Neurofeedback Information
No one wants to feel sad, mad, in pain, scared, nervous, spacy, foggy or desperate. Any one of these is difficult enough, but combinations of these symptoms are even harder.
Moodiness, nervousness, fear, inattention, insomnia, migraine, addictions, and many other issues are irritating. The remedy is in the root, in the physiology of the brain, and that’s where EEG Biofeedback (Neurofeedback) can help.
Psychological issues are linked to imbalances in brain waves. Too many or too few brain waves in the slow, medium or fast frequencies are bad habits that can be changed. In neurofeedback, I read your brain waves (neuro) and you are guided with computerized sounds and images (feedback) toward a balanced state. You practice becoming more in tune during every session. Learning expands and lasts.
After training, most clients report feeling emotionally calmer and more mentally focused. They are much less burdened by their mental health issues. They report that their problems are either gone, reduced or are more manageable. They are able to proceed in their lives, achieve goals and enjoy new capabilities.
This is not talk-oriented therapy. We will talk, but the main work is learning with the brain-computer interface. Neurofeedback is done without medication, invasion or side effects. You will learn to make better brain waves dozens of times per second. And the results last a lifetime. Neurofeedback, in general, allows you to have a much better quality of life and effectively addresses the conditions outlined below.
The best resource to find information regarding the type of neurofeedback that we do at this practice can be found by going to the source: www.brainpaint.com There you can find a lot of good initial information on the system that we use, and the types of difficulties that we treat using this technology. In addition, here is a list of difficulties and symptomatology that commonly respond to neurofeedback (See additional tabs on the home page to learn how neurofeedback can help these conditions and to view some research on the topics):
Anxiety and PTSD
Depression
ADD/ADHD
Concussion and Traumatic Brain Injury
Anger
Addictions
Sleep Difficulties
Migraines
Other Conditions
Treatment Length
The developer of Brain Paint (the EEG Neurofeedback system used at my practice) has reported that consumers of this system begin to see a difference in their symptoms after approximately 5-8 sessions, with the average client requiring a course of treatment that lasts approximately 20 sessions (for less complex difficulties), and spanning up to approximately 40 sessions (for more difficult and varied difficulties). These figures appear to be in line for most people who are wanting to reach maximum benefit from all that Brain Paint neurofeedback training has to offer. In keeping with this research, you will be assessed to determine how many sessions your clinician thinks you may need. Most clients start out with the idea that we are working towards approximately 20 sessions, with the option for re-evaluation to determine further treatment once a plateau in training has been reached. Not every person will achieve maximum benefit with one protocol, but not every person will be recommended for more than one protocol either. The training course is highly individualized and dependent upon quality of life and desired outcomes. It is recommended that you participate in a few more sessions after maximum benefit is achieved (5 to be exact), so that results are more likely to last a lifetime.
Fees
Neurofeedback appears pricey at first glance. However, any investment in neurofeedback is a bargain in health and well-being compared with most other options, and the outcomes have been documented to be life changing for many individuals. The average cost of a neurofeedback session in the USA is $125, and very few neurofeedback providers take insurance. Many neurofeedback providers require starting with a 19 wire QEEG brain map plus other testing costing up to $1000. My 2 wire EEG assessment is a standard part of the first session. (More wires are not better.)
EEG Neurofeedback is not something that you can “do once and see how it goes.” The power of neurofeedback is in the repetitive nature of training your brain intensively over a short period of time (oftentimes within 6-8 weeks). Just like a body builder would train intensively to change the shape of their body, if they stopped their workouts for even a week the results would not be seen as quickly. Your brain is a muscle, and when you’re training it to think differently, you’ll need to keep practicing that particular way of thinking in order to make it long-lasting.
In light of this, we strive to offer neurofeedback training for the same or less than the cost of typical psychotherapy sessions, so you don't have to pay more for utilizing an alternative method of trying to achieve the same result! An assessment is necessary to determine your unique neurofeedback protocol and to come up with growth areas that we will track during the training process. The cost for the assessment is $225, and includes a one-time technology fee. The cost for each neurofeedback training session is $100. The average client with mild to moderate symptoms usually completes their protocol in approximately 8-10 weeks, which may be a significant difference if you’ve been in other types of therapy for your difficulties. At these prices, neurofeedback is a huge bargain for health, well-being and quality of life. If additional sessions are desired or recommended after the first protocol is completed, additional sessions in a new protocol will be honored at a rate of $100 each.
Insurance
As stated earlier, very few neurofeedback providers take insurance. Even still, it is likely that your insurance will not cover EEG Neurofeedback in the way that we utilize brain training at my practice. A big part of the process for insurance companies is requiring a psychotherapy session with every EEG neurofeedback session that is conducted. This model of treatment is not utilized at this practice, as neurofeedback is often utilized as a stand alone service that people are looking for as an alternative to other services that have not brought about desired results. Neurofeedback sessions take 1 hour to complete, and if psychotherapy was also part of the process, you would add another hour onto your time with us for each session, and that simply isn't attainable for most people. Neurofeedback should be occurring at least twice per week, and if you had to plan to be at my office for at least 4 hours each week that might seem impossible in today's world of hectic schedules and time commitments. This alone may make it likely that you would not complete a full protocol as the program has been researched, and therefore results could be stifled. In addition, insurance does not pay for more than one clinician to treat you on an outpatient basis. At our practice, we are able to offer neurofeedback 6 days per week utilizing several different clinicians who are all trained to carry out your feedback sessions. So, depending on when you are available for sessions each week, you could have multiple clinicians each week facilitating your training session.
Forms of payment
Cash is the preferred method of payment accepted for neurofeedback, in an effort to keep costs down so that we can offer the treatment at below standard prices. We can provide receipts and paperwork so that you can utilize HSA or FSA reimbursement if you have that available. If you choose to use a credit card to pay for services, a service fee of $5.00 may apply to each transaction.
Guarantee
Though there are no guarantees with any type of treatment for mental health difficulties, we believe in this treatment and there is research to support the efficacy of neurofeedback for certain symptomatology. Brain Paint utilizes a series of questions to monitor progress, and change the course of treatment if optimal results are not being met after a number of sessions. Not only does Dr. Friend help determine the continued course of treatment, but the developer of the system himself will also contribute to your treatment if you are not achieving any benefit from the system (Dr. Friend has direct 1:1 contact with the developer of the system each week).
Why doesn’t insurance cover neurofeedback?
That’s a good question. Certain medical conditions make insurance coverage for biofeedback and neurofeedback possible (i.e. migraines, incontinence, etc.), but being that we are a mental health practice we do not diagnose and treat those issues in isolation of themselves like medical doctors do, so insurance does not cover the cost of this type of therapy. As research and acceptance grows, biofeedback and neurofeedback should become more broadly covered in the future. The cost/benefit is strong.