My First Brain Brightening Neurofeedback Sessions

by AnnBanks

Staving off middle-aged decline is nothing if not time-consuming. Neurofeedback usually requires from 20 to 40 sessions to produce lasting results, depending on how quickly your brain responds.

Dr. Merlyn Hurd, my new "brain brightening" therapist, explains this during my first visit to her office. But I put it in perspective by reminding myself that rehabilitating a sports injury also takes time.

Dr. Hurd is a friendly woman with red hair and an optimistic manner. I like her immediately. Her office is cheerful and welcoming--the opposite of clinical. First, she goes over with me the principle behind neurofeedback: using nothing more than relaxed focus, you learn to activate a reward. More accurately, your brain learns, with little conscious effort on your part.

After a short preamble, she introduces me to her feedback set-up. Its purpose is to encourage my brain's electrical system to perform more efficiently. (Brain scientists define this optimal functioning as having the right ratio of different types of brain waves.)

At the beginning of our first outing, Dr. Hurd pastes the electrodes on my scalp using the same hair-gel-type goo. This does not hurt, but afterwards your hair looks as if it had been styled by a three-year-old. My initial feedback consists of a pleasant little chime that sounds when my brain behaves correctly (that is, when I pay attention.) With each ring of the bell, a new nature photograph appears on the computer monitor. The faster the succession of photos, the better I'm doing.

I'm a little disappointed because I've read that kids with ADD get to play with video games, in which they do things like use their brain waves to move locomotives along a track. The nature photos, while beautiful, are kind of boring. The pace is slow at first, but by session two I am able to make the pictures move along at a more rapid clip. Not quite at flip-book speed, but faster than before.

In session three, the feedback becomes more interesting. I get to propel a roller coaster using my brain. Another reward I especially like is looking at fragmented quotes from Mark Twain, Yogi Berra and Oscar Wilde. In what must be a burst of theta waves, it occurs to me that my favorite quote from Oscar Wilde could serve as a motto for TeeBeeDee's Politics & Commentary section: "In all matters of opinion, our adversaries are insane."

After the fourth session, I feel a change. When I leave Dr. Hurd's office, I'm alert and energized. On the way home I polish off a couple of errands that have been languishing on my to-do list. This new zippy me doesn't last for more than an afternoon. But now I have a picture of what "brain brightening" might do if I keep at it. I am beginning to feel optimistic.

As the training progresses, I notice my energy level picking up. My to-do list is no longer an exercise in triage, with only emergency items accomplished. Tasks that never seemed to rise high enough on the list miraculously get done. Have I really sorted through my photos and weeded out my office files?

I still have "where are my keys?" moments. But fewer than before, as I try to make a point of noticing where I put things. Or even to put them in the same place every time. That is progress.

Have a question about neurofeedback? We asked Dr. Merlyn Hurd to answer your questions. Just click "reply to this post" to ask anything. Or, click to part five to find neurofeedback resources in your area