Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States. In fact, it’s estimated that nearly 20%, or 1 in every 5 people, have an anxiety disorder. That’s roughly 40 million Americans. Even with medication, psychotherapy, and mindfulness exercises, many people still struggle to manage their symptoms. If you have difficulties managing your anxiety, know that you are not alone. Traditional treatment options can support you, but it might be time to consider neurofeedback treatment in Colorado.
What is neurofeedback?
Neurofeedback, also known as EEG biofeedback, is a natural, drug-free brain training treatment that measures your brainwave activity to identify and address imbalances. Through a reward system, you’ll be able to see when your brain is functioning properly and when it is not. That might sound complex—and the technology is—but the treatment is simple, pain-free, and non-invasive. Essentially, neurofeedback therapy is a relearning process for your brain. And just like any other skill, it takes some practice to see improvements. The number of sessions you’ll need will depend on the severity of your anxiety symptoms.
Research supporting neurofeedback for anxiety
A clinical trial completed by the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health found that patients with generalized anxiety disorder saw statistically significant improvements in symptoms compared to those who received no treatment.
And although neurofeedback is just beginning to become more mainstream, it’s actually been practiced since the 1920s. It was then that the first EEG was used to measure brainwave activity. Now, one hundred years later, our understanding of the brain and its connection with anxiety has grown tremendously.
How neurofeedback supports traditional anxiety treatments
While medication and psychotherapy are certainly helpful in managing anxiety symptoms, sometimes they are not enough. If these methods have not been successful for you, neurofeedback can help support your current treatment.
Traditional treatments can address the symptoms, while neurofeedback will go straight to the source of the problem: your brain. During treatment, you’ll be given real-time, instantaneous feedback about changes in your brainwave activity so you can learn how to alter them to function more optimally.
What to expect from a typical treatment session
Before you can even begin neurofeedback treatment, you’ll need to complete a qEEG brain map. This will help your specialized clinician identify how different parts of your brain are functioning. There are likely some areas that are overperforming and some that are underperforming. With this knowledge, your specialist can pinpoint which frequencies in your brain are unusual or out of balance.
You’ll also be able to talk to your specialist about the specific symptoms you’re struggling with as well as what you hope to achieve from neurofeedback. After this initial consultation, a personalized treatment plan will be developed for you.
During a typical session, neurofeedback will rely on a reward, or positive stimuli, such as a movie, a song, or a video game. When your brain is functioning optimally, the stimuli will play. When it’s not functioning the way it should, it won’t. With each treatment session, you’ll learn how to reroute your brainwaves to respond more positively to specific stimuli.
Learn more about neurofeedback in Colorado
If you’re interested in learning more about neurofeedback in Colorado, reach out to us at Braincode Centers. We offer customized neurofeedback therapy for anxiety at three Denver-area locations. And if you aren’t located in Colorado, we offer remote neurofeedback treatment options too. So, what are you waiting for? Get the support you need for your anxiety and schedule your free consultation with our neurofeedback specialists today.
