Therapeutic Applications of Neurofeedback. The therapeutic applications that appear below are grouped according to the currently-available level of research and/or clinical data. The presence of certain therapeutic applications in the third grouping may also be based on the need for professionals to be aware of the potential for side effects. It should be noted that these groupings will most likely be subject to revision as the knowledge base for neurofeedback continues to expand.

Addiction Learning Disabilities 
Anxiety Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder 
ADHD/ADD Relaxation 
Depression Sleep Disorders 

 

About Neurofeedback
Neurofeedback (or EEG Biofeedback) is a method that uses feedback of the electrical activity of the brain (the EEG) in order to retrain and recondition brainwave patterns. The EEG activity can be observed in several frequency bands whose activity correlate with states of attention, alertness, drowsiness and sleep. Numerous studies have indicated that by training the brainwave activity directly, the level of attention or mental states such as relaxation and anxiety can be changed or positively conditioned.
Neurofeedback is based on the so called "operant conditioning" which involves immediate reward of desirable behavior or states and discouragement of undesirable behavior or states. Essentially therefore it is a learning process where the state of the EEG is constantly monitored and fed-back. Because it is a learning process, there are no known negative side effects and is generally considered a safe method.

How does it work?
Neurofeedback is traditionally based on feedback of brainwave activity in the Theta (4-8), Alpha (8-12), SMR (12-15) and Beta (16-30) frequency bands. A number of electrodes are placed on the head (using standardized locations) and the amplitude or power of these frequency bands are fed back with a graphical display or auditory feedback. Slow brainwave activity may indicate a state of inattention or drowsiness. If that is undesirable, the slow wave activity may trained 'down' and 'faster' brainwave activity is rewarded.
Neurofeedback has been tested and tried for many types of applications but only a few applications have been backed up by sufficient research. These applications include:
 - Attention disorders & Learning Disabilities 
 - Epilepsy and seizure disorders 
 - Alcoholism and drug abuse 
There are indications that Neurofeedback (NFB) is also useful for treatment of anxiety, depression and sleep disorders, but we believe these areas require more research before anything more definitive can be said. Neurofeedback is very promising for some applications, but we always tell people not to expect miracles. Since it is essentially a learning process, using the state of the EEG, it requires time and motivation in order to be effective. 
Neurotherapy is effective for:
-Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD) 
-Anxiety & phobic disorders 
-Depression 
-Addiction treatment & recovery 
-Smoking cessation 
-Migraine & tension headaches 
-PMS 
-Hyperactivity in children & adults 
-Insomnia & other sleep problems 
-Chronic pain, FMS, CFS 
-Eating disorders, weight loss 
-Digestive disorders (IBS, etc.) 
-High blood pressure 
-Stress related conditions & more 
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