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As the center of operations for the body, the brain is a truly remarkable organ. Having approximately 100 trillion synapses, and being capable of performing over four billion calculations per second, the brain has the capacity to continuously learn, adapt, and enhance its performance when provided with feedback about what to modify or adjust. In fact, recent research has confirmed that the brain is able to structurally reorganize itself to the point of producing new neural circuitry in response to specific training - this is currently referred to as “brain placticity” and/or “neurogenesis”.
In Neurofeedback training, the client’s brain activity is measured using EEG sensors (electroencephalography). The EEG signal-processing system then relays it’s information to a highly sophisticated computer program which then feeds back this information to the client in the form of audio and visual stimulation. The brain orients itself to this feedback, using this new information to decrease its unstable and dysfunctional neural firing patterns. The brain simultaneously uses this information to increase its functional efficiency, flexibility, resilience, interhemispheric communication, and self-regulation.
THE FEEDBACK LOOP
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The elegance of Neurofeedback training lies in the fact that it does not require the client to consciously work at changing his or her mental functioning. As opposed to cognitive- behavioral therapies, Neurofeedback works directly with the client’s central nervous system and thus bypasses any unhealthy and habitual patterns of thinking and feeling that so often thwart other therapeutic techniques. One way to understand this is to view Neurofeedback as working from “the inside out” as opposed to working from “the outside in”. This makes Neurofeedack training so easy that virtually anyone can benefit from it - even children as young as four years old. The brain’s response to the information it receives in Neurofeedback is so fast and complex that the conscious mind only ‘catches up’ later, upon realizing that it is “unstuck” and able to operate with a new freedom. During the training itself, most clients report experiencing some combination of moderate to profound feelings of relaxation, a general state of well being, a relaxed awareness, and increased focus.
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The variety of symptoms and disorders for which Neurofeedback is so effective are all fundamentally related to the arousal, flexibility, and resilience of the brain. Arousal, flexibility, and resilience can best be understood in terms of the brain’s ability to regulate itself. The ability of the brain to focus its resources without distraction is resilience. The ability of the brain to shift between various states of mental engagement - responding appropriately to new internal and external stimuli - is flexibility. Self-regulation is the ability of the brain to utilize its capacity for flexibility and resilience so as to respond appropriately and efficiently to one’s internal and external experience. One of the crucial components of self regulation is the regulation of arousal. Optimal efficiency, flexibility and resilience is only possible when one’s arousal level is in a state of balance - not too high and not too low. With too much or too little arousal, the brain is unable to exercise its capacities for resilience and flexibility and gets stuck in a variety of dysfunctional patterns which can manifest in a variety of different ways.
Neurofeedback training enables the brain to develop healthy patterns of functioning by compelling it to use the neural networks that it needs for self regulation. In the act of processing Neurofeedback, the brain exercises and modifies its existing neural networks and may create healthy new neural connections as needed. In this way, the brain integrates and coordinates itself towards an increased efficiency, flexibility, and resilience. As the brain develops its ability to self-regulate, the person realizes a new freedom to maintain calm and focus without distraction, to shift focus easily, and to “turn off” when it’s time to go to sleep!
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During your initial session at West Coast Counselling Neurofeedback Clinic, a detailed history of your physical and mental health is gathered and your goals for Neurofeedback training are discussed. This intake process enables the clinic to provide you with the best training possible for your unique needs and situation. After we have assessed your suitability for Neurofeedback training and answered any questions you might have, we will run your first training session. Altogether your first session takes approximately 1 1/2 hours from start to finish.
A typical session at West Coast Neurofeedback Clinic involves 45 minutes of Neurofeedback training and aproximately 10 minutes of discussion and setup. Each session begins with an assessment of the client’s internal and external experience since his/her last visit. Due to the fact that Neurofeedback training is a learning process, and the fact that everyone's brain is different, individual progress is monitered closely in order to best train each client from session to session.
When setting up for a Neurofeedback session, the clinician places EEG sensors on the client's scalp using a small amount of gel. These sensors transmit the client’s brainwaves to a computer where they are monitored. The sensors are safe and painless - they do not prick the skin. It is important to understand that the sensors are “passive instruments”. What this means is that they only pick up and transmit the electrical activity of the brain - they DO NOT introduce any electric current to the client’s ears or scalp.
The actual training session for the client consists of reclining in a comfortable chair, watching a variety of visuals on a television screen, and listening to a variety of tones and music. The audio and visual feedback are specifically engineered to alert and inform the client’s brain how to regulate itself for optimal health and efficiency. For the Neurofeedback trainer, sessions consist of monitoring the client’s process, and making adjustments to the information being fed back to the client in order to ensure that the training is as effective as possible.
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As Neurofeedback training is a process of learning acquisition, the best results are generally obtained by clients who train 2 to 3 sessions per week for approximately 20 sessions. Similar to learning a new language, the more you practice the quicker your brain catches on. As your brain corrects its imbalances and learns resilience and flexibility, this new learning tends to be permanent. The learning which takes place is fundamentally similar to learning how to ride a bike - once learned, your brain doesn’t forget. Most clients see a significant resolution of their symptoms within 15 sessions and are able to ‘cement’ this new learning in approximately 20 sessions. More entrenched problems (such as adult ADD/ADHD, severe anxiety, strokes, or TBIs) may take 40 or more sessions before significant change occurs. At times, some clients have found the need for ‘touch up’ sessions due to a resurfacing of symptoms which have been triggered by chronic external stressors. In these events, the acquired learning from past sessions enables the brain to return to its previous state of resilience and flexibility in a very short time.
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This website has been designed with you and your questions in mind (be sure to read through the Frequently Asked Questions - FAQ - section). West Coast Neurofeedback Clinic is based in Vancouver and operates Monday through Saturday from 8am till 9pm on an appointment only basis. Feel free to call or email to book an appointment, or to ask any further questions you might have. Back to Top
West Coast Neurofeedback Clinic
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