Two years after founding an on-line start up James made a decision to finally do something about his attention issues. It had always been a challenge to hold his focus on projects that weren’t of “great interest”, but he learned to cope well enough to get by. He tried medications for awhile, but hated the way they made him feel and didn’t see any benefit.
James had great plans for the future, being able to focus was critical to that happening. After extensive research he reached out to me to learn more about the long term benefits of neurofeedback.
James’s QEEG showed exactly why the medication had not been effective. The meds he was prescribed are standard for attention, but they were stimulants. James did not have an abundance of slow brainwaves, his inattention was caused by excessive fast waves similar to someone who suffers from panic or hyper-vigilance.
An abundance of slow waves is the “traditional” form of inattention, at the extreme – ADHD. Inattention can be caused by excessive waves on either end of the frequency spectrum; training procedures to help are very different. It is what makes the QEEG and the future of doctors prescribing medications based on the actual brain function and DNA so exciting.
After 15 sessions James was beginning to see a noticeable difference at the office. “More is getting done before noon, because I can stay on task longer.” He continued with neurofeedback to bring his attention to his ideal level throughout the day. At 34 sessions he felt he was in a very strong place and was achieving more in a given period of time than he even originally imagined.
A recent met-analysis study in European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry by VanDoren and Arnes on the sustained affects of neurofeedback on ADHD show how promising training brainwaves can be for very long term success. 10 Studies were used with 256 participants. They looked at the standard mean deviation (SMD) right after training and again as follow up (FU), 2-12 months later to see how the training results remained over time. For Inattention the SMD was .64 post training and .80 at FU. For Impulsivity the SMD was .50 post training and .61 at FU. Adversely the control group was 0 at FU.
The fact that the human brain can be rewired for long term change is what makes neurofeedback a great option compared to medications whose benefits end when the prescription does. When I started in the Neurofeedback business I worked at a clinic training primarily children. Previous clients returned years later, confirmed that the effects held and some wanted to perform at an even higher level as they were off to college so completed summer training sessions.
Attention issues are not limited to children, all of the clients I see are adolescents and adults who have a terrible time focusing. Electronic devices grabbing our attention every moment and the immediate demand for our attention from those and other people exasperate this issue. The long term myth that multitasking was good also fed into the brains we have nurtured. It is never too late to make those changes and bring our attention back to our focus.
If you are interested in learning more about Neurofeedback come to the discussion/demonstration I am facilitating for the Urban Balance team at NOMI on Thursday, September 13th, 12-2 pm (suite 507).
This event is free, we will provide two CEUs, and we will provide lunch! You can RSVP to Taejah at tvemuri@urbanbalance.com . Or feel free to email me at any time with questions dvyskocil@urbanbalance.com.