The idea behind neurofeedback is simple and powerful: When you can actually see what your brain is doing you have much more control over your mental states. Learning new skills requires immediate feedback. When you learn to write your name it’s much easier when you can see where the pencil is going and make corrections. When you learn to sing, you can hear whether you are on key and, with practice, adjust your pitch accordingly. It probably hasn’t occurred to most of us that we can control our mental states, but if you’ve ever tried it, you probably found it hard. For example, if your teacher in school ever warned you to pay attention, you may have found that no matter how hard you tried, your mind wandered off instantly. Or if you’ve ever tried to suppress anxiety, it probably only got worse. That’s because our mental experiences depend on what our brains are doing and controlling what our brains are doing is a bit like learning to write while blindfolded. Neurofeedback is a way of peeking under the blindfold so you can learn to better control your mental states. The feedback you get from your brain is of neuro oscillations, or brain waves, as measured by an electroencephalogram, or EEG machine. The brain operates by passing electrical signals between neurons, and sometimes feedback patterns give rise to rhythmic electrical pulses. The function of these pulses is not completely understood. Prominent theories are that brain waves help coordinate information transfer in different areas of the brain, and that they may play a role in how we experience consciousness. What we do know is that different brainwave frequencies correspond to different mental states. For example, beta waves are associated with normal waking consciousness, concentration, motor activity, and anxious thinking. At the other end of the spectrum, the much slower delta waves are typically associated with sleep. Alpha and theta waves are in the middle. Alpha waves are characteristic of feeling relaxed, maybe watching television or daydreaming. Theta waves are characteristic of a deep state of relaxation. This is a simplified picture. In reality, your brainwaves shift frequently and they may be different in different areas of the brain. In a well functioning brain, brain waves adapt to the situation. If you’re focusing on something at work, you should have a lot of beta activity. When you lie down to sleep, you should drift from alpha to theta to delta. The brain’s inability to respond appropriately causes problems. For example, in people with ADHD, we often see too little beta activation. If you try hard to focus while your brain is mostly producing alpha waves, you will be prone to distraction and spacing off. You may have to move around to engage your motor function and boost your beta waves. Another common problem is the opposite. You have loads of beta waves and can’t relax. This is typical of anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. You may be unable to turn off racing, anxious thoughts that are typical of beta states. This is especially problematic when you try to sleep. You remain alert and focused when you should be relaxing deeply. This leads to insomnia, and inadequate sleep only leads to more problems, such as anxiety, depression, decrease in self-control, and increased vulnerability to illness. This is where neurofeedback comes in. Neurofeedback can help you learn to control your brain waves by showing you what your brain is doing, as it does it. We typically rely on our brains to respond appropriately to whatever we happen to be doing, but when they don’t respond appropriately, it’s hard to know how to get them in the right gear. Someone with ADHD might not even know what it feels like to be focused for any useful length of time without the aid of Ritalin or Adderall. Neurofeedback can help that person produce beta waves by showing him what his brain is doing in real time, so he knows whether he’s on the right track. If he can produce those beta waves reliably on his own, the symptoms of ADHD typically improve. Neurofeedback can be a powerful tool in fighting addiction because it can improve many of the conditions associated with addiction. For example, addiction is extremely common in people with ADHD and PTSD. More than half of people with one of these disorders is thought to struggle with substance use and neurofeedback has been shown to improve both conditions considerably. While people with ADHD have to learn to strengthen their beta waves, people with PTSD have to learn to turn down their beta waves and strengthen their alpha waves. With practice, either is possible when you can actually see what your brain is doing. Neurofeedback can help other conditions as well, including depression, anxiety disorders, stress, and autism spectrum disorders. It can also help with withdrawal symptoms. Many people experience post-acute withdrawal that may include irritability, poor concentration, depression, and insomnia. Even if these were not part of a dual-diagnosis, they can make recovery much harder. Neurofeedback is a way to address these problems relatively quickly without relying on medications. Although neurofeedback is a powerful tool, it’s not sufficient by itself to treat addiction. Addiction is multifaceted and requires treating the co-occurring disorder, learning new ways of thinking and behaving, strengthening social bonds, and making healthy lifestyle changes. However, when used in a treatment setting with the help of qualified therapists, neurofeedback can accelerate recovery and dramatically reduce the risk of relapse.
If you or a loved one struggles with addiction, we can help. Recovery Ways is a leading addiction treatment provider with an excellent recovery rate. We use neurofeedback with all our patients to improve treatment outcomes. Our expert staff includes masters and PhD level therapists and board certified addiction psychiatrists. Our comfortable facilities will help to make your treatment as enjoyable as possible and our therapists use proven techniques like sensory integration and recreation therapy to help to engage the world without the assistance of drugs or alcohol. Call us today at 1-888-986-7848 or email us through our contact page to learn more.
