Train Your Brain to Live Free of Drugs and Alcohol with Neurofeedback Training at FHE Health
At FHE Health, we strive to stay on the cutting edge of treating substance abuse disorders and other psychiatric illnesses. One of the ways we do this is through our innovative Neurofeedback Training Therapy. With Neurofeedback Training, the goal is to get the brain to function as well as it did before drugs and alcohol, or better, by harnessing the brain’s own capacity for self-repair in a way that speeds and optimizes recovery.
Neurofeedback Training Helps Treat the Following Conditions:
- Substance Abuse Disorders
- Depression
- Suicidal Thoughts/Ideation
- Rage Disorders
- Anxiety
- Bipolar Disorder
- Insomnia
- Night Terrors
What Is Neurofeedback?
Neurofeedback, sometimes referred to as “neurobiofeedback” or “neurotherapy,” is a specialized form of biofeedback. Biofeedback therapies like NFT give the recipient greater awareness of the inner workings of their brain and body, through real-time information about functional activity such as brainwaves. Neurofeedback in particular uses Quantitative Electroencephalography (qEEG) to show our patients displays of their brain activity during sessions. The end goal is to teach NFT users how to control and self-regulate their brain activity, and thus their thinking. In short, Neurofeedback Training helps train your brain for greater resilience against addiction and mental illness.
Neurofeedback is tailored to each individual. Because of the immense amount of research that has been conducted on the brain, we can target symptoms such as addiction, anxiety, mood dysregulation, attention, and executive functioning (focus, planning, judgment, multi-tasking, etc.). After targeting the affected areas of the brain, the neurofeedback training can then guide these dysregulated areas to behave more like the normal brain.
Utilizing neurofeedback, we can scientifically re-train the brain to exist without the negative effects of drugs and alcohol. We personalize each treatment plan to address the patient’s specific addiction and mental health needs so they can successfully focus on rebuilding their life. Neuro-rehabilitative therapy allows us to:
- Discover what parts of the brain are most affected by addiction and mental health disorders
- Personalize treatment for the individual’s specific needs
- Track progress throughout treatment and make changes as needed to the care plan
- Train the brain to live free of drugs and alcohol
Neurofeedback Training Brings Data-Driven, Applied Neuroscience into the Realm of Addiction and Mental Disorder Treatment.
Through the process of Neurofeedback Training, our patients learn how to improve their mental health by changing their bodies’ physiological activity. The monitoring devices used in NFT therapy are precise instruments that measure brainwaves, heart rate, skin temperature, breathing, and even muscle activity. All of the gathered information is then rapidly and accurately “fed back” to the user, enabling them to better understand their brain activity and help them work to return that activity to healthy levels. Using electrical neuroimaging and computer-generated simulations, our Neurofeedback technicians are able to identify problem areas of dysregulated brain activity and come up with a strategy for treating those problem areas. Our Neurolink projections also show us what parts of the brain that are not effectively communicating with one another because of interference caused by drugs and alcohol.
Neurofeedback Training is an Integrative Approach that Works in Tandem with Other Addiction Treatments Offered at FHE Health, Including:
- Individual Therapy
- Group Therapy
- 12-Step Meetings
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Psychiatry & Medication
- Hypnotherapy
- Meditation, Breathing & Body Work
- Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)
- Wellness Services
Neurofeedback and The Brain
The human brain is a complex organ. Weighing only about 2.5 pounds, it has a consistency similar to toothpaste. Yet, 40-60 percent of our total blood glucose (sugar, chemical energy) is consumed by the brain, which also consumes as much oxygen as every muscle in the body combined. The brain is both a highly powerful, and highly delicate organ. All of that energy and oxygen are used by the brain to produce electricity that travels through our brains with the polarization and depolarization of neurons. These bursts of activity appear in oscillating waves, also known as brainwaves, and are represented as different bands of frequency, such as Delta, Theta, Alpha, Beta, and Gamma brainwaves. These different levels are associated with different types of brain activity, such as sleeping, relaxing or meditating, and intense thinking. However, in the brains of drug users, these brainwaves are often abnormal or dysregulated.
The EEG used to guide Neurofeedback Training captures the brain’s electrical discharges (brainwaves) to provide a clear picture of what is happening in the minds of our patients. The self-regulation work (i.e. brain training) done as part of NFT uses positive and negative reinforcement tools to help patients learn to self-regulate. Neurofeedback combines modern-day diagnostic technology with behavior-based therapies dating back to the work of B.F. Skinner. Instead of focusing on information that may or may not have anything to do with the root cause of the addiction, NFT focuses on the facts—what is happening in the brain in real time—and is quantitatively guided, goal-oriented, and results-driven.
In essence, NFT works as a strengthening exercise for the brain, helping it regain healthy function and equilibrium after sustained drug and alcohol abuse. In NFT, irregular brain activity caused by substance abuse or other mental disorders is captured and assessed by utilizing our instruments. Then, through a series of tasks that are customized to each patient’s needs, we help train the brain to work like it once did—or better.
