What Should I Expect From Neurofeedback Therapy?

Neurofeedback therapy normally involves rewiring your brain by retraining the way it reacts to various stimuli. During neurofeedback therapy sessions, you’ll usually have sensors attached to your scalp, and you’ll look at a screen that shows images and videos. Feedback on your brain waves and brain activity can help you consciously change certain aspects of brain function. This type of therapy can be helpful for a variety of mental health conditions. It can improve your focus and mood regulation abilities, among other benefits. Neurofeedback therapy is generally safe and rarely has side effects. If you’re interested in discovering whether neurofeedback could be right for you or would like to try other forms of therapy, you can get started by speaking with a therapist online.

What is neurofeedback therapy?

Neurofeedback therapy usually focuses on assessing brainwaves. This generally means that, during neurofeedback training, you'll be hooked up to a machine that will look at how your brain reacts to different stimuli. It may use different sounds or visual triggers designed to help rewire your brain and retrain different signals so that they become healthier and more positive. The general idea is to regulate your brain and offer relief from various mental health conditions.

What neurofeedback therapy is used for

What to expect from a neurofeedback session

When you go in for a neurofeedback session, you're usually going to be hooked up to a machine with some sensors attached to your scalp. Those sensors generally allow the machine to read what's going on in your brain and what kind of signals your brain is giving off. The computer on the other side of those sensors typically runs an EEG program that can interpret your brain signals, and it can often figure out all kinds of information about you based on the signals that your brain produces.

In general, all you have to do is sit in a chair and watch the screen in front of you, where you may see videos or images. You might also hear sounds or listen to music. While these things may feel simple to you, they can make a big difference in your brain. That's because, while you're doing nothing but watching the screen, the EEG program may be directing your brain and central nervous system regarding what it should be doing and how it should be reacting to these types of stimuli. In fact, you'll likely notice mood changes almost instantly. You may attend as many as 40 neurofeedback sessions in total, although this number can vary.

Keep in mind that, just like in biofeedback therapy, there can be several different types of neurofeedback equipment and methodologies. That means, depending on the specific condition that you are experiencing, you may get a different type of neurofeedback treatment. It may have different images, processes, or a slightly different level to ensure that you're getting the help you need. For this reason, it can be important to be very open and upfront with your therapist about what you're going through so they can make sure that you're getting the therapy that works for you.

How neurofeedback works

Overall, this type of therapy can help manage your brain function by training it to react in certain ways. The program itself usually trains the central nervous system to know what to do with different brain frequencies, live alpha waves and beta waves. With this type of therapy, you'll typically receive feedback on how your brain works, what your brain is doing, and where the dysfunction occurs so that it can be resolved.

Starting neurofeedback therapy

It can be helpful to ensure that the therapist you talk to gets to know you before jumping into neurofeedback treatment. While this type of therapy is generally not harmful, it's also not necessarily going to be helpful if you're not a good candidate. Talking with your neurofeedback therapist before starting treatment can determine whether this type of therapy has a reasonable chance of success for you.

A therapist will generally talk to you several times before referring you to a neurofeedback therapist, and this therapist will likely want to talk with you as well. All of this can help them to more fully understand the condition you're experiencing and what can help you with it. This can also help the neurofeedback therapist determine the specifics of what therapy they will put you through to get the best results. 

Results of neurofeedback therapy

When it comes to seeing results from this type of therapy, you may see an improvement in several different disorders, as mentioned above, and you may see changes in your overall mood and behavior as well. These will usually improve with each session and become dramatically better by attending all sessions. Below are several potential results you may experience after undergoing neurofeedback therapy.

• Mood and emotion regulation
• Anxiety processing
• Lower levels of distress and discomfort
• Increased attention span and focus
• Healthier behaviors and reactions

Side effects of neurofeedback therapy

This type of therapy can be difficult for those who have a history of brain injury or head trauma because of the instantaneous aspect of the feedback, which can cause nausea, dizziness, and light sensitivity for some people.

It can also be possible that your brain could start to feel overworked due to the constant stimulation. With neurofeedback therapy, however, your therapist will usually see this kind of change in your brain and adjust the process to make sure that you are getting the brain training that you need without causing too much stress or strain. 

Please make sure you let your therapist know in real time if you are having any trouble with the session. If you start feeling any side effects from the neurofeedback, if you're not feeling well, or if anything is bothering you about the session, you should let them know. This can allow them to change the sessions to accommodate your needs or to stop the sessions immediately if need be. 

Alternatives to neurofeedback therapy

While neurofeedback can be a great treatment option, its price is often a barrier. It’s often rare for health insurance policies to cover neurofeedback, and it can be quite expensive out of pocket. An effective, evidence-based alternative to neurofeedback is therapy, which can be helpful for many different mental health conditions and challenges. Online therapy can be even more convenient than traditional therapy, as it allows you to connect with a suitable therapist from the comfort of your home or anywhere you have a stable internet connection. Online therapy can also allow for more scheduling options so that you can attend sessions at a time that works for you.

As this study explains, online therapy can be effective in treating depression, anxiety, PTSD, and many other disorders. Please don’t hesitate to reach out for the help you deserve and connect with a licensed mental health professional online.