Basics of Neurofeedback
Basics of Neurofeedback
Basics of Neurofeedback
Methodology
Neurofeedback is a technique to train the brain to regulate functions of body and
mind. When the brain is not functioning optimally, this is often reflected in mental or
physical problems. Likewise, many cognitive, emotional, or bodily issues can be
traced back to a poorly functioning brain. Training your brain to improve its function
can help it take better care of you, just like physical exercise can train your body.
When the brain is not functioning well, this is usually visible in an EEG
(electroencephalogram). Restoring function to the brain by means of Neurofeedback
can alleviate a large variety of physical and emotional problems. Sleep patterns may
improve, allowing increased alertness during the day. Neurofeedback can reduce
anxiety and depression as well as syndromes such as migraine or chronic pain.
Hyperactivity, attention deficit, post-traumatic stress, and emotional instability are
also frequently visible as abnormalities in the EEG and as such can be treated.
Neurofeedback treatment can also help with certain specific syndromes and issues,
including traumatic brain injury, seizures, autism, and stroke cases. In these
instances, the training may not eliminate the cause of the problem, but rather assists
the brain to function normally despite the injury.
One of the technique’s great strengths is that it draws upon the brain’s own ability to
learn and adapt. Neurofeedback therapy is absolutely non-invasive, and rather than
trying to affect the body from outside, it helps the brain to deal with any problems at
the foundation. Neurofeedback treatment simply makes certain characteristics of the
brain’s operation visible to the conscious mind.
The next brainwave bandwidth is Theta. Theta occurs between 4 and 8 cycles per
second. Theta in the adult EEG can indicate drowsiness, it-can also indicate some
abnormalities. Sometimes people with head injuries will show excessive Theta
activity either at the sight of the injury or other areas of the brain. Theta has also
been found to be outside the norm in some children with ADD and ADHD and
sometimes in children with learning disabilities.
The next bandwidth is Alpha. The mental state of Alpha is similar to putting the
clutch in before shifting the gears; it is just sort of a holding pattern. Approximately
Ninety-five percent of the population has a peak Alpha frequency with eyes closed
and that is considered very normal. Alpha predominance essentially represents a
brain that is quiet and at rest. An important point is that Alpha ranges from 8 to 12
cycles per second. There is some research that shows a difference in the mental
activity of; let's say, 8 cycles per second Alpha and 12 cycles per second Alpha. In
other words, you can do some focused thinking at 12 cycles per second Alpha, that
you can't do at 8 cycles per second Alpha. We are finding that the bandwidths are
actually very broad and are used to identify the morphology, that is, the shape of the
waves. Specific frequencies within those bandwidths may correlate with slightly
different mental activity.
Beta is anywhere from 13 cycles per second all the way on up to over 32 cycles per
I floor, 61-B, A. V. Church Road, Vannandurai, Besant Nagar, Chennai - 600090
second. This is where things get very interesting. Low frequency Beta, between 13
and 15 cycles per second, has also been referred to as "sensory motor rhythm" and
it seems to be a very important rhythm. It has the ability to organize the brain in
terms of biofeedback. It is being used for ADD and learning disabilities, as well as a
variety of emotional problems, and for peak performance models. It has to do with
the coordination of many areas of the brain. By teaching an area of the brain to
make more low frequency Beta activity, it actually effects many pathways within the
brain in many different ways. We use it often for sleep disorders. From 15 hertz on
up, we speed up in frequency so the brain becomes more focused, more
concentrated ... up to about 20 hertz. From 20 hertz on, too much Beta activity can
backfire. What starts to happen is that there is too much activity, too much electrical
noise occurring in the brain. You actually see functioning, organizational and
concentration abilities start to deteriorate from there on. However, some researchers
are now looking at extremely high frequencies of Beta... going from the 100 cycle
per second range, all the way up to the 120-hertz range in specific areas of the
brain... primarily the temporal areas, which are on the sides of the head. They are
looking at those frequencies because they suspect there is a correlation between
those very high frequencies and psychic abilities, as well as advanced levels of
meditation where the meditator experiences a dramatic shift in consciousness known
as transcendence.
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