Iris Healing® Retreat, Woodland Hills, CA

The Evolution of Neurofeedback

Overcoming addiction can be a daunting feat and for generations, there has been a traditional set of tools to treat these issues. While therapy or detox can be effective, a newer, transformative technique has been incorporated into the recovery process (and embraced by sites like Psychology Today). Some studies reveal that Neurofeedback can improve the rate of abstinence as well as improve the lives of people facing depression, insomnia, PTSD and addiction.

As mentioned, Psychology Today published a thorough case study on the benefits of neurofeedback therapy and they went as far as to profile multiple patients whose lives have changed because of this tool. While it is not meant to be used as a standalone method for recovery, studies have suggested that sobriety rates can be improved by using evidence-based techniques that complement more traditional methods.

Frequency is a term often associated with neurofeedback. Since someone suffering from addiction may be predisposed to irregular brainwaves, a tool where this can be regulated is incredibly valuable. Practitioners are able to observe cranial cycles that are occurring. The frequencies are rated through EEG’s, which show whether the operating speed of someone’s brain may be leaning towards lower than normal (underarousal) or higher than normal (overarousal) tendencies. when

“The neurofeedback approach essentially cuts across the spectrum of psychological diagnostic categories with just two physiological measures: stability and arousal,” Psychology Today writer Jim Robbins explained in his article. “According to this theory, optimal idling speed for the human brain is about 14 Hz. If the brain’s major activity is a speed lower than that–8 to 13 Hz–a person might seek stimulation or stimulating behavior. They might suffer from depression or ADD. Overarousal, on the other hand, means a person has trouble unwinding and might seek out several glasses of wine at the end of the day to modulate their arousal level.”

Although it may seem like a complicated or invasive procedure, it is actually completely non-invasive. Sessions are surprisingly simple and have even been compared to playing a video game. The heavy lifting always falls on the practitioner who sets the parameters and through ongoing work creates healthier frequencies and brain wave maps.

At Iris Healing® Retreat, our services include scientifically proven methods to provide the best opportunites for successful, long lasting recovery. If you or someone you care about is suffering, reach out to our facility and let us help put our proven techniques to work.