Neurofeedback
“Neurofeedback is considered the most significant advance towards positive transformation since the discovery of meditation..”
-Matthieu Ricard, Buddhist Monk and Author
What is Neurofeedback?
Brain labs and neurofeedback clinics have long employed EEG for the purposes of assessing cognitive functions, sleep, and even retraining the brain. EEG Electrodes are placed on precise areas of the scalp. This plays a significant role in giving meaning to the generated signals.
During neurofeedback training, the user is rewarded with positive visual and/or auditory feedback when specific brain waves are in the target range. For example, in relaxation training, when brain waves reflect a relaxed state, a rewarding sound is presented in real-time. This conditioning reinforces the desired state over time.
Changing the way the brain functions over time through repetition is called neuroplasticity.
Brain, Batteries and Consciousness
The systems that govern the brain are the most compact and complex on earth. Despite the fact that more has been learned about the brain in the last 30 years than in all of human history, science has not come close to understanding how all the pieces fit together to create human consciousness. However we do know this: Consciousness is related to communication between the different parts of the brain.
Different levels of consciousness and states of mind are the result of the different areas of the brain communicating with one another at any given time. We also know that the different areas of the brain communicate by sending electrical signals along neurons that connect one area to another. There are more than 100 billion neurons in the brain, each making from hundreds to hundreds of thousand connections which means a total of a hundred trillion connections. These electrical connections are at the heart of how well the brain functions.
Brainwares, Your Different States of Mind
The electrical signals traveling along the neurons are like packets of information that integrate the different parts of the brain. These signals are expressed on the scalp as brain waves that can be measured using our neurofeedback equipment. Each brain wave represents a different level of consciousness or state of mind. Brainwave frequency, Hz, is defined as the number of times per second that the wave repeats itself.
Brainwaves and Neurotransmitters
Poor regulation of the brainwaves may interfere with the balance of neurotransmitters in the brain which may cause neurological symptoms. The medical approach is to use drugs that affect the levels of these neurotransmitters (serotonin, dopamine, acetylcholine, GABA, etc). The more natural approach is to balance the brainwaves with neurofeedback and supplements to help balance the amount of neurotransmitters. This may be one of the reasons that neurofeedback is so effective.
