NeurOptimal® Neurofeedback
Facilitating peak performance, happiness and well-being in all clients is a priority, and sometimes tools and biohacks can really help.
As a Certified NeurOptimal® Neurofeedback practitioner, I invite you to explore the benefits of reduced stress, improved sleep, and relief from conditions that have held you back from becoming all you were meant to be.
And with current technology, it’s never been easier to benefit from this proven therapy. You can easily use a rental unit in your own home, saving you time and money.
Is a 30-day home rental Neurofeedback system right for you?
Neurofeedback is also called EEG Biofeedback. Biofeedback can be applied to any part of the of the nervous system. EEG biofeedback, or neurofeedback, is focused on the brain.
Though based in technology, neurofeedback is a 100% non-invasive, drug-free, brain training system that helps the central nervous system make the best use of your brain’s natural resources.
The NeurOptimal® system is extremely powerful and effective, but truly holistic. That’s because nothing is forced. It doesn’t need to be, due to the neuroplasticity of our brains.
How does it work?
Biofeedback/neurofeedback has been around for about 40 years, but has advanced greatly. It used to require a room full of computers and technicians. As technology has advanced, so has the interface. Today, neurofeedback can be far more easily, and less expensively, administered. That means client anxiety can be greatly minimized.
We begin by identifying and tracking ALL symptoms by frequency and intensity, so we can more objectively monitor changes as your training progresses. Unlike other linear systems, where you have to choose only one symptom to address at a time, with the dynamic NeurOptimal® neurofeedback system, your brain is balancing itself in all areas so you’ll progress in many areas. In fact, you may notice shifts in symptoms you hadn’t even realized were impacting you so strongly or had the potential to change!
Five sensors are attached to your head that will feed your brain wave patterns into the program software. You simply relax while listening to music and possibly watching the screen (or reading a book or even napping!). You’ll hear occasional “skips” or interruptions in the music – this is the signal that prompts your brain to “reset” and optimize itself.
Even very small children can enjoy neurofeedback with only minor modifications. No effort is required on the user’s part. Other neurofeedback systems require the user to interact by playing games or solving puzzles during sessions. This additional level of interaction is unnecessary with the NeurOptimal® neurofeedback system. This means that certain clients, who might otherwise be unable or unwilling to participate, can still benefit from neurofeedback.
At the end of your sessions, you’ll typically feel less stressed and more mentally clear. Many users experience deeper sleep and more vivid dreams right away.
Plus, you no longer need to come to the office twice a week or more for sessions. Instead, rent your own system by the month and learn to easily administer sessions for yourself and your family at a fraction of the cost.
Neurofeedback trains the brain to modify or control brainwave activity via auditory and visual feedback. Stress levels in today’s culture are unprecedented and pervasive. Chronic physical, mental, emotional, chemical and electromagnetic stress is unavoidable. These toxins discharge the brain, causing it to lose fluidity, resiliency, and balance. This can underscore a wide variety of symptoms throughout the body.
Neurofeedback acts like your brain’s mirror. Brain wave activity gets reported back to the central nervous system in live time. When the software detects a tremor in your brain wave pattern, it sends an audible signal that encourages the brain to self-correct. There’s no forced electrical “shock.” The system operates at the same frequency of “electricity” that the brain already uses.
NeurOptimal® Neurofeedback doesn’t push your brain into a pre-determined “better” pattern, based on comparisons between your brain and someone else’s. There’s no “average” or “best” level of brain function to achieve. The central nervous system simply receives clear and accurate information about itself. That way, your brain can assemble its own best organizing strategies moment-by-moment. This trains your brain to remain fluid and balanced without forcing patterns or responses. Because the brain is neuroplastic– always growing new brain cells and connections- it applies this feedback without needing to be artificially or intensely pushed in any specific direction.
The human brain is amazing- it knows exactly what to do with the feedback it receives. It just needs to receive that information without toxicities or injuries interfering with the process. Neurofeedback simply sharpens the picture so your brain can get down to business more effectively.
Neurofeedback training isn’t like a gym workout- you won’t lose progress once you’ve completed your sessions. Since the brain can’t “unlearn” this training, each session builds upon previous ones. Progress doesn’t fade.
Your personality won’t change. You’ll still be you after your neurofeedback training- only better!
NEUROPTIMAL® IS DESIGNED TO WORK BEST WITH YOUR BRAIN. NOT FORCE IT INTO A PATTERN.
It doesn’t attempt to “fix” predetermined conditions or pin down specific problems. This can be a limitation with other neurofeedback systems where resolving a problem in one area could cause problems elsewhere.
The NeurOptimal® system is a proprietary neuroscience-based technology, specifically designed with the naturally non-linear function of the human brain in mind. It works with the dynamic nature of your brain in a way other systems can’t. It can address a wide array of complaints without specifically targeting- or potentially excluding others- from the outset. Clients typically notice better sleep, increased mental focus, and better emotional stability as their first symptomatic shifts.
Neurofeedback is non-invasive, with no side-effects. Depending on the symptoms you’d like to address, most people require approximately 15 sessions to begin to notice symptom changes, although 20-30 may be required to achieve a level of resolution that feels impactful. The ideal number of sessions can’t be precisely predicted, but your response and symptom resolution are monitored to determine the appropriate length of your training. Regardless of the optimal number for you, know that results won’t diminish over time. The brain naturally retains, and builds upon, it’s learning.
what can it help?
Human suffering often originates from “stuck thinking.” Pervasive recurring thoughts, feelings, and rigid cognitive patterns can cause the mind to become emotionally stranded. Stuck thinking can be incredibly distressing- it can feel like you’re being held hostage by your own mind!
Neurofeedback prompts the brain to draw from its existing resources and pull itself out of these mental ruts. The result is a more open and positive mindset. Obstacles are more manageable. Problems become more resolvable. Even the experience of pain and discomfort can be adjusted, as more healthy neuropathways are trained.
Neurofeedback has been used for the following types of physical, emotional and cognitive complaints with great success:
PHYSICAL, COGNITIVE AND EMOTIONAL CHALLENGES
Both adults and children have used neurofeedback to address negative effects arising from depression, anxiety, PTSD, Alzheimer’s, autism, sleep disorders, misophonia, and other complaints.
The FDA has approved neurofeedback as an effective modality for stress reduction. In addition, the American Pediatric Academy has endorsed neurofeedback as a “Level 1/Best Support” treatment for children with ADHD. And the APA has equated neurofeedback with medication in terms of efficacy for resolving ADHD.
GENERAL WELLNESS
Neurofeedback encourages an overall positive mental outlook and a deeper understanding of the mind-body connection. If you’re generally looking to enhance daily health and wellness, neurofeedback training can be an excellent supplement to a healthy diet and exercise routine.
BRAIN FITNESS/AGE REMEDIATION
Along with healthy lifestyle choices, neurofeedback can be a powerful tool to mediate naturally-occurring, age-related cognitive decline. Just like working out at the gym benefits your physical body, neurofeedback keeps the brain flexible and resilient. It can help improve memory, recall, and overall cognitive dexterity.
PEAK PHYSICAL AND MENTAL PERFORMANCE
Improving communication between the right and left hemispheres of the brain can cause improvement in many areas. Some clients observe clearly diminished performance in specific areas, whether physical or mental. However, even clients who don’t notice severe deficits benefit greatly from neurofeedback. Physically, they often report an increase in “performance edge,” resulting in improved physical coordination and athletic performance. Improved emotional resiliency and relationship-building skills are also often reported.
Better brain balance means you operate at a higher level of performance.
IMPROVED ACADEMIC + PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE
Because neurofeedback training enhances concentration and focus, students and business professionals love neurofeedback, too. Unlike “smart drugs” or neuro-enhancing pharmaceuticals, neurofeedback is 100% drug-free and has no known side effects.
Neuroplasticity: Why It Matters
Ever wonder what makes your brain “smart?” It’s something called neuroplasticity. That’s the brain’s ability to birth new neurons, create newer and stronger connections, and reorganize neural pathways- all while it’s busy doing a million other tasks.
Until recently, scientists thought your brain’s capability was almost completely established at birth, for the rest of your life. There was a little more improvement possible during a few critical childhood developmental periods, but that was about it. It was assumed that you were born with a set number of brain cells and as they died, they weren’t replaced. Losing brain cells to injury or old age meant that you’d simply decline in cognitive ability, and nothing could really be done about it. Now we know this isn’t true at all. You have far more control over your mind and brain than was ever thought possible- even in old age.
Here’s why.
Neuroplasticity is the way brain adapts to life experience- your environment, emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. It creates resiliency, and that’s important because it’s the basis for long-term learning. Neuroplasticity also makes recovery from injury, disability, or ineffective thought processes possible. But here’s the paradox: neuroplasticity is also what makes the brain vulnerable to trauma. Because what you give attention to shapes the plasticity of your brain through a natural “pruning” process- pathways you don’t use regularly simply wither away as blood flow is instead directed toward busier brain regions.
Simply put, your mind shapes the brain and your brain shapes the mind. The brain’s physical structure, and the quality of your mind’s thoughts, require the best of one another to effect optimal growth and wellbeing.
What does that mean? If you’ve experienced a physical trauma like a concussion, the structural changes are likely to cause changes to neural pathways, potentially affecting any of the brain’s normal processes. You could experience physiological symptoms like headaches or nerve damage in your extremities. Emotional or mental changes might also occur, such as depression or extreme anger.
It works the other way around too- emotional upset like constant anxiousness results in more neural pathways wired for anxiety. As those pathways are ingrained, your ability to not be anxious becomes more and more unreachable. After awhile, all that anxiety actually changes your brain physically. Anxiety is literally wired in as your go-to mode of being.
You can think of these thickened neural layers as “ruts.” When your brain has deeply rutted neuropathways, it’s really hard to establish newer pathways without intervention. This is great news when you’re building healthy ruts. You can build more easily upon previous learning.
But what happens when the brain deeply establishes a negative rut over time? Such as a chronic pain pathway, obsessive-compulsive thinking, or depressive thoughts? You experience a sort of “stuckness” that is expressed physically or mentally- and usually both. It can be very difficult- seemingly impossible– to pull yourself out of a rut like this. Intervention is often needed.
Neurofeedback is that intervention. Neurofeedback provides the information needed for the brain re-set itself, so inefficient “ruts” are dropped and neuroplasticity is better enabled. You experience this as better balance, as symptoms begin to resolve.
YOUR NEUROFEEDBACK TRAINING GENTLY REDIRECTS THE BRAIN TO ESTABLISH MORE BENEFICIAL NEUROPATHWAYS, AS LESS HEALTHY ONES ARE PRUNED AWAY.
For all you science geeks, here’s the low-down: neurological changes happen as the brain reorganizes itself functionally and structurally. This reorganization is happening all day, every day- either strengthening and building upon good patterns… or developing and reinforcing less beneficial ones.
As a brain pattern becomes more consistent, the connections between neurons become more sensitive, and new neurons grow. That produces thicker neural layers, effectively locking those neural patterns is in place.
What else can you do to encourage neuroplasticity?
Neurofeedback helps the brain re-set and achieve balance. To further encourage neuroplasticity, and lock in a healthful, balanced state, there are other things you should be doing. Meditation and mindfulness practices are very helpful, since research shows that chronic stress disrupts neuroplasticity. General brain health via good nutrition, quality sleep, proper oxygenation, and positive mindset is also critical. And, anything that helps you focus on positivity creates the right environment for neuroplasticity- this could be through spirituality, cognitive therapy, spending time in nature, and life/health coaching measures. Determine a few key lifestyle changes that make sense for you and optimize your brain’s natural health.
Bottom line: good brain health today requires conscious effort. With a well-rounded brain health program, you can achieve symptom resolution and performance enhancement in multiple areas of your life.