Do you feel hopeless, anxious, depressed or panicked? If yes, you’re certainly not alone. It’s estimated that over 8 million American adults suffer from severe psychological distress. While many will turn to medication, which has its place, neurofeedback represents a natural and effective alternative to manage anxiety and depression.
You can consider this type of biofeedback as an exercise for the brain!
Chaos in the Brain
The brain has a left side and a right side that should be sending a similar message as it talks to each side. Sometimes the left side might be sending a different message than the right side. When that happens, it creates chaos in the brain. That occurrence can cause feelings of anxiety, panic, and depression.
While there may be times when we have depression or anxiety, we shouldn’t get stuck in a deep hole where we can’t get out of it and have so much anxiety that we can’t enjoy things that were once pleasurable for us. When we get to that level it usually indicates that there’s something wrong.
How Neurofeedback Works
Dr. Kara will do an EEG of the brain to see if there’s any dysregulation showing up between the left and right sides. Often there is. After the EEG has been completed, we come up with a specific protocol for anxiety reduction.
We will have a patient sit in front of a computer and paste electrodes onto their head. The computer reads the brain waves. The patient is able to watch a TV show and the computer screen then goes dark. As the brain starts functioning the right way- because the brain thinks, “wait a minute, we should be seeing color here,”-it starts trying harder. As the brain begins to hit the targets, it makes the color come back.
What we are doing is a form of operant conditioning-it’s having the brain perform well and we say that is correct. As the brain starts to perform like this, the left and right sides begin to see each other again. As that starts happening, some of those unwanted symptoms begin to go away.
Anxiety is usually one of the first things that start to decrease. Depression takes a little longer. Anxiety is usually the direct result of chaos in the brain and it’s one of the first things that we see a reduction in.
A Natural, Painless & Pleasant Therapy
One of the many positive things about neurofeedback is a patient is watching a show, so it’s almost effortless for them. As they’re engaged in their program the brain is doing the work. This form of brain training is easy, pleasant, relaxing and painless. It’s also natural as you don’t put anything into the brain or take anything out.
FAQ
How many sessions will I need before I see results?
Are the results from neurofeedback long-lasting?
Do you work on multiple areas of the brain?
A Patient Success Story
A woman, who is a cake baker, came to see Dr. Kara for her anxiety. The patient would have anxiety panic attacks so much so that she would hide in the walk-in freezer 2-3 times a day. Since the patient had her second neurofeedback session at our practice, she hasn’t had a single panic attack.
With neurofeedback, our patients can go from having a hard time functioning and doing the things they love to having some actual relief. “It means a lot to me that I can offer this effective and life-changing service to our patients. People have wept tears of joy because they’re so happy with their results. They get their lives back; they get their marriage back, and they regain their ability to function in the world again,” said Dr. Kara.
Book a Free Consultation Today
The first step is calling or emailing our office to book a free consultation. Dr. Kara will help you determine whether neurofeedback is right for you. Please note that the free consultation does not include the costs to perform and EEG.