✎ Written by: Dubravka Rebic ✓ Fact-checked by: Carola Tuerk, Ph.D.
Around 60 years ago, one of neurofeedback’s pioneers, Dr. Joe Kamiya, found that by using a simple reward system, people could control their brainwaves. This marked the first time that real-time feedback was provided to humans based on EEG monitoring. And from that point on, the field grew and evolved extensively.
A significant body of research on the efficacy of neurofeedback training emerged, with many studies showing improvements in mental health symptoms among children and adults after neurofeedback therapy. Furthermore, technology has advanced in many ways, such that neurofeedback training is no longer limited to the clinic. Today, people can do therapist-guided neurofeedback from the comfort of their homes. But can they do it effectively?
In this article, we will present recent cutting-edge research findings that show how effective at-home neurofeedback could be. We will also explain how practitioners can utilize the advantages of at-home neurofeedback systems to keep their clients engaged, achieve optimal training results, improve their efforts, and get more referrals.
Real-World Evidence Supporting the Efficacy of an At-Home Neurofeedback System
A recent peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research showed that Myndlift, a therapist-guided app-based remote neurofeedback training system, can help improve mental health and cognitive performance.
The study included 560 participants, 13 years of age or older, whose brain health improvement was measured within the Myndlift's in-app assessments that included:
Validated symptom questionnaires
A cognitive test of attention and executive functioning
Resting electroencephalography (EEG) markers
Thirty to 180 days after the baseline assessment, when 20 or more neurofeedback sessions had been completed, an analysis of improvement was performed. The preliminary findings demonstrated the efficacy of remote neurofeedback in improving mental health, particularly for individuals with symptoms of ADHD and anxiety, mainly through reduced theta, enhanced high beta, and enhanced alpha neurofeedback protocols.
Results also surpassed those seen in other in-app mental health services (e.g., mobile-enabled text psychotherapy, app-based CBT), which was particularly impressive. Over the course of an average of three months, the majority (61%) of participants scoring in the abnormal ranges transitioned to the healthy results group.
"If any medication had demonstrated such a wide spectrum of efficacy, it would be universally accepted and widely used." - Harvard professor and pediatric neurologist Frank H. Duffy.