To be honest, I have some reservations about sharing our story because I want to respect my children's privacy and avoid making anyone in my family feel pressured to succeed just to prove that neurofeedback is effective. Neurofeedback isn't a magic fix that eliminates all of our problems, but rather it equips us to manage them better, it's like a boost to our resilience.
Our journey with neurofeedback started while I was in grad school, studying to become a mental health therapist. I first heard about neurofeedback as a way to address the effects of trauma, which piqued my interest. I delved into research about its impact on conditions like ADHD, dyslexia, anxiety, PTSD, and depression, using empirical and peer-reviewed studies.
In 2021, as the pandemic eased, one of my children had a tough time adjusting to the post-COVID world, particularly the changes at school. While the schools did their best to ensure safety, my child with sensory processing differences found it overwhelming. New rules, limited interaction with friends, masks, and fewer opportunities to move around in the classroom led to frequent and scary fight-or-flight episodes and panic attacks. I'm intentionally being vague to maintain privacy, but I want to make clear that this was more than just normal tantrums and resistance to going to school. These episodes looked like holes in walls, running off the bus and away from school, being "stuck" in his bed, and violent when we tried to help him get out of his freeze response. He loved his friends and his teachers, but the changes overwhelmed him.
As a therapist, I had access to various tools, and we tried different approaches that I believe played a part in his healing, but it wasn't enough. Eventually, I discovered a provider offering linear neurofeedback, and we gave it a shot. However, after nine months of this method of neurofeedback, we realized it wasn't producing the results we had hoped for, which didn't align with the research. (See my upcoming post about the difference between linear and nonlinear neurofeedback).
That's when I stumbled upon the NeurOptimal® website, and I was drawn to their approach. They didn't aim to manipulate the brain and push it to be similar to the average person his age and gender; instead, their machine acted as a mirror, allowing his own central nervous system to facilitate healing. On a particularly challenging morning when my child was having a strong fight-or-flight episode, and I felt helpless as a mother, I decided to try this non-linear form of neurofeedback.
We received the NeurOptimal® unit during Christmas break (I can't remember being more excited about a package in my life). Over the break, we all did daily neuro sessions (I'll explain in another post why this approach is excellent for family systems theory). Gradually, I began noticing changes in our family dynamics, within myself and, over a few weeks, in my struggling son. It has been nine months since we started brain training with NeurOptimal®, and my son has had only four total episodes* (it used to be around four a week). That doesn't mean he doesn't face challenges or that we're never late due to his transitioning difficulties, but things are different. And I wouldn’t say that he is different, but more authentically himself. He's more confident with less shame about his limitations. We've all experienced positive changes since we started using NeurOptimal® neurofeedback.
Neurofeedback is just one of many tools for mental health and well-being. It may or may not be the right fit for you, but for our family, it has been revolutionary. As a therapist, I want to spread the word and make it accessible to those who have tried numerous methods and still feel like they haven't made the progress they're looking for. Neurofeedback may be just the solution that you are hoping for.
*Since writing this post, my son has had another fight or flight episode, so now I can say that he's had 5 episodes in 10 months (compared to the 4 a week before neurofeedback). I share this so everyone understands that neurofeedback doesn't completely change the human experience. We will still struggle, but it is an excellent tool to decrease the duration, frequency, and intensity of troubling symptoms. There were extenuating circumstances that contributed to his regression that day, but he got through it and is back on track!