Who We Help with Neurofeedback

Who can Neurofeedback Help ?

Need to keep this simple

As a powerful tool to improve brain regulation and exercise neural pathways, Neurofeedback can improve many aspects of brain function, which means it has multiple applications.

Note that on this website we have tried to use commonly used descriptions, but be aware that diagnostic terms are subject to change as new definitions are adopted, often at different times around the world, which can lead to confusion. 

These include:

  • Clinical Applications – Mental Health & Neurological Conditions
  • Education – Special Educational Needs, Learning Difficulties & Peak Performance
  • Business – Peak Performance
  • Personal – Peak Performance & Spiritual Development

Move text below to Clinical Conditions page:

Clinical Applications of Neurofeedback cross several medical specialities, here we have grouped them by Mental Health and Neurological Conditions.

Clinical Applications: Mental Health

Many symptoms of poor mental health can be described in terms of poor brain regulation.

For example, it is normal to be anxious or sad, or to day dream sometimes, or to be extremely vigilant in new or unkown circumstances; but being anxious or sad all the time regardless of circumstances, or day dreaming when focused attention is required, or continually hyper-vigilant, indicates that the brain is not regulating itself optimally. 

Either the brain’s self-regulatory mechanism was knocked off-track by life’s events or has not yet developed fully.

Neurofeedback can help to get this self-regulatory mechanism back on track or up to speed. 

More information on the Clinical Applications of Neurofeedback.

Clinical Applications: Neurological Conditions

Seizures & unusual electrical activity

Neurologists recognise that seizures are the result of unstable electrical activity in the brain.  Many forms of tinnitus and vertigo do not have physical causes but the ringing/dizzyness is created by instability in the brain. Unusual electrical activity has also been found in migraine sufferers.

Neurofeedback can help to stabilise the brain and reduce symptoms.

Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) caused by external force can cause tissue damage to the brain, bruising (lesions), or nerve cell fibres to be stretched, strained or torn, all of which can severely disrupt the regulation of the brain.

Even mild TBI can result in debilitating ‘post concussion syndrome’ symptoms including depression, ADHD-like symptoms, headaches, anxiety, fatigue, irritability, temper outbursts and aggression, memory problems, sleep disorders and sexual dysfunction, depending on which part of the brain was affected.

In the early stages after a traumatic brain injury, neurofeedback can be helpful with the head pain that is often experienced, as well as with nausea, irritability, mental confusion, and sleep difficulties. Over the longer term, neurofeedback can be helpful with energy level, vigilance, effort fatigue, cognitive dysfunction traceable to the injury, sensory hypersensitivity, and executive function. Eventually memory function should recover as well.

Non-Traumatic Brain Injury

Brain injuries not caused by external force include stroke, chemical brain injury, cerebral palsy.

Neurofeedback cannot repair damage to the brain’s physical structure, but it can exercise and develop new neural pathways and restore brain function through neuroplasticity.

Neurodegeneration

Deterioration in brain function over time, known as Neurodegeneration, includes the natural ageing process, diseases including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Again, Neurofeedback cannot repair damage to the brain’s physical structure, but it can exercise and develop new neural pathways and restore brain function through neuroplasticity; if the deterioration is ongoing then we would expect there to be a need for ongoing Neurofeedback to maintain the benefits and offset the degenerative effects.

 

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