IPSIA Psychology: the keys to Neurofeedback

The professionals of the IPSIA Psychology center talk about what Neurofeedback is and what it is for.

As time goes by, our understanding of the psychological problems that human beings can develop improves. In addition, new therapeutic tools are also emerging to remedy them.

Among these technological solutions is Neurofeedback, a procedure used in neuropsychology to treat patients with certain emotional or behavioral disorders. Let's see what it consists of from experts in the field: IPSIA Psychology's team of psychological health professionals..

What is Neurofeedback? Interview with IPSIA Psychology

On this occasion we spoke with the professionals of IPSIA Psychology, a psychotherapy center in Madrid that is characterized by the use of innovative therapeutic methods and technological tools developed to improve the well-being of their patients. In this case they give us their experience on the use of NeurofeedbackNeurofeedback, a non-invasive and painless resource based on providing real-time information to the patient about the patterns of electrical activity in areas of the brain.

How do you explain what Neurofeedback is to someone who has never heard of it?

I would tell them that it is a non-invasive way we have of recording brain activity and creating a training system that changes the way the brain functions. The patient will learn to be aware of their brain activity and modify it so that they can change that brain activity outside of the psychologist's office.

What are the problems in which Neurofeedback is most frequently used?

Neurofeedback is very well known for its treatment of Hyperactivity Deficit Disorder in which it has been endorsed by the American Association of Pediatrics.

In addition, Neurofeedback has been shown to be useful in other problems, such as brain damage, epilepsy, addictions, depression, anxiety, OCD, etc. It has also been shown to be effective in improving performance in high performance sports.

The functioning of this technique goes beyond the conscious strategies of psychological evolution and questioning of dysfunctional beliefs that give rise to the maintenance of a disorder. Why does Neurofeedback work? What makes it effective, almost without the patient realizing what is happening?

Neurofeedback influences the brain in a passive way, through the operant reinforcement of certain brain waves that the psychologist chooses depending on the patient's problems.

Thus, in a few sessions the person has learned to modify his brain activity by himself, something that is not possible in conventional psychotherapy. If Neurofeedback is combined with psychotherapy, it produces faster changes.

The use of Neurofeedback does not mean that the problem is the brain. The functioning of the brain is the cause of the problem; the problem is or has been the different situations and relationships that the person has had, and behaviors that the person has performed to "survive" in his world. But by modifying brain functioning we can help the person through cortical regulation to respond better to subcortical impulses and habits.

What types of therapy does it combine well with?

Neurofeedback has a behavioral paradigm, but serves as training to accompany any therapy. In our center we combine Neurofeedback with EMDR, hypnosis, and third generation therapies.

What training is required to apply Neurofeedback on patients?

It is necessary to be a neuropsychologist or have specific knowledge to understand the involvement of the brain in different problems.

Once the therapy sessions in which Neurofeedback is used have begun, how does the improvement in the well-being of those who come to the psychotherapy center occur?

Depending on the reason for the consultation, we will consider some objectives to be improved or others, but it coincides in that most patients feel clearer, in better spirits and more relaxed.

It is normal that people do psychotherapy at the same time as Neurofeedback, so between the two professionals we make evaluations of the person's state. In Neurofeedback every 10 sessions we evaluate the activity of the brain, to see how it improves and to propose new objectives; we also ask questions so that people can tell us how they have been feeling.