The fields of neurobiology and neuropsychology are growing rapidly, and neuroscientists now understand that the human brain has the capability to adapt and develop new living neurons by engaging new tasks and challenges throughout our lives, essentially allowing the brain to rewire itself. In Neurotherapy and Neurofeedback, accomplished clinicians and scholars Lori Russell-Chapin and Ted Chapin illustrate the importance of these advances and introduce counselors to the growing body of research demonstrating that the brain can be taught to self-regulate and become more efficient through neurofeedback (NF), a type of biofeedback for the brain. Students and clinicians will come away from this book with a strong sense of how brain dysregulation occurs and what kinds of interventions clinicians can use when counseling and medication prove insufficient for treating behavioral and psychological symptoms.
What is neurofeedback? Neurofeedback is founded upon computer technology joined with auxiliary equipment that can measure the metabolic activity of the cerebral cortex. Neurofeedback training combines the principles of complementary medicine with the power of electronics. It is a comprehensive system that promotes growth change at the cellular level of the brain and empowers the client to use his or her mind as a tool for personal healing.Until now, there has not been a single comprehensive yet easy-to-understand guide for clinicians interested in adding neurotherapy to their practice. Getting Started with Neurofeedback is a step-by-step guide for professional health care providers who wish to begin with neurotherapy, as well as experienced clinicians who are looking for a concise treatment guide.This book answers essential questions such as: How does neurotherapy work?, What is the rationale for treatment? When is neurotherapy the treatment of choice? Why should I add it to my already existing healthcare practice? The author also answers questions important to establishing a successful practice such as: What kind of training should clinicians get? What kind of equipment should clinicians buy? How can clinicians add neurofeedback to their existing practice?The first part of the book introduces the reader to the world of neurofeedback, its history and scientific basis. Case studies help clinicians apply what they are learning to their existing practice. Demos takes the mystery out of the assessment process and charts and examples of topographical brain maps (in full color) serve as teaching aids. Later in the book, advanced techniques are explained and demonstrated by additional case studies. The reader is shown how to use biofeedback for the body to augment neurofeedback training as well as being taught to work with the body and acquire a basic knowledge of complementary medicine.The book concludes by offering clinicians practical suggestions on marketing their expanded practice, purchasing equipment, finding appropriate training and supervision, and keeping up with the ever-growing profession of neurofeedback. Research and theory unite to demonstrate the clinical underpinnings for this exciting new modality. Some images in the ebook are not displayed owing to permissions issues.
Handbook of Neurofeedback is a comprehensive introduction to this rapidly growing field, offering practical information on the history of neurofeedback, theoretical concerns, and applications for a variety of disorders encountered by clinicians. Disorders covered include ADHD, depression, autism, aging, and traumatic brain injury. Using case studies and a minimum of technical language, the field’s pioneers and most experienced practitioners discuss emerging topics, general and specific treatment procedures, training approaches, and theories on the efficacy of neurofeedback. The book includes comments on the future of the field from an inventor of neurofeedback equipment and a discussion on the theory of why neurofeedback training results in the alleviation of symptoms in a wide range of disorders. The contributors review of procedures and a look at emerging approaches, including coherence/phase training, inter-hemispheric training, and the combination of neurofeedback and computerized cognitive training. Topics discussed include: Implications of network models for neurofeedback The transition from structural to functional models Client and therapist variables Treatment-specific variables Tomographic neurofeedback Applying audio-visual entrainment to neurofeedback Common patterns of coherence deviation EEG patterns and the elderly Nutrition and cognitive health ADHD definitions and treatment Attention disorders Autism disorders The neurobiology of depression QEEG-guided neurofeedback This book is an essential professional resource for anyone practicing, or interested in practicing neurofeedback, including neurotherapists, neuropsychologists, professional counselors, neurologists, neuroscientists, clinical p
Neurotherapy, sometimes called EEG biofeedback and/or neurobiofeedback involves techniques designed to manipulate brain waves through non-invasive means and are used as treatment for a variety of psychological and medical disorders. The disorders covered include ADHD, mood regulation, addiction, pain, sleep disorders, and traumatic brain injury. This book introduces specific techniques, related equipment and necessary training for the clinical practitioner. Sections focus on treatment for specific disorders and which individual techniques can be used to treat the same disorder and examples of application and the evidence base for use are described. - An introduction for clinical practitioners and psychologists investigating neurotherapy techniques and application - Includes coverage of common disorders such as ADHD, mood regulation, addiction, pain, sleep disorders, and traumatic brain injury - Includes evidence base for use - Includes training methods for new users
Neurofeedback is a cutting-edge, drug-free therapeutic technique used by over a thousand licensed therapists in North America to treat a range of conditions from attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders to epilepsy, stroke, anxiety, migraine, and depression. First popularized in the 1970s, this naturalistic method is based on the idea that we can control our brain activity and that, through training, the brain can learn to modify its own electrical patterns for more efficient processing or to overcome various states of dysfunction. In Biofeedback for the Brain, Dr. Paul G. Swingle describes in clear and coherent language how these procedures work. With numerous actual case examples, readers follow the progress of clients from the initial "brain map" that shows the location and severity of the neurological abnormalities to the various stages of treatment. Conditions often considered untreatable by conventional health practitioners respond positively to neurotherapeutic treatment and Swingle describes many of these remarkable recoveries. Other chapters describe the use of neurotherapy for a variety of surprising purposes, including performance training for elite athletes, of which the most famous example is the Italian soccer team who considered the technique to be their "secret weapon" in attaining a World Cup victory. Despite wide-ranging success stories and the endorsement of the American Psychological Association, many health care practitioners remain skeptical of neurofeedback and the procedures are still not well-known by the public or conventional health care providers. This book provides a thorough, definitive, and highly readable presentation of this remarkable health care alternative that offers millions of individuals a chance for healing.
Working with the circuitry of the brain to restore emotional health and well-being. Neurofeedback, a type of "brain training" that allows us to see and change the patterns of our brain, has existed for over 40 years with applications as wide-ranging as the treatment of epilepsy, migraines, and chronic pain to performance enhancement in sports. Today, leading brain researchers and clinicians, interested in what the brain can tell us about mental health and well being, are also taking notice. Indeed, the brain's circuitry—its very frequencies and rhythmic oscillations—reveals much about its role in our emotional stability and resilience. Neurofeedback allows clinicians to guide their, clients as they learn to transform brain-wave patterns, providing a new window into how we view and treat mental illness. In this cutting-edge book, experienced clinician Sebern Fisher keenly demonstrates neurofeedback’s profound ability to help treat one of the most intractable mental health concerns of our time: severe childhood abuse, neglect, or abandonment, otherwise known as developmental trauma. When an attachment rupture occurs between a child and her or his primary caregiver, a tangle of complicated symptoms can set in: severe emotional dysregulation, chronic dissociation, self-destructive behaviors, social isolation, rage, and fear. Until now, few reliable therapies existed to combat developmental trauma. But as the author so eloquently presents in this book, by focusing on a client's brain-wave patterns and "training" them to operate at different frequencies, the rhythms of the brain, body, and mind are normalized, attention stabilizes, fear subsides, and, with persistent, dedicated training, regulation sets in. A mix of fundamental theory and nuts-and-bolts practice, the book delivers a carefully articulated and accessible look at the mind and brain in developmental trauma, what a “trauma identity” looks like, and how neurofeedback can be used to retrain the brain, thereby fostering a healthier, more stable state of mind. Essential clinical skills are also fully covered, including how to introduce the idea of neurofeedback to clients, how to combine it with traditional psychotherapy, and how to perform assessments. In his foreword to the book, internationally recognized trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk, MD, praises Fisher as “an immensely experienced neurofeedback practitioner [and] the right person to teach us how to integrate it into clinical practice.” Filled with illuminating client stories, powerful clinical insights, and plenty of clinical "how to," she accomplishes just that, offering readers a compelling look at exactly how this innovative model can be used to engage the brain to find peace and to heal.
Technical Foundations of Neurofeedback provides, for the first time, an authoritative and complete account of the scientific and technical basis of EEG biofeedback. Beginning with the physiological origins of EEG rhythms, Collura describes the basis of measuring brain activity from the scalp and how brain rhythms reflect key brain regulatory processes. He then develops the theory as well as the practice of measuring, processing, and feeding back brain activity information for biofeedback training. Combining both a "top down" and a "bottom up" approach, Collura describes the core scientific principles, as well as current clinical experience and practical aspects of neurofeedback assessment and treatment therapy. Whether the reader has a technical need to understand neurofeedback, is a current or future neurofeedback practitioner, or only wants to understand the scientific basis of this important new field, this concise and authoritative book will be a key source of information. .
Neurofeedback is utilized by over 10,000 clinicians worldwide with new techniques and uses being found regularly. Z Score Neurofeedback is a new technique using a normative database to identify and target a specific individual's area of dysregulation allowing for faster and more effective treatment. The book describes how to perform z Score Neurofeedback, as well as research indicating its effectiveness for a variety of disorders including pain, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, PTSD, ADHD, TBI, headache, frontal lobe disorders, or for cognitive enhancement. Suitable for clinicians as well as researchers this book is a one stop shop for those looking to understand and use this new technique. - Contains protocols to implement Z score neurofeedback - Reviews research on disorders for which this is effective treatment - Describes advanced techniques and applications
"Neurofeedback is not a cure-all; while you will find there to be a very diverse number of conditions for which neurofeedback can assist you in producing what can seem like, at times, miraculous results, there are also a large number of challenges for which neurofeedback would be of little help. ... [T]here are still conditions that medication is still the most effective treatment available. With that being said, the current research on neurofeedback shows that unlike treatment with a pharmaceutical intervention, where the medication will have to be taken for long periods of time, perhaps for a life-time, ... neurofeedback can often be stopped after 30-40 sessions, with the patient remaining symptom free for decades"--P. 5.
