The Staunton/Augusta Brain Injury Support Group will meet Monday, Oct. 12 (Columbus Day) at 7 p.m. at the Mary Switzer Building on the Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitative campus.
The topic will be “Can Neurofeedback Help Brain Injury?” Our speaker is Jessica Eure, a Charlottesville neurofeedback therapist.
Here is a brief biography of the speaker:
Jessica Eure graduated in May 2007 from the University of Virginia with a master’s degree in mental-health counseling. She has experience in the mental-health field in both inpatient and outpatient settings. She has been working at the Virginia Center for Neurofeedback, Attachment and Trauma with Robin Bernhard since August 2004 as a neurofeedback clinician after attending the EEG biofeedback comprehensive training offered by EEG Spectrum International, Inc in July 2004. She also attended a neurofeedback workshop by The Learning Curve, Inc in February 2006 and has completed extensive supervision in the field. She specializes in the treatment of brain injury, ADD, anxiety disorders and depression using neurofeedback and psychotherapy.
I had never heard of this application but I have seen two individuals that are benefiting from this therapy. I decided to turn the “wayback” machine on research mode and I vanished into the portal of the internet.
The best information I found is from – www.eegspectrum.com/IntroToNeuro.
It tells me Neurofeedback is a technique in which we train the brain to help improve its ability to regulate all bodily functions and to take care of itself. When the brain is not functioning well, evidence of this often shows up in the EEG (Electroencephalogram). By challenging the brain, much as you challenge your body in physical exercise, we can help your brain learn to function better.
A better functioning brain can improve sleep patterns. When you sleep more efficiently, you are more alert during the day. It can help with anxiety and depression, and with syndromes like migraine or chronic pain. Secondly, it can be helpful in managing attention – how well you can persist even at a boring task. Thirdly, it can help you manage the emotions. Emotions may feel like the real you, but your brain has a lot to say about how you feel and react. If the emotions are out of control, that’s trainable. If they aren’t there-as in lack of empathy, for example-that, too, is trainable.
Finally, there are some specific issues where the EEG neurofeedback training can be helpful, such as in cases of seizures, traumatic brain injury, stroke, and autism. In these instances the training does not so much get rid of the problem as it simply organizes the brain to function better in the context of whatever injury or loss exists.
I see “helps stroke” and “Traumatic Brain Injuries.” I bet there are many of you that had an EEG. It is the test where they put all that sticky junk on your head and run wires to it. They usually tell you to smile, frown, grit your teeth and recite a few cuss words. Oh, no cuss words. That was from another exam and was not stroke related.
What is it used for?
EEG Biofeedback is used for many conditions and disabilities in which the brain is not working as well as it might. These include Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and more severe conduct problems, specific learning disabilities, and related issues such as sleep problems in children, teeth grinding, and chronic pain such as frequent headaches or stomach pain, or pediatric migraines.
The training is also helpful with the control of mood disorders such as anxiety and depression, as well as for more severe conditions such as medically uncontrolled seizures, minor traumatic brain injury, or cerebral palsy.
How is it done?
An initial interview is done to obtain a description of symptoms, and to get a picture of the health history and family history. Some testing may be done as well. And the person does the first EEG training session, at which time we get a look at the EEG. This all may take about two hours. (The details may differ among the various affiliate offices. In some offices a full brain map, or quantitative EEG, is routinely obtained, which may require a separate office visit. Or more extensive testing may be done.) Subsequent training sessions last about 40 minutes to an hour, and are conducted from one to five times per week. Some improvement is generally seen within ten sessions. Once learning is consolidated, the benefit appears to be permanent in most cases.
The EEG biofeedback training is a painless, non-invasive procedure. One or more sensors are placed on the scalp, and one to each ear. The brain waves are monitored by means of an amplifier and a computer-based instrument that processes the signal and provides the proper feedback. This is displayed to the trainee by means of a video game or other video display, along with audio signals. The trainee is asked to make the video game go with his brain. As activity in a desirable frequency band increases, the video game moves faster, or some other reward is given. As activity in an adverse band increases, the video game is inhibited. Gradually, the brain responds to the cues that it is being given, and a “learning” of new brain wave patterns takes place. The new pattern is one which is closer to what is normally observed in individuals without such disabilities.
Here is a web page that shows a demonstration of how it works – www.eegspectrum.com/FAQ.
Why write any more, come and meet the people and learn, ask questions meet other survivors and caregivers. Please contact The Staunton-Augusta Co. Area Support Group through Helen Cloud at 540.886.5420, [email protected].
What a wonderful opportunity to learn what we have in this area.
– Column by Chris DeWald
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