Is Neurofeedback Equipment Painful?

What is Neurofeedback?

Before discussing how neurofeedback equipment works, let’s briefly discuss neurofeedback as a whole and how it is currently being used to change the lives of those afflicted with neurological conditions all over the planet. Neurofeedback, also called EEG biofeedback or neurotherapy, is a groundbreaking new treatment that utilizes cutting-edge equipment to monitor brain activity and eventually teach the brain to self-regulate its own brainwave patterns.

Every person’s brain carries out an almost innumerable amount of functions each and every day through electrical signals, or brainwaves, that are sent throughout the central nervous system and the rest of the human body. When brainwave patterns are normal, our body functions are like a well-oiled machine. Over time, however, brainwave patterns can start to get off-track, and when this happens, it greatly increases the likelihood that we develop problems. That’s where neurofeedback comes in. Neurofeedback equipment is used to measure brain activity and then to produce a signal that is used as feedback – hence the name neurofeedback – that teaches our brain’s to right these brainwave patterns that have gone awry without resorting to drugs, surgery, or the various costly psychotherapy methods.

How the Therapy Works

For all of the benefits it offers, the great part about this process is that neurofeedback equipment is completely painless and noninvasive to the patient. Beyond this, the FDA has declared neurofeedback to be completely safe and no known side effect has ever been established. The therapy works like this: before sessions begin, doctors conduct a comprehensive assessment that is used to determine if and how a patient’s brainwave patterns are deviating from the norm. If this is indeed the case, this information will provide valuable insight that will then, in turn, be used to create protocols for successful treatment. During the treatment itself, patients are hooked up via simple EEG sensors that easily adhere to the skin. These sensors do not transmit any electricity into the body, and are solely used as monitoring devices. Patients are guided through a series of brain exercises, usually taking the form of something like a video or a game, and over time, using the determined feedback, the brain is taught to self-regulate the targeted brainwave patterns. After a certain amount of sessions, this will take place automatically and naturally within our own systems, and patients won’t have the need to keep coming back. The ultimate goal here is simple: provide the natural tools to combat neurological disorders by giving patients independence over their own brains.

NEUROFEEDBACK THERAPY