Neurofeeback for Addiction Recovery

What is the best treatment protocol for addiction recovery?

The answer: "It depends on the person's brain." However, almost for certain at some point in a complete series of neurofeedback sessions a person who is recovering from addiction will benefit from receiving the alpha-theta protocol. The evidenced-based symptom-oriented evaluation will suggest alpha-theta training as a starting protocol for the majority of people with addictions. However, there will be some individuals who will receive alpha-theta after first receiving training with other protocols. It all depends on the results of their individualized assessment.

There is a 2008 study that compared the clinical EEG signals of an alcoholic group to a control group. The results suggested that when the alcoholics were exposed to the stimulus, brain cells were activated and emitted higher voltage than that of the control group. We know that a less active brain produces an increase in alpha brain wave, which is the idle rhythm of the cortex. It means that when the brain is excessively aroused or perceives danger the thinking and reasoning part of the brain gets bypassed. In other words, people react first and ask questions later. For an addicted person this too often has severe consequences.

An addicted brain has its object of addiction ranked nearly as important as air, water and food. Getting sober threatens their long-term relationship with something the brain mistakes for survival. The more effective the intervention, the more resistance one could expect. Most people find change stressful, but with the addictive population this mechanism is significantly magnified, which sabotages their ability to apply treatment learned solutions in their lives. EEG biofeedback, and in particular alpha-theta, appears to work by significantly reducing this acute survival response. It works by training the cortex to remain engaged and not be bypassed as usual during a fight-or-flight reaction. The result is improved compliance in treatment, less recidivism, and continued 12-step or faith-based participation after leaving treatment.

What is alpha-theta protocol? Alpha-theta protocol is named after the two main types of brainwaves that are involved during this protocol. It brings on a deep witness state where people can often observe having dream-like experiences where they calmly observe things that would ordinarily cause them stress. Issues such as distorted beliefs and trauma affect how the brain operates at a sub-conscious level. With alpha-theta, clients train their brain to let go of response patterns that are based on old or false beliefs so they can enjoy life with a new and healthier perspective. In addition, the brain opens up to complementary psychological therapies. People who experience alpha-theta training report that they are more connected emotionally, have increased peace and serenity, are more open-minded and better able to access and integrate repressed experiences. They also seem much more observant of opportunities and have significantly less fear in perusing them.

Alpha-theta is the only neurofeedback protocol proven effective for the addicted population in a large randomized controlled trial. The study was conducted by UCLA and published in "The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse" in 2005.

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Peak Performance Training

Peak Performance Training

Neurofeedback or EEG Biofeedback helps the brain regulate itself and self regulation is key to optimal brain functioning. It is best considered as mental fitness training that over time teaches the individual's brain improved skills of managing attention, arousal (level of excitability), and affective or emotional state. The individual's brain already manages attention, arousal, and affective state to a certain degree, and the relevant mechanisms are in place to do so. Simply exercising those mechanisms strengthens and engages them, and allows the individual to have better control over his or her own behavior automatically. And when your brain is performing in its optimal manner, you are able to perform at your peak. Isn't this just what we all want. Life is so much better and easier when our brain is working at its best. We are calmer, more focused, attentive, confident and able to enjoy life more. When we achieve this, we are just better at whatever we choose to do. Become a better parent, a better spouse, a better boss, a better student, a better performer, a better athlete, a better employee - A BETTER SELF. Become YOUR BEST SELF!

RELAX, ENJOY LIFE and ACCOMPLISH MORE.

Stress is a total body response to a real or imaginary threat. It can save lives in emergencies by producing knee-jerk reactions which were indispensable to our ancestors who routinely had to flee from predators. However, in today's world, our survival is usually not at stake, and the problems we face require a calm mind for creative solutions. Unfortunately, the very parts of the brain that allow such reasoned response are bypassed under stress. Instead, we make decisions based on fear. One of the goals of the neurofeedback software is to evolve the reactive brain into one that is interactive, and not only during a crisis but in everyday life.

When the human body and mind perceives a threat it goes into flight or flight mode. When this happens stress chemicals flood the body causing the heart to beat faster, the blood vessels to constrict, perspiration and breathing to increase and muscles to become tense. In addition, during this phase the auto immune system also becomes depressed making the body more vulnerable to illnesses. After the threat goes away, your body and mind are not quick to turn these responses off and often do not return to their original state and in part the body and mind continues with this unhealthy response to stress. The heart continues to be stressed and other muscles continue to hold tension. This "normal" stress response is ideally suited for real life and death situations. But when we have this response to other stressors in our lives that are not life or death, this response is over kill.

After a while a person can get used to these stress symptoms in their body, if they do not learn to cope with the stressors in their lives these symptoms start to cause problems in the body, even though the person may be unaware of it.

If someone does not pay attention to these signs and symptoms they can evolve into anxiety, depression, headaches and other pains, stomach and bowel problems and coldness in hands and feet. In addition the stress hormone cortisol can make you inattentive, disorganized and unable to remember simple tasks. The body and mind can no longer cope with the ongoing physiological changes and you are receiving a strong warning to make changes to your life.

Neurofeedback helps your brain to respond better to stresses. It can calm down your "over the top" responses to everyday challenges. Those things that you know shouldn't bother you, stop having an effect. And irritations start to roll right off. You are able to calmly approach your challenges, focus on your end goal and be your best.

For those who have high stress careers or high stress demands on life, have you already begun to see the effects of this over the top response to stress? Is it impeding your performance? Would you like to learn how to respond to these stressors in a healthier way - one that shields your mind and body from all of those disastrous effects and at the same time become a winner in your field? Take charge of your life, by empowering your brain to work at its optimum.

Healthy Brain. Healthy Life

 Do you feel like you're not living up to your potential? Is your life lacking a sense of ease, joy or peace? Neurofeedback can dramatically improve the quality of your life.

Many people understand the benefits of a good diet or exercise program, even if they find it difficult to apply in their lives.  Modern society spends billions of dollars trying to stay physically fit and healthy.  Yet nothing impacts the quality of our lives as directly as our mental fitness and quality of our outlook.  Think of neurofeedback as mental yoga that improves the brain’s flexibility and resilience.  A healthy mind guides a healthy body.

World Cup Italian soccer players have turned to neurofeedback to gain peak performance and get a competitive edge.

 Through a series of sessions with the BrainPaint system, your brain reorganizes itself and functions more effectively. When your brain functions efficiently, you feel more integrated and whole and your body functions better. After training many people experience less stress, improved academic, athletic, creative and work performance as well as more confidence and joy. Many bodily complaints drop away.

Can't Get ADHD Drugs? Change to medication-free treatment.

ADHD meds are in short supply and if you haven’t noticed yet – chances are you will.

Hundreds of patients are finding that their pharmacies don’t have enough pills to fill their prescriptions. The problem lies with the troubled partnership between drug manufacturers and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Pharmaceutical companies are out to maximize their profits …the DEA wants to minimize drug abuse. Caught in the middle are millions of children and adults who rely on the pills to help them stay calm and focused.

Here’s an idea – forget the drugs and choose a medication-free form of treatment. No dependency, no worry of pill shortages, and no fear of abuse.

ADHD affects approximately 3-5% of school age children in the U.S. The majority of children are treated with stimulant medication. Alternative treatments will bypass the risk of developing cardiovascular toxicity of amphetamine and methylphenidate.

My preferred alternative method of treatment is Neurofeedback – specifically EEG Biofeedback with the BrainPaint system. EEG Biofeedback is a well-established, clinically-proven, non-drug treatment modality for ADHD.  Check out these testimonials.

EEG Biofeedback Forms New Connections

“Treating Barbara’s family made it clear to me that mind, brain, and relationships are not separate elements of life—

they are irreducible aspects of one interconnected triangle of well

 Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation (Bantum, 2010)

Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. Author of

   What about someone whose brain is so impaired it becomes an obstacle to beginning a mindfulness practice? Some trauma‐related or organic neurologic dysfunction will significantly reduce the likelihood that one will develop an effective meditation/mindfulness practice. The woman referred to in the above quote, Barbara, suffered a traumatic brain injury as a result of a car crash. Her brain injury subsequently affected each individual in her family unit and their well‐being.

Dr. Dan Siegel eloquently writes about how our mind, brain and relationships co

 ‐injury, when spontaneous remediation is no longer expected. The symptoms which accompany a head injury which neurofeedback may help are: loss of energy, headaches, difficulty concentrating, anxiety, obsessive thoughts, depression, rage, seizures, insomnia and even personality changes. Sometimes people are not even aware‐or‐flight reaction. It improves the ability of a person to quiet their mind, therefore, better prepare them for a daily practice of what Dr. Dan Siegal calls “Mindsight”. In other words, neurofeedback increases the brain’s capacity and prepares a person for a daily mindfulness practice, which in turn facilitates change to manifest in their life.

EEG biofeedback, also known as neurofeedback, activates the brain’s natural ability to form new connections in response to experience. This proven form of brain training has restored brain function in many individuals who have suffered from a traumatic brain injury. The training appears to be effective even years post.

 Or, perhaps they have no memory of the event as is the case of a forceps birth or did not make the connection that their issues developed after general anesthesia. In these instances neurofeedback may be helpful in addressing what we call the hardware or anatomical functioning of the brain to increase the readiness of an individual to add a mindfulness practice to their daily life.

Populations of people who have experienced trauma or have severe anxiety, addiction, fears and phobias have what we consider a software issue – their brain too easily goes into an acute survival response.

Neurofeedback appears to work by training the cortex to remain engaged and not be bypassed. In the process of awakening the mind, people need to let go of control. Most people have beliefs about what letting go of control would look and feel like, but BrainPaint gives a person an experience of it through realtime feedback. For example, when a person is increasing his or her present awareness it will trigger sound and visual cues and when there is an increase in gamma bursts, a brainwave frequency associated with an increase in new neural connections which happens when the brain is learning a new behavior, there is a corresponding increase in the brightness of the fractals on the screen. Think of neurofeedback as learning mindfulness with training wheels.

Military Sexual Trauma Related to PTSD

 By Robert Weiss LCSW, CSAT-S


Many military veterans suffer from PTSD related to experiences of sexual trauma. An even greater concern is the alarming amount of stigma surrounding the discussion and treatment of PTSD and addiction within the military community.

In recent decades, these addictions and coping mechanisms have become more sexualized, manifesting in many cases as porn addiction. By addressing this dynamic, we can help veterans who are dealing with addiction by demystifying the stigma surrounding their methods of coping, i.e. addiction.
While it has been reported that a number of men and women have sued the Department of Defense for “allowing a military culture that fails to prevent rape,” a Pentagon spokesman said that Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was working to ensure that the military was “doing all it can to prevent and respond to it,” reported The New York Times. But the problems persist and more and more vets and their loved ones are seeking solutions.
It is important to note that trauma and addiction affect men and women; and it is equally difficult for both to speak out against it. One female vet recounted this story: “You fear for life a lot of times. I constantly reevaluated everything as to whether I should suck it up or take the risk of saying something. I sucked it up for a while; I just thought, ‘I’ll do whatever it takes.’” The result of bottling up trauma leads many to deal with their psychological pain with addictive behaviors.

More Clinical Help Is Needed
Vets that speak out about the widespread issue have remarked that “more clinical help is needed,” especially for female vets whose “programs [too often] attempt to mirror men’s programs” that are typically “geared toward drug and alcohol abuse and addiction.”
The statistics on military sexual trauma (MST) among women are staggering, with 42% reportedly experiencing it. Additionally, studies have found that MST was more likely to lead to PTSD than other military or civilian traumatic events, which would include witnessing engagement related deaths.

Porn Addiction in Veterans

Given the proactive nature of military life, some veterans have started blogs sharing stories about their struggles with porn addiction, shedding light on the broader military addiction epidemic. Sites like Feed The Right Wolf have seen upwards of 200,000 visitors. Feed’s owner contended while he’s “not an expert…it is important to share the message about the dangers of porn addiction,” mainly because “there aren’t many other sites talking about [it].”
Experts have also weighed in on the gravity of this problem. In the article, Addicted to Online Porn: X-rated Internet Explosion Wreaks Havoc with Troops’ Careers & Lives, author Jon R. Anderson stated that “the seamy side of Porn 2.0 is picking off military marriages and killing promising careers like a shadow army of well-placed snipers.”
Reflecting on these issues, Capt. Diana Colon, a therapist who heads an Army mental health clinic in Schweinfurt, Germany, said recent engagements like Afghanistan and Iraq “have created a new generation of dysfunctional pornography abusers.” The tragic reality of porn abuse has been that many retired veterans and their spouses divorce as a result of the addiction. According to a 2002 survey of 1,600 top divorce lawyers, more than half of all divorces involved a spouse hooked on porn sites.

*BrainPaint an EEG Biofeedback system for PTSD has proven to be an easy solution for treatment.