What is a Session Like?
There are 2 types of people in this world: the ones who fly by the seat of their pants and the ones who need to know every detail.
Me? I’m one of the latter. The more I know, the more I feel like I’m in control, which is better for my anxiety. My girlfriends and I were going on a trip to a cabin in the mountains. All I had to do was drive there. But because I had not preplanned the route, or even knew where the cabin was, I chewed all my finger nails off. I made sure to train 2x that week, and looked up the directions and no more stress!
So for those who are just curious, or for those who need to know all the details, what does a neurofeedback session look like?
At the beginning of every visit, simply come in, choose a show on Netflix or Youtube. We will clean your earlobes with an alcohol swab to ensure a good signal for your training. 3 ear clips will be placed on your earlobes (1 on one side, and 2 on the other). These ear clips are to ground the signal and ensure that electrical system in your brain is the only one we are reading. (It is, after all, neurofeedback and not biofeedback.)
After the ear clips, there will be up to 2 scalp sensors. These sensors’ job is to read the electrical signals, or brain waves, for the training session. Some people train with one sensor (“single site”) and some people train with two sensors (“dual site”). It is all based on each individual brain map and what each brain needs.
Just like the ears, we will clean the area and secure the sensors in place. These sensors are very small, about “pea-sized,” with chords that hook up the computer behind you. We secure it with a small amount of conductive paste, again to ensure a good signal for training.
That’s the hard part! Now all you have to do is sit and enjoy your favorite show! As you train, the software will recognized when your brain is make dysregulated brainwaves. The screen will dim and the sound will decrease. Naturally, our brains like to watch shows and movies in optimal vision. When making the correct brainwaves, the screen will increase in brightness and the volume will increase. It will be a comfortable volume that is “optimal.” Each person enjoys shows and movies differently. Some prefer movie theaters and other prefer comfy living rooms with volume control. It will be comfortable to your definition of an optimal experience.
That’s it. Sit, enjoy and your brain does the rest! The technicians have the hard job of setting you up and monitoring you as you train to make sure the signal is still clear and your show doesn’t pause or change to another show.
Who knew achieving a better brain for a better you was so simple!
Here is a link to a video of a training session by Dr. Trish Leigh, one of Dr. Hamilton’s colleagues that practices out of Chapel Hill, NC.