Even having read about and talked with people about Neurofeedback Therapy for the last couple of years, I still really had no concept of what it was like.
Yesterday, I had my very first treatment session of Neurofeedback Therapy (NT). I had been researching this treatment tool as a possible option for my daughter who has Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD), anxiety, ADHD, is bi-polar and now also has the diagnosis of Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Sadly, to the best of the knowledge, my daughter has NOT had the opportunity to try NT, as one-year and eight-months ago the State of Washington forced me to relinquish my parental rights to my 12-year-old daughter (and only child). But, that is another story.
I am 47 years old and have been on anti-depressants almost continually since I was 18. I have also had many dozens, if not hundreds of hours of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, (aka “talk therapy"). My diagnosis of major/clinical depression has recently been adjusted to be “Treatment Resistant Depression.” This is NOT to imply that anti-depressants and therapy have not helped me in the past—they certainly have. I have also now been given the diagnosis of PTSD. I believe (and for the record, I am NOT a doctor or medical professional of any kind), that it is quite possible that I have been on anti-depressants for so long and taken so many, that my body is either no longer responding to them, or, is responding only very slightly. So, in October I was able to muster the energy to do some research on alternative treatments for major/clinical depression, PTSD and Treatment Resistant Depression. Finally, the decision was made for me to try NT.
This essay is not being written and shared for either the purpose of encouraging the use of NT, or for discouraging the use of NT. It is being written and shared in an attempt to help others considering NT to better understand it.
The treatment clinic I am using currently believes it is beneficial to incorporate the use of Neurofield Therapy, and HeartMath along with NT. Or, at least they think so in my case. Granted, I do NOT have RAD (many of you reading this likely have children that do). You may learn more about these two other procedures at: www.Neurofield.org and at www.Heartmath.org.
My treatment provider feels that the most effective way to treat me and my conditions is by alternating Neurofield Therapy with NT. She compares Neurofield Therapy to “plowing the field”, and NT to “planting the field.” So, I have had one treatment now of each and have been told to expect to continue to have one treatment of Neurofield Therapy, then one of NT, and so on. Some days I will have both in one day with a break of at least one hour in-between therapies, and other times I will have one on one day and the other on another day—this is largely dependent on scheduling availability.
HeartMath is, I think, quite similar to what I have previously heard called “breath work.” Admittedly, I have done almost no research to ascertain what the difference is, but so far it would seem to me that HeartMath is essentially “breath work” re-packaged and re-marketed—perhaps to appeal to audiences that are skeptical or resistant to alternative and/or Eastern kinds of medical practices.
Each therapy session I attend for either NT or Neurofield Therapy (NFT), the therapist has started me out with about 5 minutes of HeartMath, (concentrated, even, rhythmic breathing exercises guided by audio narration and a visual aid on a TV monitor).
Following the HeartMath, the therapist then attached a small, metal clamp to each of my earlobes. She then attached a single electrode to the top of my head, just above my left eye. This is due to the results of the EEG she conducted on me a few weeks earlier, which indicated that some of my brainwaves coming from, and going to that part of my brain were either substantially less than what is considered “typical,” or, more than. Then, she sat me in a chair directly in front of a TV monitor. She showed me on that monitor what data was being collected from the one electrode on my head. She explained to me how I could see by looking at the “thermometers” which of the 6 brainwaves being monitored were high, which were low, and she explained to me how there is a target range where she would like to see these brainwaves function at. Then, she took the data off of my screen (moved it to her own computer monitor that she was viewing but that was out of my view) and began playing a DVD that I had selected.
She told me when I was selecting my video that it made no difference which one I picked and that none of the DVDs had been altered in any way—but that when she played any DVD through her NT system’s software it would pause on my TV monitor whenever any of my 6 brainwaves went outside of the targeted/desired range. More specifically, as she watched the data being collected on her computer monitor she could see by watching the “thermometer” for each of the 6 brain wave types whether my own brainwaves were high, low, “normal” and how far off they were from each of those three ranges.
I was NOT instructed to do anything except to sit and watch the video, I wasn’t even supposed to consciously “try” to keep the video from pausing. The idea (as I understand it) is for the patient’s brain to adjust subconsciously all on its own. Then, with practice (doing these sessions over and over again) they expect the brain to permanently change the way it functions and learn to stay more calm and even. What I DID learn was that keeping my eyes looking forward, holding still and breathing evenly helped to keep the video from pausing.
I was told that after 10 sessions of NT I would have a second EEG reading and they would compare the original reading to the new reading and look for changes and improvements. They would then use this information to make a recommendation as to whether or not I should have more sessions, and if so, how many.
Immediately following my first session of NT I felt quite sleepy and had a mild headache behind my RIGHT eye (NOT the left eye where the electrode was placed). I napped quite a bit the remainder of the day and did NOT feel any sort of euphoria or improved mood that I could notice. However, following the session I had the week before when I had the NFT but no NT – I DID feel a perceived sense of improved well-being for 3 ½ days following that session. Whether it can fairly be attributed to the NFT or not, I can’t say for sure.
I just found this at Elliot & Associates, Inc., it does a pretty good job of explaining what happens during a NT session I think: “Neurofeedback uses computerized feedback to allow individuals to "teach" their brains to increase certain brainwaves that are helpful for improved function. With training, people can train their brains to decrease excessive fast or slow brainwaves that interfere with optimal functioning. For example, if someone has excessive amounts of certain EEG frequencies (e.g., theta or alpha) in the frontal lobes of his/her brain, he/she might experience depression or obsessive-compulsive symptoms. By training the brain to reduce slower brainwaves and increase faster brainwave activity, symptoms are often reduced in severity and frequency and, over time, the new brain behavior is "learned." Too much of the faster brainwaves (beta) in the frontal part of the brain can result in increase in anxiety and panic. Neurofeedback can be quite helpful in reducing these conditions.”
I have created a rough diagram of what the “thermometers” monitoring my brain waves looked like when they were shown to me. See “Attachment #1”.
Below is a diagram I found on the Internet that looks very much like the print outs I was given that mapped my own brain wave activity. This is NOT the actual chart of my own brain waves.
[Written Nov. 20, 2014]
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