Single and Two Channel Training
In Traditional Neurofeedback (also known as single-channel training), we place sensors on two sites of your head and during the session you play a video game with your brain. This system is based on the theory of operant conditioning where the client is rewarded with beeps, points, and game play when they change their brainwaves to healthier patterns.
It is recommended to do a QEEG Brain Map before beginning this type of Neurofeedback. The brain map allows us to see the precise parts of the brain that are dysregulated, which helps with ensuring the sensors are placed on the correct sites of the brain that need feedback.
Traditional Neurofeedback is the most well-researched and The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently rated this type of Neurofeedback at the same level of efficacy as stimulant medication for use with those dealing with ADD and ADD/ADHD. It is stabilizing for anyone who has imbalances in the QEEG.
LORETA (Low Resolution Brain Electromagnetic Tomography)
LORETA Z-Score Training (also referred to as LORETA Neurofeedback) is the most advanced form of Neurofeedback training. It helps regulate the deep structures of the brain and improve connectivity between the brain networks unlike any other type of Neurofeedback.
The goal of LORETA is to reinforce stability of information processing in dysregulated networks and connections based on the client’s symptoms. It targets the specific areas of the brain and connections between nodes that are linked to the symptoms. In doing so it specifically targets deep brain structures that are out of balance. Similar to traditional Neurofeedback (single channel Neurofeedback) training it provides operant conditioning (rewards) based on your brainwaves compared to the brainwaves of a healthy population. One of the benefits of LORETA is that it can target many networks of the brain and symptoms at the exact same time. For this reason, clients often require fewer sessions than traditional Neurofeedback.
In each session, a cap with 19 sensors is applied to your head. During training, your brainwaves learn to become balanced and normalized as they are rewarded.
High Performance Neurofeedback (HPN) gently pushes the brain out of stuck patterns. As your sessions progress your neurotherapist will move the sensors gradually across 10 different sites of the brain providing feedback to the whole brain. The sensors pick up on the dominant stuck patterns in the brain and then the system sends a slightly different frequency back to the brain. But don’t worry, you don’t feel a thing!. Though the brain is receiving a signal, the signal going back to the brain is about 4,000 times weaker than what your brain is exposed to when you hold a cell phone to your head. The brain is basically given, for a few seconds, something new to do. The brain is a copycat so it follows the lead of the frequency that it is sent and copies it for a few seconds. This gently nudges the brain out of its dysfunctional stuck pattern (such as racing thoughts due to fast firing neurons, or inattention, depression, poor motivation and concentration or brain fog due to excess slow wave activity in the brain).
No effort is required on the client’s part and results can be felt quickly! Some people even feel the results before the session ends. Most people will feel a difference within their first four sessions. HPN is used for children as young as two-years old and is great for kids who have trouble sitting still as the sensors are placed on different sites of the head for only a few seconds at a time. HPN is a very global treatment, targeting many symptoms and imbalances at the same time.
Heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback is a form of treatment that utilizes the physiological variation between heart beats and breath rate to help you regulate your autonomic nervous system. It is a relatively new method for assessing the effects of stress on the body as it measures the time gap between your heart beats that varies with your breath rate. Research evidence suggests that by improving heart rate variability, we can improve the autonomic nervous system’s regulation and people can see benefits in a variety of areas, such as stress, anxiety, cardiovascular functioning, concussive symptoms, performance (e.g., sports), and other physiological and psychological markers. During your sessions, your heart rate is monitored with a infrared sensor and your breath rate is monitored with a respiration band. Together this information is used to give you feedback on the coherence of these two physiological measures. Treatment is usually shorter in duration compared to Neurofeedback and improvements are noted over the course of 6-10 sessions. Often in the ONPC, we utilize HRV biofeedback in conjunction with other forms of neurotherapy or psychotherapy.
PEMF therapy is a form of neuromodulation that provides gentle electromagnetic field feedback to the brain. This form of neuomodulation helps to active the brain cells’ natural energy production. It does not involve an electrical current, but instead a magnetic field is generated around the target location. It is widely used to treat concussions, migraines, pain disorders, sleep dysregulation, and depression.
Electromyography biofeedback uses surface electrodes to detect muscle activity on your body and then provide this feedback you through visual and/or auditory means. The training allows you to learn how to increase, decrease or reduce spasms in various muscle regions. It is highly effective for jaw clenching/grinding, migraines, and tension headaches.