EEG Neurofeedback Training for Eating Disorders

Reconditioning the Brain

About EEG Neurofeedback

Put simply, neurofeedback involves retraining and reconditioning brain wave patterns.

Through the use of game-like scenarios and electroencephalogram (EEG) readings, patients learn how to self-regulate certain brain processes.

Neurofeedback has effectively been used to treat epilepsy, ADHD, and a host of other conditions. In more recent years it has been discovered as an effective tool in the treatment of eating disorders as well.

How Neurofeedback Training Works

During neurofeedback training sessions, sensors from an electroencephalogram (EEG) unit are placed on the person’s scalp and ear lobes.

The person may play a video game or perform another activity, and the EEG unit provides instantaneous audio and visual displays of the person’s brain wave activity. If the person becomes distracted, the unit will alert them.

This ”feedback” is what allows the person to influence and change their brain activity.

It’s All About Focus

The changes become permanent over time, typically with between 30-40 twenty-minute sessions.

It’s about focus: when we’re actively focused, we’re not preoccupied with negative thoughts, obsessions, compulsions, tics, anxiety, or stress.

The brain has a remarkable ability to create new neural pathways, and EEG neurofeedback helps individuals actively create these pathways by redirecting their focus.

Types of Neurofeedback Training

Brain self-regulation problems generally fall into three categories: instability (in cases of epilepsy and other conditions), under-arousal, and over-arousal.

The neurofeedback training activities used to treat these problems are:

• Beta training- Has been used to effectively treat problems of under-arousal, including depression and poor attention/focus.

• SMR training- Has been effectively used to treat symptoms of over-arousal, including anxiety and difficulty falling asleep.

• Alpha training- Has been used to treat addictions and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

An Alternative to Medication/Surgery

Neurofeedback training can be an excellent alternative to medications and surgery.

By helping retrain the brain, neurofeedback allows individuals with eating disorders to make better decisions and re-focus their attention without the use of medications.

Neurofeedback training can aid in the treatment of eating disorders including:

Anorexia Binge eating

Compulsive overeating Bulimia

Are There Side Effects?

When administered by a licensed professional, EEG neurofeedback generally has no side effects, and does not cause pain or discomfort.

Unlike prescription medications used to treat brain disorders, neurofeedback introduces no chemicals into the body.

This is significant, as many patients have found that the side effects of medications can outweigh the benefits.

Who Can Benefit?

While EEG neurofeedback was initially used as a tool in managing epilepsy, it has been effective in treating a broader range of conditions, including:

• Anxiety

• Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)

• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

• Brain injury

• Depression

• Disordered eating

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder

• Substance abuse

Neurofeedback and Eating Disorders

Current research suggests that eating disorders are chronic stress-related conditions that begin as an adaptation to stress and increasingly gain control over a person’s life.

EEG neurofeedback helps reduce stress and supports the formation of essential communication pathways in the brain.

Neurofeedback training, along with a balanced and nutritious diet, can help individuals with eating disorders deal more constructively with a variety of emotions.

About Mirasol

Located in Tucson, Arizona, Mirasol's unique treatment facilities offer an alternative approach to eating disorder recovery, combining the best medical and psychiatric interventions with proven alternative therapies. Mirasol approaches eating disorders as chronic stress-related conditions, applying the same techniques to eating disorder patients as those used to successfully treat other chronic conditions, such as chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Mirasol helps women recover from eating disorders through a gentle program with a nurturing, compassionate, and highly-trained treatment team. To learn more about Mirasol’s program, visit mirasol.net, or call (888) 520-1700.

Sources

1. International Society for Neurofeedback & Research, http://www.isnr.net/

Summary

Neurofeedback uses video game-like scenarios and EEG feedback to help patients retrain their brains. It has traditionally been used in the treatment of epilepsy, ADHD, and other conditions, and has also been found effective in the treatment of eating disorders.