How Does Neurofeedback Therapy Work?
In the modern day, neurofeedback training comes in the form of a video game. Playing the game activates the reward centers in your brain. This helps you train your brain to think certain ways. It’s very similar to an athlete practicing their skills. Their brain rewards them for meeting goals. The reward makes the athlete want to train more.
This works for many mental health conditions. Many psychologists and counselors use it with their patients.
It works by teaching yourself to recognize certain thought patterns. Those patterns show negative thoughts. Neurofeedback training allows you to change bad thoughts into good thoughts.
It’s easy to see how this is helpful for people recovering from addiction. The method helps you train your mind to overcome the desire to use.
“One of the reasons that the therapy is so effective is because it’s actually fun. After all, getting better is a hard process. This is true for any mental health issue, not just addiction.”
It’s important to note that all of the “work” is done by the person. The electrodes just give readings. Neurofeedback training doesn’t pump electricity into your brain. The machines and devices don’t try to change you in anyway.
Instead, they serve as tools. These tools let you use your natural abilities more effectively. They don’t change who you are. They also don’t require any drugs or medication.
Relaxation is the Key
One of the main causes of substance abuse is stress and anxiety. Neurofeedback training helps people handle these issues. It makes the brain tougher. It’s better able to resist the effects of stress and anxiety.The studies done have found that people with alcoholism and their children have different brain structures. These structures make it more difficult for them to relax. However, alcohol causes them to relax and helps them escape stress and anxiety.
That’s why some people have a genetic predisposition to abusing alcohol. They are, without realizing it, trying to self-medicate.
Neurofeedback training works because of something called neuroplasticity. This concept is incredibly important when it comes to understanding how the process works, so we’ll cover it in more detail.
Neuroplasticity and Brain Training
It may not be obvious, but the brain is very good at changing and adapting. It actually alters its physical structure based on how we interact with our environment. Understanding neuroplasticity is a crucial component to neurofeedback training. It’s also essential for helping people recover from brain injuries and similar trauma.
Addiction is actually a very good example of how neuroplasticity works. For example, the reason that things like withdrawal symptoms happen is because the brain gets used to drugs or alcohol. It adapts how it functions to account for expected doses of drugs or booze.
That’s one of the reasons why addictions are so difficult to overcome. An addict’s brain has re-wired itself. It does so in a way to allow it to take advantage of the effects of drugs and alcohol. Amphetamine addiction serves as an excellent example.
Amphetamines force the brain to produce dopamine. That’s the chemical the brain releases as a reward for doing something good. Amphetamines cause the brain to produce this chemical much more than it would naturally.
An amphetamine-addicted brain re-wires itself. It doesn’t send the signals to produce dopamine. That’s because the drug does that for the brain. That means that when someone stops taking speed their brain isn’t getting the dopamine it’s used to.
The result of this situation is withdrawal symptoms. However, if your brain can adapt to drugs, it can re-adapt to life without drugs. Neurofeedback training takes this premise and combines it with modern technology. It helps you consciously train your brain. The result is better success rates for addiction and other mental health treatments.
We use neurofeedback training as part of our comprehensive recovery program. We want to help you be the best version of yourself. That’s why the training is only part of what we do, not all of it.