Frequently Asked Questions:
What are the benefits of Biofeedback?
These methods are now routinely used to treat diseases and disorders such as:
| • migraine headaches |
• chronic pain |
| • injury-related muscle strain |
• anxiety |
| • essential hypertension |
• irritable bowel syndrome |
|
| • TMJ pain |
• bruxism |
| • asthma |
|
Age is generally not a factor in learning these skills: people from age 6 to 93 have successfully completed a course of Biofeedback-assisted training. Individuals often apply these skills toward a healthier balance in their life as a whole.
How does Biofeedback relieve stress?
The saying "You can't live with it , you can't live without it" applies to stress. Most simply, stress is any change from the external environment (the world and other people around us) or from our internal environment (changes in our bodies, thoughts, and feelings) to which a person must adapt. Regulating change in our lives, and regulating the effects of stress on our health, requires new learning for most of us. Stress regulation training teaches new skills and how to use them effectively.
Along with Biofeedback, such training includes:
| • instruction in progressive muscle relaxation exercises |
| • techniques for utilizing relaxation skills during daily activities |
| • concentration techniques |
• diaphragmatic breathing |
| • autogenic training |
• managing a busy mind |
| • systematic desensitization |
• postural awareness |
What is the treatment process?
Biofeedback sessions are usually 50 minutes long and occur weekly for the first four to six sessions. Office visits become less frequent as a person develops relaxation and self-regulation skills.
A standard course of Biofeedback treatment involves 8-12 sessions over three months, followed by telephone follow-up for another three months and "booster" sessions as needed. Record-keeping and home practice are an essential part of treatment.
Neurofeedback, or EEG Biofeedback, is a training process that provides an individual with direct, real-time information about his or her brain wave activity. The person then uses the brain wave feedback to learn how to alter the brain waves in a healthier, more functional direction. This learning process could be thought of as an exercise program for the brain or like a dancer using a mirror to learn new choreography.
What is Neurofeedback used for?
Almost any condition that involves central nervous system problems may be responsive to Neurofeedback. The first documented use of Neurofeedback was in the control of seizures. Later, researchers found that Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) could be responsive to Neurofeedback. Recent clinical applications of Neurofeedback have ranged from the treatment of brain injury and stroke to treatment of psychological problems including depression and anxiety. Additional clinical reports and case studies show effectiveness in the treatment of alcoholism, Conduct Disorder, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic Pain, and Sleep Disorders.
How is Neurofeedback done?
The first step is an evaluation to determine if Neurofeedback is appropriate. This evaluation has two parts. The first is an interview to obtain an understanding of the problem, the symptoms and their history. The next step is a multi-channel Quantitative EEG (QEEG). The QEEG results are analyzed using statistical methods that can include comparison of the individual patient with normative databases. The outcome of this evaluation process is a Neurofeedback training plan.
The treatment sessions typically last 40 to 50 minutes and may occur daily or several times per week. During each session, two or more sensors are placed on the scalp so that EEG activity can be monitored and feedback via computer generated graphic displays and sounds. The process is painless and is like playing a video game controlled by the brain.
When the brain makes the desirable brain waves, the computer video display and/or sounds change to let the person’s brain know to do that some more. With practice, the person gets better at making the desirable brain waves, much like a music student gets better at playing the right notes.
What kind of results do we obtain?
In the case of ADHD, impulsivity, distractibility, and hyperactivity may all respond to the training process. This may lead to a much more successful school performance. Cognitive function may improve as well. In several controlled studies, increases of 10 points in IQ score were found for a representative group of ADHD children. And in two clinical studies, an average IQ increase of 19 and 23 points was demonstrated. Behavior may improve in other ways as well. If the child has a lot of temper tantrums, is belligerent, and even violent or cruel, he or she may learn to control these better.
In the case of depression, there can be a gradual recovery of “affect,” or emotional responsiveness, and a reduction of fatigue. In the case of anxiety and panic attacks, there is gradual improvement in “regulation,” with a drop-off in frequency and severity of anxiety episodes and panic attacks until the condition normalizes. In the case of epilepsy, there is a reduction in severity and incidence (frequency of occurrence) of seizures.
Can Neurofeedback cause adverse effects?
In some cases a person doing Neurofeedback training may feel mentally tired after a training session. When this occurs, it is typically during the first few sessions and is much like the physical effect of starting a new exercise program. People presenting traumatic-type symptoms may experience some discomfort as is typical of addressing those symptoms therapeutically. It is also possible to feel very energized after some types of Neurofeedback. No other adverse effects have been reported in thousands of cases of Neurofeedback treatment.
How does Neurofeedback training work?
The brain is amazingly adaptable and capable of learning. It can also learn to improve its own performance, if only it is given cues about what to change. By making information available to the brain about how it is functioning, and asking it to make adjustments, it can do so. When the mature brain is doing a good job of regulating itself and the person is alert and attentive, the brain waves (EEG) show a particular pattern. We challenge the person to maintain this “high performance,” alert and attentive state. Gradually, the brain learns, just like it learns anything else. And, as with other learning, the brain tends to retain the new skill.
How long does Neurofeedback training normally take?
EEG training (Neurofeedback therapy) is a learning process and, therefore, results are seen gradually over time. For most conditions, initial progress can be seen within about ten sessions. Initial training goals may be met by twenty sessions. In the case of hyperactivity and Attention Deficit Disorder, training is expected to take about thirty sessions, or even more in severe cases. Some symptoms of head injury often respond in less than twenty sessions (e.g., quality of sleep, fatigue, chronic pain), whereas others may require longer training before they show an initial response (e.g., memory function).
How frequent are Neurofeedback training sessions?
In the initial stages of learning, the sessions should be regular and frequent, at two, three, or even more sessions per week. After the learning begins to consolidate, the pace can be reduced. Daily sessions can be beneficial as well.
Is EEG feedback covered by insurance?
Many insurance companies cover Biofeedback services. We encourage interested clients to check with their insurance provider regarding coverage for Biofeedback and Psychological services. Patients with a particular physiological problem should be referred through their treating physician.
Currently, Life Quality Resources accepts direct payments from clients, who may choose to subsequently file reimbursement claims with their respective insurance providers. Insurance companies respond in different ways, but coverage commonly ranges 50-80%, depending on the diagnosis.