What is Neurofeedback or Neurotherapy?

Neurotherapy is also called ‘EEG Biofeedback’ and ‘Neurofeedback.’ It involves helping a person learn how to modify his or her brainwave activity to improve attention, reduce impulsivity, and to control hyperactive behaviors.

Neurofeedback or Neurotherapy is a painless, non-invasive treatment approach that allows the individual to gain information about his or her brainwave activity and use that information to produce changes in brainwave activity. Available research indicates that individuals with ADD/ADHD have too little of certain types of brainwave activity in some areas of the brain and/or too much of certain other brainwave activity in comparison to those without the disorder. In Neurotherapy individuals are trained through the use of computerized biofeedback equipment to change their brainwave activity.

Clinicians and researchers who have provided Neurotherapy training report that when brainwave activity is changed, or when the brain is trained to work in certain ways in the process of Neurotherapy, symptoms of ADD/ADHD are usually reduced. New research shows: Neurofeedback is an ‘Evidence-Based’ treatment for ADHD.

Typically before a client has any brainwave training a qEEG is done. Quantitative Electroencephalography (qEEG) is a procedure that processes the recorded EEG activity from a multi-electrode recording using a computer. The digital data is statistically analyzed, sometimes comparing values with “normative” database reference values. The processed EEG is commonly converted into color maps of brain functioning called “Brain maps”.

The EEG and the derived qEEG information can be interpreted and used by experts as a clinical tool to evaluate brain function, and to track the changes in brain function due to various interventions such as neurofeedback or medication.

How Is Neurotherapy Performed?

Brainwave activity is measured with an electroencephalograph (EEG). The EEG Biofeedback equipment is connected to the individual with sensors that are placed on the scalp and ears. The sensors are safe, do not prick the skin, and are painless. After adequate connection to the scalp and ears are made, the individual’s brainwave activity can be observed on a computer monitor.

Neurotherapy practitioners who administer Neurotherapy will help the client learn to change his or her brainwave activity. The client does not need to know a lot about Neurotherapy or biofeedback to be effectively trained. Clients are taught to play computerized games using their brainwave activity. Changes in client brainwave activity are fed back to the individual through visual and/or auditory information by the computer. One example is a game where clients move a figure through a maze (similar to the popular pac-man game). The figure does not move because of the client’s motor activity (e.g., pushing a button or moving a stick). Instead, the figure moves whenever the client produces specific brainwave patterns. When desired levels of brainwave activity occur, the individual is reinforced, because the figure moves through the maze. By this method, clients learn to change brainwave activity. Clients also practice maintaining learned brainwave states when engaged in school- or work-related tasks (e.g., reading, writing). This will help them use what they learned in Neurotherapy in their daily activities.

What Results Are Expected from Neurotherapy?

Through changes in brainwave activity, reductions in ADD/ADHD symptoms are expected to occur. Individuals who have received Neurotherapy have also reported improvements in school or work performance, social relationships, and self-esteem, as well as reduction in irritability and oppositional behavior. Neurotherapy practitioners will use various assessment instruments to determine whether the desired changes in brainwave activity and/or behavior have occurred.

Individuals should be aware that Neurotherapy can have a significant effect on seizure activity of those with seizure disorders. This effect, however, is usually positive (i.e., a reduction in seizures).

While you should not experience negative side-effects from Neurotherapy, you may experience additional benefits. Some individuals report increased relaxation, reduced stress, and a heightened sense of control over their bodies, thoughts, and feelings during or immediately after treatment sessions.

How Successful Is Neurotherapy?

Some clinicians and researchers have reported remarkable success in the treatment of ADD/ADHD with Neurotherapy. Others still consider Neurotherapy to be an experimental procedure. Several research studies reporting successful treatment outcomes with ADD/ADHD have been published over the last 20 years. In addition, there are increasing numbers of clinician reports being added to computerized data bases that attest to the effectiveness of Neurotherapy as a treatment for ADD/ADHD. However, more research on the effectiveness of Neurotherapy in the treatment of ADD/ADHD is still needed.

The client should know in advance that, as with all treatments, positive results (i.e., reductions in ADD/ADHD symptoms) cannot be guaranteed.

Some major reasons why practitioners are committed to providing Neurotherapy are: to attempt to help individuals for whom other approaches have failed, to help individuals who do not want to use medications for years, and to add to the scientific evidence related to Neurotherapy’s use.

What Are the Potential Side-Effects of Neurotherapy?

Unlike the use of medications for treating ADD/ADHD, Neurotherapy rarely produces negative side-effects. In fact, lack of side-effects is a major reason for the use of Neurotherapy. To learn more about reported side-effects, you may want to ask a practitioner who provides Neurotherapy treatment. Some potential side effects are discussed below.

To reduce electrical impedance and to ensure cleanliness and safety, the client’s skin is cleaned on the areas where the EEG sensors are applied. Some individuals with sensitive skin may experience small breaks in the skin when the cleaning occurs.

A very, very small minority of individuals have reported brief periods of negative feelings (e.g., anxiety, or frustration) or negative physical sensations (e.g., fatigue, dizziness, tingling sensations) while undergoing treatment. These negative side-effects are very rare and usually last for only a short period of time.

Some families experience a disruption in family roles and relationships after the family member who has received Neurotherapy training gets better. The problem behaviors of the family member with ADD/ADHD may have masked other family problems that come into the spotlight once the ADD/ADHD symptoms are reduced. The anxiety levels of family members may increase, because they have been used to focusing on one problem and now must focus on a new one.

How Long Will Neurotherapy Last?

During Neurotherapy, you or your family member will be learning to change and control brainwave patterns. This learning process takes time. The length of treatment varies between individuals. Many individuals report initial progress after ten sessions, but effective treatment usually requires between twenty and forty 40 sessions. Clients will be asked to participate in enough sessions to ensure that treatment produces the changes in behavior desired or to make clear that the intervention does not seem to be working for a particular client.

How Frequently Will Neurotherapy Sessions Occur?

The number of sessions of treatment received per week varies based on time available, transportation issues, finances, progress, and individual preferences. Neurotherapy has been reported to be effective when sessions are received daily, three times per week, twice per week and once per week. To assure progress, it is recommended that clients receive at least one session per week of Neurotherapy. In the initial stages of training, many practitioners prefer that sessions occur frequently (e.g., two to three times per week). As learning and progress take place, sessions are usually reduced to once per week and finally to one or two sessions per month.

Who Will Provide Neurotherapy?

Neurotherapy should be administered by a practitioner trained in the use of EEG equipment, who has the background knowledge about ADD/ADHD and Neurotherapy needed to provide Neurofeedback, who has extensive experience, or who is practicing under the supervision of a qualified practitioner.

How Do My Family Member(s) or I Begin Neurotherapy?

To begin you will need to find a practitioner competent to provide Neurotherapy services.

Care should be taken in selecting a practitioner. The two most commonly used criteria for finding a competent practitioner are to look for someone who is certified in the use of EEG Biofeedback, someone who is licensed as a health care practitioner and who does Neurotherapy, or someone who is both certified and licensed.

To find a practitioner who has been certified to do EEG Biofeedback, you can contact:

The Biofeedback Certification Institute of America 10200 West 44th Avenue, Suite 310 Wheat Ridge, CO 80033-2840 Phone: 303-420-2902 E-mail: Fax: 303-422-8894.

Searchable practitioner listings are available at ISNR or BCIA.

To find a practitioner you can also go to the Yellow pages of your telephone directory and look under biofeedback and/or under the titles of health care professionals (such as: psychologists, professional counselors, social workers, etc.) to see if anyone is listed who does Neurotherapy/Neurofeedback/EEG Biofeedback. If so you can contact them by phone and see if they do Neurotherapy, to make an appointment, or to learn more about what they do.

What Is the Course of Neurotherapy?

In the first appointment the practitioner will conduct a background interview to ascertain the history of the person who is suspected to have or who has been previously diagnosed with ADD/ADHD. He or she will also answer any questions you have.

During the first or second appointment(s), the practitioner will also conduct an evaluation of the client. This evaluation may well include a number of individual tests (e.g., EEG examination, intelligence tests, neuropsychology tests of attention and concentration, tests of academic abilities, etc.) that will be administered to the client as well as some checklists that the client and/or parents and teachers will be asked to complete. The evaluation will have a number of purposes, including: 1) to determine whether the client has ADD/ADHD (or confirm a previous diagnosis); 2) to determine whether there are coexisting problems which need to be addressed; and, 3) to establish a baseline of behaviors so that, during and after the course of treatment, the practitioner and you can objectively determine whether progress (e.g., reduction of ADD/ADHD symptoms, improvement in school or job performance) is or has been made.

After the evaluation, Neurotherapy sessions begin. Over the course of the Neurotherapy treatment, the client and/or parents will be administered some tests and asked to answer questions about progress at home, school, or work. Releases may need to be signed to allow the practitioner to interact with other professionals (e.g., school teachers) who are involved in the client’s life or who have information about the client’s performance and behavior in other locations. After the Neurotherapy sessions have ended, a final evaluation will occur. The reason for periodic evaluations of the client during the Neurotherapy process is to determine whether improvement is occurring in important areas of the client’s life and to adjust the treatment program as appropriate.

You may be asked to sign a consent form to allow the practitioner to use the data collected during the Neurotherapy process for research purposes. The name of the client (and/or parents) will remain confidential. The data collected from the individual will only be reported in relationship to data collected from other individuals. No names will ever be mentioned in reporting research data.

Concurrent Use of Neurotherapy & Medication

Patients and their parents commonly ask if medications and Neurotherapy can be provided at the same time. Generally, the answer is yes. The correct dosage of stimulant medications (e.g., Ritalin, Adderall, Dexedrine, or Cylert) can, when effective, produce a rapid reduction in the frequency of impulsive and hyperactive behaviors. As such, many patients will start a trial of medications or be on medications when they start receiving Neurotherapy.

Over the course of treatment, individuals using medications may be able to reduce or terminate the use of these medications while maintaining control over disruptive behaviors. However, any changes in medications must be discussed with the prescribing physician. The physician and family together will decide whether a reduction in medications is appropriate.

What Is the Cost of Neurotherapy Assessment and Treatment?

The cost for Neurotherapy varies from area to area and practitioner to practitioner. Talk to your practitioner about the number of sessions, cost of each session, cost of evaluations and other issues involved in your treatment.

Will My Insurance Company Cover the Costs of Neurotherapy for ADD/ADHD?

Neurotherapy is still considered to be a relatively new treatment for ADD/ADHD even though it has been in use for more than 20 years. Some insurance companies do provide coverage while others do not; however, many companies cover assessment for ADD/ADHD even if Neurotherapy treatment is not covered. You are encouraged to contact your insurance company, before your initial appointment, to find out whether your policy covers assessment and/or Neurotherapy treatment for ADD or ADHD. When discussing Neurotherapy with your carrier, remember that Neurotherapy has also been called ‘EEG Biofeedback’ and Neurofeedback

How Are Payments Made?

When payments are made also varies from practitioner to practitioner. Some require payments to be made before each session (including assessment session), some expect payment at the end of the session and some have other expectations. The best way to proceed is to ask a practitioner about costs, billing, payment expectations, help with filing insurance claims, what his or her policy policies about payment are, and to work out a payment schedule. Unless verification has been received that the insurance company will pay, most practitioners will expect some or full payment at the time of each session. If payment is not received then treatment cannot be provided. Interruptions in treatment may result in delayed progress and a need for additional treatment sessions. If insurance covers part of the cost of each session, the client must pay the other part of the costs.

About Confidentiality

All information shared with the practitioner and all data collected is confidential to the degree specified in the limits of confidentiality that will be discussed with you or included in a document that you will be asked to sign. The practitioner can explain to you the legal and ethical limits that require sharing certain information with others, e.g., all practitioners are required to report suspected child abuse or neglect.

About Appointments

By scheduling an appointment with you, a practitioner has reserved a room, computerized equipment, and a staff professional’s time for you. Please come to sessions on time. We suggest that you arrive five to 10 minutes early to avoid the rush of finding a parking space. Should you need to cancel an appointment, please give the practitioner as much notice as you can and no less than a 24-hour notice, as most practitioners can rarely fill a canceled appointment in less than that amount of time. Many practitioners will bill clients for cancellations which do not occur at least 24 hours before the session. Your practitioner should explain his or her cancellation policy to you.

Will I Be Required to Sign Anything to Receive Neurotherapy?

At your first appointment, the practitioner will probably ask you to sign a number of forms which will allow her or him to provide the best possible services to you. You will have the opportunity to review these forms and the practitioner should be available to answer any questions that you might have.

Information from AAPB.org.