FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Learn More About Neurofeedback
Frequently asked questions
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Neurofeedback is EEG (brainwave) biofeedback. We ordinarily cannot reliably influence how our brain is functioning because we lack awareness. However, when you have one or more electrodes on your scalp and you can see your own brainwave activity a fraction of a second later on a computer screen, it allows us to recondition, retrain and improve how our brain is functioning. With an adequate number of sessions these improvements become enduring. Research on neurofeedback began in the 1970’s.
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Research has demonstrated effectiveness with ADD/ADHD, anxiety, depression, insomnia, learning disabilities, head injuries, obsessive compulsive disorder, PTSD, uncontrolled epilepsy, alcoholism and substance abuse, autism spectrum, rehabilitation from a stroke, physical balance, and cognitive decline. Neurofeedback is also used for peak performance with athletes and “normal” people.
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Dr. Hammond finds that approximately 80% of the time patients experience significant improvements. Most patients notice changes after about six sessions, which are very noticeable after twelve sessions. If someone does not see improvements by that time, it is usually suggested that they stop.
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Don’t trust your brain to just anyone!
It is important that the provider is a mental health practitioner or healthcare professional with an advanced degree who is licensed for independent practice.
It is a buyer-beware marketplace. State investigators have regularly find unlicensed persons advertising that they can treat brain problems. Always do your homework before selecting a provider.
Read my page, Selecting a Practitioner to learn everything you need to know.
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Dr. Hammond published the seminal article entitled First Do No Harm, indicating that if neurofeedback is done improperly, it can cause side effects. This is why treatment should be individualized based on a scientifically objective brain map rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach or experimenting on someone’s brain. As it has been said, “Don’t trust your brain to just anyone!” Dr. Hammond infrequently finds someone feeling tired, “wired,” or having a headache after a session. If this is noticed, the protocol can be changed to eliminate it immediately.
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When there have been significant improvements and an adequate number of sessions, maintenance sessions are generally not required unless something happens to harm the brain, such as a head injury or drug abuse.
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No. All treatment sessions are conducted by Dr. Hammond personally without the use of technicians.
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The number of sessions depends on how chronic and severe one’s symptoms are, and how off of norms the brain map is. For some problems like anxiety and insomnia, treatment may be completed as quickly as 10-15 sessions. Patients with more significant problems may require 25-35 sessions. Sessions should be done at least once a week and preferably twice weekly.
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About 80% of insurance companies do not cover neurofeedback. The question to ask your insurance company is: “For seeing a psychologist for biofeedback [the generic term], do you reimburse?” If your insurance company will pay, Dr. Hammond can provide a weekly insurance form for you to obtain reimbursement. You can reliably pay from a health savings account.
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Dr. Hammond has treated patients from age 3 through age 87 and found improvements. Certainly, if someone can obtain neurofeedback when they are younger, it improves their quality of life and reduces how long they struggle and are held back with problems.
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Yes. For example, executives, professionals, and Olympic athletes have increasingly used neurofeedback to improve peak performance.
Studies at Imperial College London demonstrated improvements in micro-surgery skills, musical and dance performance, and memory and cognitive functioning in college students.
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Quantitative EEG brain maps and functional MRI research has demonstrated that neurofeedback does rewire and optimize brain functioning, even producing improvements at subcortical levels.
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It is possible, but great caution must be taken. Plenty of people are anxious to sell expensive equipment to the unknowledgeable public. Legitimate equipment that is registered with the FDA should only be sold to licensed healthcare professionals. Some people rent equipment for home use. This should only be done when a licensed clinician has done a brain map assessment and then tracks results every week and makes adjustments to training protocols.
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During a brain map an elastic cap, much like a swim cap, is placed on the head. It has 20 electrodes and your brainwave patterns are measured all over the head at the same time. The clinician then goes through the data second-by-second editing out artifacts (for example, when you swallow, wiggle, or tense your jaw). Then statistical analyses are run that compare how your brain is functioning to normative data in a large database for how your brain should be functioning at your age. Color brain maps and statistics are then printed. This provides scientifically objective data on how your brain is functioning to allow neurofeedback to be individualized, rather than having the clinician go by theoretical ideas and experiment on you, trying different things. It is also vitally important that the database meets scientific standards that have been established. Not all databases are alike. Legitimate quantitative EEG databases have been shown to be culture-free and the results have been shown to be highly reliable.