WHAT IS NEUROFEEDBACK?

Neurofeedback is also known as EEG Biofeedback. EEG is attaching metal discs and wires onto your head to record the brain activity. This is non-evasive. The brain activity is recorded, as with biofeedback to measure response to stimulus, which is then analysed by a neuro specialist. Thus far we can see that neurofeedback and biofeedback are very similar in the way they work, the difference being where the measures are taken, either brain or biology.

How does the therapy work?

Previously we looked at the brain and its functions, then we looked at how conditioning is affective for behaviours, then we looked at how biofeedback uses the physiological aspects to manage mental aspects. This week we look at how neurofeedback uses the brain functioning to condition behaviour.

Where biofeedback looks at the symptoms, neurofeedback looks at the cause in the brain, what networks are either excited or not, to find the specific region in the brain.

In our first anxiety example, we saw that anxiety was a fear response that was learnt in the brain. Our second example saw systematic desensitation to break down the anxiety and fear response into steps to condition the behaviour into a new learnt understanding that we can cope with the anxiety. Then we looked at bringing awareness to the here and now of our physiological symptoms for the anxiety using biofeedback. Neurofeedback, uses all of the above, except it uses your subconscious, rather than conscious self. While the monitors are monitoring brain reaction, you are shown various pictures (depending on analysis from your requirements) and then similar to conditioning with the reward and punishment, your brain is stimulated to keep or lose certain behaviours.

I hope this breakdown helps to explain how neurofeedback works, and alongside you have learnt a few interesting things. Please remember the examples I have used are only a simple breakdown and easy to understand examples, but in disorders such as Epilepsy, neurofeedback is used for conditioning the brain for best state of living.

My feeling is that in life, we are faced with various challenges, at varying degrees, although there are a lot of ways of making things better or changing, the best way is to learn and adapt - it boosts your confidence and growing into a stronger improved self.

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