Neurocounseling

Neurocounseling is an innovative therapeutic approach that utilizes various methods, including neurofeedback, to regulate and organize communication and functioning within the brain. Additionally, it employs a range of techniques to address thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. This approach also involves reprogramming the mind to modify the narrative, perception, and behavior associated with the initial symptomatology.

Drawing on the latest neuroscience research, Neurocounseling aims to optimize brain functions and promote effective affect regulation. Advanced electronic devices, such as Neurofeedback, brain-wave entrainment, and CES, are employed to stimulate and enhance nervous system functioning.

In summary, Neurocounseling works with both the brain and the mind to improve overall mental health and well-being.

The craft of altering your mind/brain system is a complex task, as it includes the technical component, the emotional and psychological piece, as well as the art of interpreting data, observing your subjective response and guiding you to land in a safe, comfortable and productive place.

Learning self-regulation could allow you to alter or inhibit the behaviors that could place you at risk, or create emotional dysfunction.

NFB is a technique that optimizes the brain functioning by changing the focus of attention from your behavior, to the way your brain and nervous system works.

It uses neuroplasticity brain properties, which allows your brain to unlearn negative habits and to replace them for functional, pleasant and effective new ones. This, in fact, gives you the control back that so many of the emotional reactions that have been taken away from you, including

impulsivity,
anger/rage,
obsessions,
fogginess,
lack of concentration,
lack of motivation,
insecurity,

and a long list of undesirable experiences and reactions.

NFB provides the brain with a mirror of its own function, which eventually "shapes" its activity towards a more desirable, more regulated performance.

That optimization of the functions of the brain is obtained by the feedback sent to you from a computerized game which rewards improvements on the neuropaths used, igniting the learning process. The brain learns to play the game, not the person's cognition, which makes results long-lasting by creating and reinforcing efficient and better functioning neuropaths.

Conditions Treated

NFB provides the brain with a mirror of its own function, which eventually "shapes" its activity towards a more desirable, more regulated performance.

Nothing is put on the person. With the use of the best technology, the rhythms of the brain are identified through an extensive evaluation of the brain and of symptoms, and then, protocols are customized in order to re-path the brain, organizing it and creating better communication among all areas.

Neurofeedback has been shown to be effective in treating conditions like:

Peak performance and brain optimization
Emotional Self-regulation
Emotional Rigidity
Social Phobia
Asperger's Syndrome
Bipolar Disorder
Anger and over-reactivity
Anxiety and stress
PTSD and Developmental Trauma
Traumatic head injury
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD)

Benefits

Some of the benefits of engaging in Neurofeedback training are:

reduced craving (alcohol, food, and drugs),
improved hormone balance,
reduced stress and anxiety,
increased attention and focus,
reduced use of medication for ADD/ADHD and anxiety y/or depression,
reduce fear, shame, anger and indesirable emotions that have become "regular" in the daily experience of life.

A complete treatment is achieved when the therapist also understands how the brain disorganization affects the mind, the thoughts, the emotions and the interactions of those that live under this maladaptive brain functioning. Therefore, that understanding is capable of guiding the mental process while the biological problems are regulated.

Effectivity

In terms of reprograming your brain functionality, the meaning of “effective” could be very different depending on

the skill of the clinician,
the capability of the equipment,
the sophistication of the software, and
the clarity in choosing and setting goals.

There are many different approaches and schools of thought in the world of Neurofeedback:

Protocol-based,
Infra-low frequency (ISF),
Surface Z-Score,
LoRETA Z-Score NFT to name only a few.

All of them reported being useful for their respective users.

Inside each of these approaches, there may be an infinite number of protocols and targeted areas, frequencies and variables, defined by channels, derivations, filters, targets, methodologies and other dimensions like feedback presentation (visual, auditory, tactile), reward percentage, delay, etc.

This huge variety in the world of Neurofeedback-based Brain Training creates a huge challenge in terms of research, and also in terms of reliability on the treatment.

Many clients go looking for NFT without really knowing what to ask for, and will accept whatever the clinician offers as such. There are even manufacturers of equipment that claim to have a one-size-fits-all application, that because of the simplicity of use, is chosen by clinicians that apply it with clients without any training or understanding of what each brain needs.

Equipment

The competition for market share is becoming extreme, and many companies and professionals are claiming that all the neurofeedback methods are effective because of the natural capacity of the brain to learn and because of neuroplasticity. There are some machines that are using the name NF when in fact they don't offer the reprogramming of the dysregulated brain networks, but only "feeding" some of the waves that may be functioning regularly.

Our approach is to invest in the best and to offer only the most reliable.

We know that every individual is unique in many ways and that successful treatment depends not only on our equipment and skills but also on our capacity to observe and meet every client’s particular needs.

For that, we design very different protocols combining traditional training with more statistically based models that target several areas of the brain, different functionality, and specific brain networks.

Training Modalities

As in the case of the equipment, the competition for market share is also extreme in terms of trying to demonstrate what type of training is more effective. Research becomes expensive due to the number of different approaches and ways to affect brain activity. Even when all the methods target regulation, each methodology claims to obtain better/faster/more permanent results depending on what is reprogramed.

Here is a brief description of the different methods:

Amplitude training:
Coherence training: Limited communications pathways from the front left to the left rear of the brain can impair short-term memory. Hyper-communication along pathways in the front of the brain can result in difficulty in handling incoming information, leading to an inability to organize and execute tasks and assignments. Coherence training improves communications pathways between regions of the brain.
zScores training:

- 2 channels

- 4 channels

zScores Loreta training:
Infraslow fluctuation (ISF) training: Infra-slow Fluctuation (ISF) electroencephalogram (EEG) biofeedback is a recent development in neurofeedback training. This form of training is focused on the lowest energy the brain produces (< 0.1 Hz). The intervention is performed with a Direct Current (DC) coupled neurofeedback amplifier. It is distinct from Slow Cortical Potential (SCP) training and Infra-Low Frequency (ILF) training. It shares a similar optimization process with ILF that focuses on emergent state shifts within sessions. These state shifts require frequency adjustments that optimize client response to the training in real time.
Slow cortical potential (SCP) training:
Infra-low Frequency (ILF) training:

Neuromodulation

The field of neuromodulation is becoming the new way to treat many issues that originate in the way neurons interact among themselves. It covers a wide spectrum of technologies that

modify pathological or non-optimal activity within the nervous system to achieve a more desired behavior, emotional response, perception, and motivation. Individual neuromodulators can have different actions in a neuron by targeting multiple physiological mechanisms. They can be invasive and non-invasive

Neuro-stimulation

Therapies and technologies that include deep brain stimulation (DBS), intracranial cortical stimulation (ICS), transcranial direct

current stimulation (tDCS), and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) have shown very positive results helping neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders like depression, anxiety, PTSD, insomnia, ADHD, etc.

BRAIN TRAINING DEVICES

Neurostimulation technologies provide relief to an unprecedented number of patients affected by debilitating neurologic and psychiatric disorders.

Non-invasive neurostimulation therapies involve the application of electrical stimulation to drive neural function within a circuit.

Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation (CES) is a well-researched, safe, effective, and cost-effective means to manage mood and sleep disorders.

With mental health care moving away from pharmaceuticals and toward a new set of devices, CES is the first line of treatment for many disorders, as it is safer and at least as effective as other forms of therapy (APA, 2020).

Most cranial electrotherapy stimulators are limited to 600 µA at 9 volts (0.0054 watts). To put this in perspective, this is about 11,000 times less energy output than a 60-watt bulb. Some people do not even feel this small amount of current.

Training your brain to function at its best optimizes cognitive capacity, improves decision making, motivation, and regulation, and help neurons to connect and re-connect in healthy and efficient ways that reestablishes balance.

Some of the CES devices available for home use are:

Fisher Wallace Stimulator
MindAlive CES Stimulator
Alpha Stim Aid
Caputron MindGear
NuCalm
MyoCalm
StimTens
CES Ultra
NeuroMicro
Starstim
Pulseto

TRANSCRANIAL DIRECT CURRENT STIMULATION (TDCS)

These devices provide a form of neuro-stimulation that uses constant, low current delivered to the brain area of interest via electrodes on the scalp.

They deliver stimulation in waveforms to gently stimulate the brain to produce serotonin and other neurochemicals responsible for healthy mood and sleep.

Not an FDA-approved treatment yet. It still is considered an investigational technology even when there are several devices available to purchase.

It uses direct current as opposed to alternating current like on CES. For tDCS use, a constant current (not voltage) is required. Batteries are used as voltage sources in commercial tDCS treatment devices (typically 9 V or 18 V if two batteries are needed).

Some of the devices ( such as LIFTiD] specifically target the prefrontal cortex area of the brain, an area associated with cognitive performance, including attention, focus, alertness, and productivity. Some other devices are:

Sooma
Platoscience
ActivaDose
Focus V3
Brain Premier
Relivion (migraine)
Ybrain
Mindd Stim

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Antonieta Contreras

Psychotherapist