Neurofeedback Training Solutions
What is Neurofeedback?
Neurofeedback teaches you how to control your brain and behaviour by making you aware of the energy levels in specific areas of your brain. When you think, feel, and concentrate, your brain uses energy in the areas required for these activities. This is similar to how your muscles use energy when you perform physical actions, like raising your hand. We cannot easily measure the energy directly, but we can measure the oxygen that is used to make the energy. This is done by observing how the colour of blood in the area of activation changes.
This is possible because the spectrum of light absorbed by blood changes depending on the amount or concentration of oxygen it carries. So, if you look at the colour of the blood in a brain area, we will see a change if that area becomes more active due to being used during thinking processes. Similarly, if we look at an area of your brain that is typically used when you do mathematics, its colour changes when you actually start doing some mental mathematics.
Advances in technology mean we can show you these changes in oxygen level in varying formats, such as a video. In our neurofeedback training, you learn how to gain voluntary control over your brain energy levels and the feedback you receive when watching a video.
Neurofeedback is a fantastic non-medication treatment that patients can opt for. Our neurofeedback training can help with the following conditions:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Bipolar Disorder
- PTSD
- Internet & Social Media Addiction
- Some Cognitive Impairments
Research shows that there are differences in brain activation patterns in individuals with certain psychiatric conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), bipolar affective disorder, and autism spectrum disorders. When someone with one of these conditions improves or worsens, the activation in their brain also changes. Similarly, people who excel in specific activities, such as sports or music, show distinct brain activation in the areas associated with those skills. This suggests that the intensity and duration of brain activation—essentially, its “fitness”—play crucial roles in our ability to think clearly, control our behaviour, and regulate our mood.
Our highly trained neurofeedback trainers will coach you through every session to ensure you get the most out of your sessions and offer the following benefits:
- Improved Cognitive Function
- Enhanced Emotional Regulation
- Reduced Symptoms of ADHD
- Improved Sleep Quality
- Enhanced Focus and Concentration
- Reduced Anxiety
- Better Emotional Resilience
- Increased Mental Clarity
What type of Neurofeedback do we offer?
There are many ways to measure brain activation, but at Smart Start Minds, we use functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) because it is safe, portable, and suitable for our purpose- training you to gain more control of your brain activation, behaviour, and mood.
What is the neurofeedback training process?
- Evaluate
You will complete the Neuroevaluator, a bespoke decision-support tool that we have developed over the last 17 years. This evaluation measures psychological, emotional, and environmental problems affecting your attention and cognition. A consultant psychiatrist will review your results and suggest the best training programme for you. Therefore, you will receive a programme tailored to your individual needs. - Test
You will complete 2-3 outcome measures:
- The IVA-2 is a standardised attention test that you will complete before and after training. For children completing the IVA-2, we will ask for input from parents and/or teachers for a comprehensive evaluation.
- You will complete 1 or 2 functional impairment questionnaires. We will compare the results to show your progress. The specific questionnaire you fill out will depend on symp toms specific to you. These will be validated questionnaires may measure depression, anxiety, OCD and ADHD.
- We will compare your results and show a reduction in symptoms and increased attentional capacity.
- We offer a money-back guarantee, so there will be no surprises at the end. You are closely monitored by your trainer and Dr. Dannhauser. If the training does not seem appropriate for you, we will end the training and refund your money. So you will only reach the end of your 24 or 40 sessions knowing that it has worked for you. So you only pay if you benefit from the training.
3. Train
- Before training, we send you your PFC trainer.
- You will have a tech set-up session, during which we will ensure you have the correct setup required for your training.
- You have the opportunity to try out our programme over three demo sessions. During these sessions, you can assess for yourself if you enjoy the training and if you are getting on well with your trainer. You are required to make payment after the three demo sessions.
FAQs
The programme is beneficial for anyone from the age of seven and upwards. We tailor the session to each individual’s needs to achieve the best results. The initial evaluation helps to determine if you are suitable for the training or if any additional evaluations need to be carried out.
We offer 24 or 40 training sessions. This is decided by our healthcare professionals and we may also recommend more or fewer sessions depending on the progress made and information given in your initial consultation.
Each session lasts for up to an hour. But this is flexible depending on how you respond to training.
The goal of our neurofeedback training is to improve the activation and fitness of the prefrontal cortex, which is located in the front part of the brain. This area is responsible for executive functions such as planning, organising, and decision-making.
A laptop /computer with a webcam, good internet access and a PFC trainer. We will lease this to you for the duration of your session, and you will return it when you finish.
Your attentional capacity will be measured before you start training and after training to show your improvements. Specifically, we use the IVA-2 attention test as an outcome measure for all our clients. In addition, we will use one or two functional impairment questionnaires that you will fill out before, in the middle and after training. We will compare the results to show your progress. The specific questionnaire you fill out will depend on symptoms specific to you.