Synchrony Brain Health is constantly working towards improving mental health and chronic pain treatments by focusing on brain-based approaches. When we gear our focus to treatment that involves approaching the way the brain works, we can address mental health and chronic pain issues where they start – the brain. Neurofeedback therapy is a brain-based approach to treatment for a number of mental and neurological health issues that is non-invasive, requires no medication, and has minimal to no side effects. In this article, we dive into what neurofeedback is, how it works, and the benefits this type of treatment offers to people looking for symptom management for a number of conditions.
What is Neurofeedback Therapy?
Neurofeedback is a therapy approach that uses brain monitoring paired with biofeedback to determine how to better train the brain in order to manage symptoms of both mental health issues and chronic pain. Essentially, during sessions, brain maps provide real-time images of electrical signaling happening in the brain. Then, these images are shown to the patient and the patient is provided with a variety of exercises intended to help retrain the brain to react differently to various stimuli. Thus eventually, helping patients better understand how their brain works and even prepare their brain to better function and self-regulate when faced with things like stress, trauma triggers, pain, etc.
How Does Neurofeedback Work?
Neurofeedback works by retraining the brain using brain mapping brought to imaging through an EEG machine. Basically, patients are seated or laid back in a comfortable chair while the EEG sensors are placed on their scalp. These sensors are able to pick up brainwave activities which are placed onto a computer for imaging. Patients can view the changes in their brainwave activity and attempt to retrain them by using audio and visual stimuli for example, with music or games shown on screen.
During sessions, individuals learn how to recognize brain activity that is common throughout various symptoms of mental health. For instance, patients can use neurofeedback to recognize how their brain reacts when it’s stressed, relaxed, or concentrated. When patients can better recognize various brain functions and how they associate with mental states, they can better manage the symptoms of their mental health conditions and change the way their brain responds to triggering situations.
Benefits of Neurofeedback
There are a number of benefits to using neurofeedback as a tool for mental health including:
- better quality of sleep
- reduced levels of stress or anxiety
- better concentration
- mood management
Utilizing Neurofeedback Therapy to Improve Your Mental Health
Synchrony Brain Health offers neurofeedback for patients who want to benefit from this non-invasive approach to therapy. If you are wanting to better understand how to self-regulate emotions and behaviors tied to mental health issues, neurofeedback may be right for you. Find out more about our brain-based approaches to treating mental health issues and our neurofeedback sessions from our website.
