We begin by conducting an assessment of your brain. This includes both a QEEG and ERP. Based of the data we gather from our assessments, a report is produced which demonstrates what is happening in your brain and highlights areas which might not be working effectively. How do we know what to treat?
After the initial assessment you have a feedback session with an experienced practitioner. During this session we discuss what has been found in the assessment, what it means for you.
Neurofeedback training sessions commence! The number of sessions varies per patient and condition, and will depend what we find in the initial assessments. As with any kind of training, repetition and consistency are key.
Small sensors are attached to your head over the area of the brain we will be training. The sensors are held in place with pea-sized blob of paste. We also place sensors on your ears as reference point. These sensors measure your brain activity--they don’t shock you! We measure the electrical activity of your brain so you can have feedback (biofeedback of the brain electrical activity is called neurofeedback).Neurofeedback provides a real-time display of your brainwave activity. This display is shown on a screen and will be monitored by a technician. During the session you will doing an activity. You may be playing a game or watching a movie. The movie display is set up to appear 'snowy' when your brain is working at an undesirable frequency, and to show normally when it is working at the desired frequency. Your brain is trained to stay at the desired frequency as it is rewarded with a clear picture for doing so. You will also be able to see measurements of your brainwave activity through simplified visual and audio displays during treatment.
It is difficult to determine how many neurofeedback sessions you will need until you have had the initial consult and begin treatment. We need to understand how your brain is functioning and see how you respond to treatment. Some clients have reported improvements after the first session, and many have experienced significant improvement after completing between ten and twenty sessions. Twenty to forty sessions are often needed for sustained improvement. Sixty to eighty sessions may be needed to address complex conditions such as autism. Neurofeedback therapy is not a quick fix, but it is similar to visiting an orthodontist: their goal is to straighten teeth, and it takes a year or more for treatment to have a lasting impact. Neurofeedback therapy is not cheap, but the positive, long-term outcomes it provides makes it a worthwhile investment.
We can see any client aged 8 years and older. Because neurofeedback is a self-regulation technique, children need to be able to manage their emotions and behaviour, and be able to sit still for 30 minuet blocks. Both research and our own experience suggest that children only begin to develop this capacity after 8 years old.
Information about fees and rebates for Neurofeedback is available on our Fees for Neurofeedback page.
