NeuroFeedback for Anxiety, DepressioN & ADHD

ANXIETY

Anxiety comprises a cluster of disorders that include Generalised Anxiety Disorder, OCD, Phobias, Social Anxiety and Panic Attacks. Without intervention, anxiety generally gets worse over time and the client’s life becomes ever smaller as they avoid more and more things that cause them to feel uncomfortable. It’s not commonly known that anxiety is a learned behaviour rather than an inherited genetic disorder (although there is of course some genetic component). So if you had one or both parents who were anxious, overly critical or disengaged (because when a parent is disengaged they are also wounded in some way) then as a child you will have LEARNED to be anxious. Additionally, since we are made up of energy (with electricity coarsing through us) our nervous systems attune to the electrical frequencies of our parents. That is why when parents bring their anxious children in to see me, I recommend the family hire a neurofeedback system and train all of their brains at home to create a collectively calmer environment. I’m quite serious about that, the best results for the affected child always happen when the whole family train their brains because as well as improving anxiety and making the family environment more peaceful, neurofeedback assists in building deeper relationships. (Read the article I wrote about neurofeedback aiding relationships.)

NeurOptimal neurofeedback can be extremely effective for anxiety. The system takes a reading of the brain’s electrical activity 256 times per second and responds with feedback (a micro-pause in the music) every time the brain is about to fall into electrical turbulence. Over time the brain experiences a lot less fear and learns to relax because when it’s relaxed, it hears fewer pauses in the music. Too easy! Your only job is to make sure you have enough sessions to give it a chance to work thoroughly and permanently.

Depression

Depression can be notoriously resistant to talking therapy, and anti-depressants definitely don’t work on everyone. When the brain has gotten stuck in depression, neurofeedback is very effective at using the brain’s innate ability to learn new things (and create new neural pathways) to teach it how to function more optimally. Depression wastes a lot of energy, so when the neurofeedback system signals to the brain it is being inefficient, over repeated sessions it learns to become more efficient. A by-product of this new efficiency is feeling brighter, happier and less foggy. With enough neurofeedback sessions, a POSITIVE-FEEDBACK LOOP is created. The more efficient the brain becomes, the better the client feels; and the better the client feels, the more the brain is inclined to operate even more optimally. Meanwhile, all the client has to do is lie back and relax and listen to the lovely music because it all happens in the brain at the sub-conscious level.

Attention-Deficit Disorder

ADD & ADHD can have many causes. Internationally renowned attention-deficit disorder expert, Dr Gabriel Maté, explains that trauma (including so-called ‘mild’ trauma such as divorce or having a parent who suffers from anxiety or depression) can sometimes underlie ADD & ADHD. This is something the average doctor won’t tell you because the ‘medical model’ is predicated on diagnosing disorders and handing out medication rather than understanding the cause. But regardless of whether trauma is present, ADD & ADHD are characterised by an inability to concentrate because the brain will not stay in the present moment. The ability to self-regulate (remain calm) is critical for our minds to want to stay in the present moment and focus on one thing at a time, instead of seeking out distraction. Of course, these days our attention deficits are not helped by all the competing electronic devices we have ringing and pinging, drawing our attention away from what we are doing multiple times a day.

The good news is that neurofeedback is a wonderful intervention for attention-deficit disorder, no matter the cause.

By calming the central nervous system, by resolving any underlying trauma without the need for talking about it, and by training the mind to return to the present moment, neurofeedback creates the conditions for improved focus and concentration. The more neurofeedback you have, the more you will notice improvements in this area. Many of my parents have reported back that their child’s teacher has asked them what they have been doing because the child’s change in behaviour and attention in the classroom is very apparent. Training with neurofeedback therapy is like going to the gym for your brain - the longer you train, the healthier, happier and more focused your nervous system will become!