Neurofeedback, or EEG biofeedback, has been found to be beneficial in treating a variety of different brain disorders, including ADD/ADHD, epilepsy, depression, anxiety and PTSD, autism, and rehabilitation of traumatic brain injuries. Neurofeedback is a very safe form of therapy with little to no side effects, as it doesn’t require any chemicals to enter the body. It can be compared to training for the brain, where a client does regular sessions and over time the brain learns to regulate itself and applies what its learned to other real world situations.
People with various brain disorders have been shown to have different patterns of brain waves than the general population in predictable ways. For instance, people with ADHD often have an excess of Theta waves (drowsy, mind wandering), and not enough Lo-Beta waves (focus, concentration on specific tasks). Individuals with anxiety disorders have been found to benefit from raising their levels of Alpha waves, which increase calm, resting states.
The neurofeedback world has developed specific protocols to treat different disorders. When used in conjunction with a qualitative EEG (qEEG) assessment and other objective measures of progress, such as continuous processing task (CPT) tests, treatment plans can be customized to the specific brain patterns of the patients undergoing neurofeedback therapy.
There is a growing body of research on neurofeedback for different neurological disorders. Many of these studies have shown neurofeedback to be an effective therapy, while some have found it to be as effective as drug therapies (for instance in ADHD), and even more effective than other forms of therapy (attention training for ADHD, for example). Similar to medication and other therapies, not every patient will benefit from neurofeedback or respond to the treatment in the same way. It can be especially helpful for people who are non-responsive to drug treatments or who have adverse effects.
Neurofeedback can also be used by healthy individuals to improve their performance, lower stress, and increase attention levels. In particular, it is often used by elite athletes, musicians, and executives to sharpen their skills in their field and promote general well being.
However, there is still a need for more controlled, well-structured neurofeedback research in order for the therapy to be standardized and widely accepted in the medical community. Myndlift is proud that our system is being used in research institutes around the world to advance the study of neurofeedback and add to the scientific body knowledge. Our goal is to make neurofeedback therapy more convenient and accessible to everyone.
http://www.eeginfo.com/research/researchpapers/Efficacy-Neurofeedback-ADHD.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3958393/