A frequently question we get at our NYC neurofeedback clinic is: who can benefit from the training? One answer is: everyone can. Or anyone under stress. Why? NeurOptimal improves the overall functioning of the brain and therapists know that the issue with mental health is that the brain gets habituated to maladaptive patterns. The most common being the stress response.
Thankfully what I was taught in neuropsychology class in college 25 years ago - that the brain is a fixed system – we now know is wrong. We were taught that if you lose functioning because of a concussion or stroke you’re not going to get it back.
We have advanced a lot since then and now we all know the brain is plastic (neuroplasticity) but what it needs is to improve its functioning is good information. That's where neurofeedback comes in...
In Zone 1 and Zone 3 the stress response is ruling our decision making. We have a hard time being present but instead fixate on the past and future.
In Zone 1 we feel: unsafe, have mental ruminations, lack focus when we need it, feel scattered, feel anxious, worried, want to flee social situations, feel overwhelmed and are easy to anger and feel attacked by others. Disorders of Zone 1: insomnia, anxiety disorders, panic attacks, PTSD, and ADHD.
In Zone 3 we also feel unsafe but are often too numb to realize it. It's marked by feeling hopeless, powerless and down about life. We have a hard time connecting with others, want to shut ourselves off, and can socially isolate and sleep too much. "Why bother?" is a common attitude when we're stuck in Zone 3. Disorders of Zone 3: Depression, Dysthimia, Disassociation, the depressive response in PTSD. And addictions can come out of the cycling between Zones 1 and 3.
Habits form and we get stuck. But the Central Nervous System is not meant to be stuck, it’s a dynamical, non-linear information processing system. The problem is that it’s not registering what the here-and-now needs are.
NeurOptimal® Neurofeedback comes in. It trains the brain to live, as much as possible, in Zone 2. The brain wants information that will allow it to optimize it’s functioning, to get out of the fight/flight, freeze response. Or whatever it’s doing that is not in alignment with here-and-now needs. And when the brain has trained 30 times over a few months it has learned a new process. Depending on stressors will either be able to stay in regulation or will start to wobble.
Watch this video on how NeurOptimal® works.
Feeling calmer, greater mental clarity, like the windshield wiper just cleaned off that bug smeared glass, greater sense of workability. Less agonizing thoughts of worry and being fearful, better organizing skills, ability to delay gratification, less impulsive anger, acting out, lighter, more cheerful.
Next step? We provide both sessions and home system rentals at our locations in New York, Los Angeles (Pasadena) and Colorado (Denver and Boulder). As sales representatives you can also buy the neurofeedback machine through us and we also help professionals with buying the equipment. Use the Chat Widget in lower right corner for any questions or if you need help finding the best neurofeedback training options for you.