Neurofeedback is a promising alternative to alleviate Post Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms. PTSD can adversely impact psychological processes associated with the brain, resulting in long-term consequences on psychosocial functioning.
What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, commonly known as PTSD, is a mental health condition that occurs in people who have witnessed or experienced a traumatic or triggering event such as a serious accident, a terrorist attack, a natural disaster, combat/war, serious injuries, and other traumatic events. The condition could last months or even years, with triggers that can bring back memories of the trauma. There are different types of treatment to help, such as medication or the use of neurofeedback.
How does Neurofeedback Help Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Neurofeedback works by helping individuals learn to become more aware and sensitive to their emotional and mental states in order to develop better self-regulation, self-awareness, and attention control, thus allowing for individuals to slowly and safely process and recondition their impact without becoming overwhelmed.
Initially, neurofeedback therapy will be used facilitate the development of a calm and stable mental state. The next phase is to permit the brain to access and to resolve the emotional expression of underlying traumas through decondition of emotional reactions that previously occurred whenever they spontaneously arose or were triggered by environmental stimuli.
Unlike medication, which has been reported to have numerous side effects, Neurofeedback therapy essentially has no side effects. The most common side effect reported from clients is feeling tired after a session. Side effects for medications for PTSD include, but aren’t limited to the following:
- Insomnia
- Anxiety
- Nausea
- Sexual Dysfunction
- Diarrhea
Neurofeedback Therapy for Veterans
One in five veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts have been identified as experiencing symptoms of PTSD. Symptoms can include agitation, irritability, hostility, hypervigilance, self-destructive behavior, social isolation, flashbacks, fear, severe anxiety, or mistrust.
Traditional treatments for PTSD such as pharmacotherapy and medication address general symptoms, but have limitations. Medication, for example, sometimes has unwanted negative side effects and doesn’t correct the underlying cause. Talk therapy has been beneficial for some veterans, but ineffective for others.
Veterans and those diagnosed with PTSD or have experienced a traumatic event, who have used neurofeedback report substantial improvements in the reduction of sleeping problems, anger management, stress management, etc. The clinic develops individualized plans tailored specifically to each person’s needs.
PTSD Client Testimonial
“Since completing my last session in September 2015, I have had some time to step back and assess the results. Neurofeedback therapy has had a profound impact on my life. I have struggled with PTSD literally all my life. I have spent enormous amounts of money and time on conventional therapy to understand how I could overcome a disorder that literally tormented me almost every day of my life. In truth, suicide was not an uncommon thought. As a result of Neurofeedback, I have come to realize now that I was closer than I ever had been to rationalizing such an act.
The clarity now I feel is so foreign I am still trying to process the experience. The things that happened to me resulting in PTSD I can only describe as seeing those things now from the outside looking in. They are not as painful; at least for me. I guess you could say the results of the Neurofeedback training has exceeded my imagination. Every aspect of my life has been literally enriched as a result of the Neurofeedback therapy you and your staff provided. Since September 2015, I feel a lot of my old self is back and I continue to see progress. I suspect benefits of Neurofeedback training will continue to reveal themselves for some time to come. In the meantime, thank you all for helping me reclaim my life while also facilitating a welcomed turning point in the healing of some very old and deep wounds.”
Related Research & Publications
Interested in Learning More or Booking an Appointment? Contact Licensed Psychologist Dr. Connie McReynolds.
If you or a loved one is suffering from PTSD, please contact Dr. Connie McReynolds for more information or to book an appointment.
