Approximately 8 million Americans deal with PTSD in any given year. While medication can significantly improve symptoms, many people still struggle to manage their condition on a daily basis. Natural and holistic treatment for PTSD, such as neurofeedback, meditation, and yoga, can be fantastic complementary and alternative treatments to try. If you’re interested in more natural methods to ease your post-traumatic stress disorder, neurofeedback therapy in Highlands Ranch is one treatment option worth exploring further.
What is neurofeedback?
Neurofeedback is biofeedback for the brain. It uses EEG technology to measure your brainwaves and provide feedback in real-time. Through positive rewards, you learn how to better regulate your brainwaves and quite literally change the state of your brain.
Why is this important? If you’re struggling with PTSD, it’s important to understand how different parts of your brain function–and how dysfunction occurs after exposure to traumatic events.
How PTSD affects the brain
Thanks to advancements in technology, scientists can now see that PTSD can cause biological changes in your brain. Here are some of the ways this disorder affects the brain.
Your alarm system: the amygdala
Whether you’ve experienced trauma from combat, disasters, violence, or sexual assault, it impacts your brain function. Your brain has an internal “alarm system” that helps ensure your survival. The part of your brain that is responsible for this alarm system is called the amygdala. When you experience stress, it sends a message that causes a fear response. This helps keep you safe. However, those who have experienced traumatic events and have PTSD tend to have an overactive response.
And because your amygdala is a primitive, almost animalistic part of your brain, it can become overactive after experiencing trauma to help try to protect you. In reality, this overactivation often triggers panic and makes it difficult to think rationally even in seemingly safe situations. For example, the sound of a firework could activate a stress response in someone who has seen combat.
Your brake system: the prefrontal cortex
The prefrontal cortex part of your brain is what’s responsible for helping you think through decisions, become aware of your thinking, and put the “brakes” on when you realize you’re not actually in danger. Your prefrontal cortex also works to regulate emotional responses that are triggered by the amygdala. But in people with PTSD, the prefrontal cortex doesn’t always function the way it should.
That paired with an overactive amygdala is a bad combination, which is why PTSD is often so difficult to treat.
How neurofeedback works to rewire your brain after a traumatic event
Neurofeedback treatment begins with a qEEG brain map. This will identify the specific areas of your brain that aren’t functioning the way they should and are contributing to irregular brainwave patterns. Once these areas are identified, a customized treatment plan is created to help you correct these irregularities.
Through operant conditioning, you will learn how to better regulate your brain and help it function more optimally, thus giving you long-lasting relief from your PTSD symptoms.
Learn more about holistic treatment for PTSD in Highlands Ranch
If you’re struggling to manage your PTSD and are interested in trying neurofeedback in Highlands Ranch, reach out to us today at Braincode Centers. We wholeheartedly believe in the power of holistic treatment for PTSD and other trauma-related conditions.
Contact us today to learn more.
