What To Expect From Neurofeedback Therapy
Welcome to NeuroWave!
Whether you are just starting out with us or thinking about beginning neurofeedback training, are some helpful explanations about what to expect in a session:
Initial Consultation and QEEG Neuofeedback Therapy Appointment
The initial consultation appointment lasts for approximately 60 minutes and includes a preliminary discussion about your needs and what we can offer you here at NeuroWave.
We use this time to learn as much as we can about your goals and conditions, review assessments that you completed before your appointment, and discuss how we can help. Then, we walk you through a comprehensive clinical assessment. This assessment will show areas where neurofeedback can help.
During this appointment we also complete the Quantitative Electroencepaholgram (QEEG). This appointment sets the tone for your treatment strategy. It allows us to visualize the baseline activity of your brain, and to evaluate the appropriate treatment based on the results.
After the QEEG is completed, it typically takes anywhere from 7 to 14 days to process.
Results & Options for Neurofeedback Therapy
Once the QEEG has been processed, a follow up appointment is scheduled to go over the results and to discuss treatment strategies. If you would prefer, you may forego this review session and schedule your next appointment to begin your neurofeedback training.
Depending on the client presentation, we may also require one or more sessions of psychometric testing before neurofeedback begins. This helps to establish a baseline measure for neurofeedback therapy. Psychometric tests are simple, standardized assessment tools used to measure an individual’s cognitive abilities and emotional capacities.
Begin Your Neurofeedback Training Journey
Neurofeedback training is similar to the process of becoming physically fit. It takes many repetitions for behavioral change to become conditioned behavior. Just as a muscle builds new fibers to support heavier lifting, the brain builds new, functional neural connections through neurofeedback therapy sessions to support brain based behavioral change.
In order to ensure that these neuroplastic changes steadily occur, a twice-per-week schedule is the standard mandatory minimum. This frequency of training keeps the brain in an active state of learning and growth, allowing each session to progressively build on the last.
It is even encouraged to begin training at three times per week in order to quickly establish protocols and produce an effective treatment outcome. The more frequently you train – while always remaining cautious not to overwork the brain – the more quickly you’re able to establish what works for you!
There are many variations of a brain map. The brain performance pattern dictates how you feel and perform.
Training Schedule
Regardless of training frequency, all clients are consistently evaluated throughout their training in order to track shifts in symptom presentations and overall client experience. After several weeks of training, you may choose to discuss the option of adjusting (+/-) your training schedule.
At NeuroWave we treat each with varying symptom presentations and complexities. In order for us to provide an adequate degree of treatment, all training schedules are specifically tailored to the individual. For simple client presentations a minimum of twenty neurofeedback therapy sessions must be completed in order for symptom reduction to last. Complex issues may need more training to produce satisfying, long lasting results.