Southwest Florida's Health and Wellness Magazine Health and Wellness Articles
Neurofeedback After Abuse or Experiencing Trauma
Throughout the psychological community, it is known that abuse in one’s lifetime (e.g., domestic violence, sexual violence, child abuse, trafficking, stalking) can have adverse effects on the victims well-being. Continuous exposure to the stress of abuse can negatively effect the brain and body of the victim. These negative effects can be seen throughout different regions of the brain via brainwaves, which can lead to PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Given this knowledge, neurofeedback aims to retrain a person’s brainwaves to minimize or subside the effects of PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Indeed, several research studies have suggested that neurofeedback can be helpful for trauma survivors (e.g., van der Kolk et al., 2016; Brown, Clark, & Pooley, 2019).
In fact, a recent study measuring the impact of neurofeedback on survivors of trauma found the following positive results after completing neurofeedback:
• Increase in overall health
• Decrease in depression
• Increase in sleep quality
• Decrease in PTSD
• Increase in happiness
• Increase in feeling like you matter
• Increase in emotional regulation (emotional
awareness, emotional clarity, goal directed
behavior, and acceptance of emotional responses)
How does neurofeedback specifically help in the treatment of depression and other mental health conditions?
Depression and other common mental health conditions such as anxiety, PTSD, and ADHD are accompanied by abnormal brain electrical activity. Just as the electrical activity of the heart can be determined by an EKG, brain electrical activity can be observed by qEEG brain mapping and used by neurofeedback equipment to train the brain back to more harmonious and healthy brain activity. As brain activity becomes more regulated and healthy, the symptoms of out of sync brain electrical activity – depression, anxiety, PTSD, ADHD, etc. become reduced or eliminated.
Transmagnetic Cranial Stimulation gets an upgrade to Personalized repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (PrTMS.)
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a drug-free, painless, non-invasive treatment therapy that uses magnetic pulses to stimulate activity in neurons. There are several TMS medical devices cleared by the FDA for use in treating Major Depressive Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, and Migraine.
A new version is being used at the Brain Wave Center in Sarasota, Florida is Personalized repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (PrTMS.) This method of treatment was designed to offer a personalized, gentler, and more sophisticated approach. Unlike traditional TMS where all clients receive the same treatment therapy, PrTMS incorporates diagnostic assessments and a brain function analysis for a more personalized TMS treatment plan designed to provide optimal results.
Research suggests that PrTMS may be helpful for patients suffering from a variety of mental health conditions, and also for healthy individuals, such as athletes, who are interested in high-level human performance. It’s an outpatient therapy, and clients are able to drive themselves to and from appointments.
New combination of Diagnostic Testing and Therapy at The Brain Wave Center
Launching our new Diagnostic Testing and Therapy Clinic is based on two separate needs expressed by both Charity Organizations we work with and our own client base.
The diagnostic part of the clinic evolved from requests from partners such as Easterseals and The Florida Center for Early Childhood regarding the backlog they have for children requiring assessments such as ADOS (spectrum disorder) and general attention deficient. They’ve cited a several month waiting period, which is too long for many families trying to get help for their children. Since we already had two Doctors of Psychology working with us, it just made sense to help reduce the backlog and help more children and families get the care they need and deserve. Our team incorporates proven testing and assessment methods backed up by qEEG Brain Map analysis to accurately identify underlying issues and correctly identify appropriate therapies.
We are opening the therapy side of the clinic based on our own experience and peer-reviewed studies, that by merging advances in applied neuroscience, specifically, neurofeedback, with evidenced based models of psychotherapy, we often see superior results. At The Brain Wave Center, we will offer psychotherapy services alone or in combination with neurofeedback training sessions.
Our goal is to achieve break-through results, we use proven traditional treatment approaches, combined with leading-edge technology to build an individualized treatment solution.
Conclusion
The stigma of mental health treatment has begun to fade and more & more people are becoming aware that it’s possible to live a more happier and healthy life. At The Brain Wave Center we are focused on assisting everyone in improving their emotional health and overcoming anxiety, depression, PTSD, and common mood disorders.
Find out today how neurofeedback can help you or a loved one. Call 941-552-4500 or schedule your Free Initial Evaluation online.
The Brain Wave Center
941.552.4500
BRAINWAVECENTERS.COM
640 S. Washington Blvd., Sarasota, Florida 34236
