to produce more of the helpful type of brainwave patterns and less of those that are correlated with the symptoms you wish to address. With practice, your brain learns new patterns. Desirable neuronal pathways are strengthened and new pathways are created.
  • How long do sessions last?
    Each session takes between 45 and 60 minutes. The actual training period lasts a maximum of 30 minutes. Additional time is needed beforehand for sensor placement and adjustment. We also speak with our clients briefly before and after each training session to monitor how things are progressing. We reserve 60 minutes for each client to ensure that no one is rushed and that there will be time to discuss the results you are experiencing.
  • How many sessions will I need?
    Results from Biofeedback training are seen gradually, over time. Initial progress can be seen within 10 sessions for most conditions. A typical treatment program consists of between 15 and 30 sessions, depending upon the conditions being addressed, with the average being 15 sessions. Current understanding among Biofeedback providers is that it takes a minimum of 20 sessions for learning to be consolidated so the client can maintain the gains that have been made. Sometimes a client will complete 20 sessions, take a year off, and then return to complete training.
  • How frequent should the training session be?
    When starting neurofeedback training, sessions should be regular and frequent at two or three (or more) sessions per week. As learning begins to consolidate, the pace can be reduced.
  • What happens if Biofeedback clients are taking medication?
    With successful Neurofeedback / EEG Biofeedback training, the medications targeting brain function may very well no longer be needed, or they may be needed at lower dosages, as the brain takes over more of the role of regulating itself.
  • What is the research on Biofeedback?
    Research continues to show that biofeedback therapy training, results in patients learning to control their own brain activity, while effectively “retraining” their own brain waves toward healthier patterns. Since its inception in the 1960s biofeedback has been rigorously studied. A recent review of the term biofeedback on the National Institute of Health’s database ‘PubMed’ reported that Biofeedback has gained attention in recent years showing only 948 articles and peered-reviewed research published between 1990 and 1995, and 2,267 published since 2010 to present. For current researh articles and publication visit our research page here.
  • What is Neuroplasticity and how Biofeedback plays a role?
    Historically the brain was seen as hard wired with each area having its own function; when that area was injured the function was lost. Today the concept of neuroplasticity has replaced the hard wired model. Neuroplasticity refers to changes in neural pathways and synapses which are due to changes in behavior, environment and neural processes, as well as changes resulting from bodily injury. Neuroplasticity occurs on a variety of levels ranging from cellular changes due to learning to large-scale changes involved in cortical remapping in response to injury. The role of neuroplasticity is widely recognized in healthy development, learning, memory and recovery from brain damage, all from which Biofeedback can help.
  • How to prepare for a medical evaluation?
    Get a good night’s sleep (Try to get eight hours the night before your exam so your blood pressure is as low as possible.) Avoid salty or fatty foods. (Salty, fatty foods elevate your blood pressure and triglycerides. Avoid them for at least 24 hours before your exam, and two or three days would be even better.) Avoid exercise. (We’d never tell you not to exercise. But strenuous exercise before a medical exam can elevate your heart rate and drop your potassium levels.) Don’t drink coffee or any caffeinated products (Keep your blood pressure down and avoid caffeine for at least one hour before your exam.) Fast (Don’t eat for at least two hours before the exam to keep blood sugar and blood pressure from elevating. Twelve hours of fasting is preferred, so try to schedule your exam in the morning so you can fast overnight.) Drink water (To help produce a urine sample, drink water two hours before your exam.) Know your meds (Have a list of any medications (prescription and OTC) you’re taking for the examiner to record.)
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