Frequently Asked Questions

• A licensed clinician
  If you are coming in for a mental health issue, you want to seek treatment from a licensed mental health clinician who is trained in and has a deep understanding your diagnosis/symptoms, and whose work is governed by an ethics board. In other words, would you go to a reading teacher to get foot surgery? There are similar concerns with seeing an unlicensed or non-medical or mental health provider for brain training.

• A board certified provider

  Working with a board-certified provider guarantees that they have a minimal level of competency in the field. This means a provider has been rigorously trained, is deemed competent to create protocols and conduct neurofeedback sessions, and is bound to follow ethical and professional rules. 

• A provider who has a lot of experience, and/or who receives supervision and mentorship as needed in order to ensure their ongoing competence.

The way we do QEEG’s

We interpret QEEG’s in a qualitative fashion. Many providers record an EEG and receive a computer-generated report that gives them a protocol to use. We find that approach often misses specific and important features in the raw EEG, and can be potentially dangerous. We interpret EEG’s in a qualitative fashion, categorizing your symptoms with research-based phenotypes, and we create treatment plans that are highly individualized and specific to you.

We offer multiple types of Neurofeedback

We use amplitude training or infralow frequency neurofeedback, or a hybrid approach, depending on your specific brainwave patterns and goals.

A multimodal approach to treatment

We combine our approach with referrals to functional medicine and other specialty providers who can help you optimize your brain and body health. We look for red flags that could deter treatment success and ensure you find the right care from the right providers in order to become your best self.

When you come in for a session, we will place electrodes on your head. Nothing comes through the electrodes; they just read your brain’s own electrical activity, which we can watch in real time during your session. When you are hooked up, you look at a screen that is attached to an amplifier. We program the amplifier to make the screen brighter, or have you hear more beeps, every time your brain produces brainwaves that move at a speed that is more associated with healthy functioning and less associated with distress. This auditory and visual feedback is what solidifies the new learning pattern in your brain. Our screen is configured for you to watch your favorite Netflix shows while your brain does all the work!

Side effects are possible from neurofeedback, as is true with any intervention. Sometimes, if we don’t have your protocol right, or your brain is extremely sensitive, it can cause more of what you are struggling with (more anxiety, difficulty with sleep, or worse headaches). Usually, these effects are very short-term and transient. Major side effects are not common, as neurofeedback is gentler than taking a medication. The most common reported side effects is usually fatigue, especially after the first session. We work very hard to minimize any negative effects and to catch them immediately after sessions.

Everyone is different, but ILF requires a minimum of 20 sessions, and amplitude training requires a minimum of 30 sessions, to ensure that results will be long-term. Often, people with more complex issues such as brain injury or complex mental health or cognitive difficulties, will need more sessions. Neurofeedback training is like marathon training – you wouldn’t get up off the couch to run 26 miles. You need to train regularly in order to reach your end goal. This is why we see people 2-3 times a week for training, as we want the new brainwave pattern to become the dominant one.

Neurofeedback is not an intervention that requires you to wait until the end to see if it worked. You will see change as you go, sometimes as soon as the first session. By 2-3 weeks in, you will notice changes. We do require you to be an active self-reporter so we know how you feel during and after sessions. This allows us to adjust your protocol as needed and to ensure minimal to no side effects. It is important to note that neurofeedback does not work for everyone. A small handful of people may not respond to this intervention.

We see people of all ages. We have worked with kids as young as 1 year old to adults in their late 70’s. Recent research has confirmed that the brain can generate new patterns well into the 7th decade of life. We use gentler methods with younger kids and are very flexible in our approach.

Brain mapping is not diagnostic - it won’t give you a label, or match up with a DSM-5 label. It is prognostic, in that it shows your brain’s tendencies and patterns. These patterns have been linked to known biomarkers and which have been shown through research to be helpful (such as which medication is/is not a good fit for you). It can be an important data point to rule in or rule out complex diagnoses, however.

The most common conditions that interfere with success are medication changes that occur during the neurofeedback process, untreated sleep apnea (the brain can’t readily learn new patterns when it is deprived of oxygen), and heavy substance use. All of these issues can radically change your brainwaves.

Most insurance companies still see neurofeedback as being “experimental” or “preventative.” It is difficult for researchers to prove its efficacy because it is nearly impossible to conduct randomized controlled trials. In such experiments, there is a “sham” condition that seems like neurofeedback, but is not, and it is obvious to participants that they are not receiving treatment. This can negatively influence results. When insurance codes for neurofeedback are available, they are often very restrictive and limited in terms of what is reimbursable. Insurance companies often limit the amount of sessions needed, or only reimburse for specific issues (such as epilepsy). When insurance carriers limit the number of sessions, this results in care that is incomplete. Incomplete care can be dangerous and unethical, as we are shifting brainwaves as part of a long-term process of change. Stopping halfway through could lead to more problems or ineffective outcomes.

We are a private pay clinic. We accept cash, checks, HSA/FSA cards, and credit cards. We are registered with two credit card companies that offer 0% long-term financing for mental health treatments (Advance Care and Care Credit). We are not set up to bill insurance, but if your insurance happens to cover neurofeedback, we can provide you with a superbill so they can reimburse you.