Understanding Brainwaves: The origin of all our emotions, thoughts and behaviors are the complex networks of communication among billions of neurons in our brains. The communication brought up by the patterns produced by these neurons, manifested by rhythm or pulse, is measured by what we call BRAINWAVES. Brainwaves are tiny pulses of electricity produced whenever one neuron communicates with the other. It actually results from what you are doing from moment to moment. The slowest brain waves are the delta waves, we experience this during sleep. Beta3, on the hand, is for our highest levels of concentration. Neurofeedback’s goal is to teach you to recognize and use your calm (SMR) waves and your thinker (BETA) waves. By using the computer monitor to watch your brain wave activity you can train yourself to stay out of the Theta and Alpha levels. This means that a single defect in the patterns of communication within the brain causes problems considerably. This happens when, say for example, you feel very anxious and you feel that their are reactions which occurs in your body such as stomach ache, nausea, headache and others, your brain has elicit within itself a pattern resulting in these symptoms. And these patterns can result from very diverse possible stressors. In an individual with Tourette syndrome, it has been reiterated in the other articles on this site that the brain electrical activity is defective; Dr. Mink even described it to be somewhat “buggy”.
BAND HERTZ MS
Delta 0.0-4.0 1000
Theta 4.0-8.0 1000
Alpha 8.0-13.0 500
SMR 13.0-15.0 500
Beta 15.0-18.0 250
Beta2 18.0-24.0 125
Beta3 24.0-32.0 125
How Neurofeedback Works: If the brain is not functioning at its finest, our body manifests a variety of physical or mental problems. Furthermore, cognitive, behavioral, psychological and other bodily issues can also be traced back from a poorly functioning brain. What neurofeedback does is that it trains the brain to improve its function, much like when you exercise to maintain fitness. It is a technique to train the brain to normalize functions of the body and mind.
One of the technique’s strong points is that it obtains upon the brain’s ability to learn and adapt. It actually deals with the problems at its core, it is non-invasive and the effects are lasting and permanent.
Since the therapy teaches the brain to operate effectively, the treatment is not only limited to recovering injury or coping with problems but helping the brain to get back on track so we can perform our daily activities. In fact, it can also be useful to facilitate peak performance like for example activities of an athlete or somebody who holds a corporate executive position.
The Procedure: Like all other therapies, it begins with an intake interview to know more about the condition of the person, the existing symptoms, the onset, the background etc. An EEG (electroencephalogram) is used to record all abnormalities produced in the pattern of brain waves. The waves will be used to identify certain frequency bands as areas for improvement. This will then be appraised as to what degree the symptoms may be resolved using neurofeedback therapy.
It is very important for you to know that the procedure is completely painless. There will just be EEG sensors attached to the scalp. These sensors are attached to an amplifier and a computer monitor to process the signal and provide appropriate feedback. It is also very important for you to know that the sensors do not do anything to your scalp or your brain for that matter, these are “read-only” sensors that permits transfer of the signals made by your brain to the computer just so feedback can happen. The training which occurs during the procedure can be in a form of a game, a video, auditory signals, or a combination of these modes. When the brain frequency show the normal brain pattern the person is rewarded by receiving points in the game or receiving auditory cues. Consequently, when the brain produced undesirable brain patterns, the person will have no points in the game or no auditory cues. What happens is that the brain learns to produce new and healthy patterns and eventually adapts and uses the desirable pattern.
The therapy has no known side effects. Depending on your choice, this kind of therapy is often coupled with medications and other therapies of your choice. Neurofeedback therapy usually lasts for about 40 minutes to 1 hour. The number of session depends from individual to individual and depends on the severity of the problem, but 40 sessions is the general guidelines. You can already see a considerable improvement within 15 sessions.
-------------------------------------------
This article was written for the purpose of education and not to endorse a particular therapy regimen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
