Siegfried Othmer, Ph.D., is a physicist by training and an engaging speaker by nature. In recent lectures, Siegfried has brought his audience the excitement of learning about the advances in our knowledge about the rhythms of the brain. He will show the crowd a slide of brainwaves of a normal person and someone who is experiencing severe pain.

The key to understanding these advances – and the implications for understanding neurofeedback – is to view the brain as a dynamic system. Conventional perspectives, of neurologists, psychiatrists, and psychologists, are structural. Anatomical parts of the brain are seen as the source of behavioral control. Drugs which mimic or act upon neurotransmitters or other chemicals are the focal point of research and treatment. But, these structural models are limiting. They make it hard to see the brain as a population of networks that act collectively. The structural models ignore the plasticity of the brain, the flow of information measured by EEG, and the metaphor of the brain as a symphony orchestra that may or may not be playing harmonious music.

Siegfried, who loves opera and reading, delights in showing the proof for neurofeedback in both scientific and musical terms. Ensembles of neurons dancing with other ensembles; a conductor in thalamus where rhythms are established, amplified, and inhibited; the enhancement of high frequency (soprano) music for some and increasing the low frequency (alto) for others. Siegfried will show the group the evidence that brain training results in improvements in IQ, calms the anxious mind, and returns people to their friends and family – by helping people find the rhythms in their own brains.

Once the brain is seen as organic, dynamic, and shapeable, the validity of neurofeedback becomes so very easy to see. Once he has provided the foundation about brainwaves and rhythms, Siegfried will talk about theories of self-regulation and disregulation. Life, from birth to adulthood, can inflict traumas and the brain can fall out of rhythm. Elegant brain mechanisms for self-regulation of the entire body can chronically misfire and a state of disregulation can become the status quo. Neurofeedback allows the brain to rediscover natural self-regulation.

Sue Othmer is a scientist and a neurofeedback practitioner. She was always interested in the brain and how it determines our view of life and behavior. With the goal in mind of obtaining a doctorate in neurophysiology, Sue majored in physics at Cornell University. This is an important aspect of Sue Othmer's training. Her physics background makes the study of brainwaves almost second nature. The new insights about neural networks, the plasticity of the brain, and mathematics describing dynamic systems are in line with the theories Sue has been developing in the clinic for the past twenty years.

Sue developed a Decision Tree for use in finding the optimal reward and inhibit bands for each client. While more specific tactics are used for individual clients, the fundamental principle involves the level of awakeness or arousal. Some people are wound tight and tend to respond to a protocol that rewards them for increased activity in the low frequency wave ranges. Others are more flat-footed and tend to find comfort in the higher frequency wave ranges. Beyond the arousal curves, each client may respond to a neurofeedback tactic that aims at a specific problem, such as headaches, seizures, or inattention.

The Othmers discovered the idea of neurofeedback when the method was in its infancy. Their young son, Brian, had seizures and had a miserable time fitting into both the social and educational structures in school. They had tried everything, including drug therapies. Then, Sue attended a lecture about a new technique called EEG biofeedback or neurofeedback. The subject was rewarded when the EEG (electroencephalograph) reading showed the brainwaves were in the desired frequency. A scientist at UCLA, Dr. Barry Sterman, had discovered that cats who were ready to pounce on a food reward, had high levels of activity in the range between 12-15 Hz, which he called the sensorimotor (SMR) range. Sterman had learned that the cats could be trained with either conventional or EEG based operant conditioning to increase the SMR activity. EEG was used to train the brains to maintain a state in which attention and anticipated were well-focused. If it could work for cats, why not try it with people. This was the theme of the lecture Sue attended. Since she had emphasized her undergraduate and graduate studies on this area, she immediately saw the implications for Brian.

Sue and Siegfried took Brian to a practitioner in Los Angeles, and the rest is history. He responded very favorably. He suddenly acquired social abilities that had seemed to be unavailable prior to the neurofeedback sessions. He was steadied, and he was able to reduce his seizure medication. Neurofeedback worked.

The Othmers had come upon a breakthrough that could benefit so many children and their parents. They decided to focus their efforts on bringing awareness to the world. First, they wanted to make it easier. As described below, the Othmers and a software programmer, Ed Dillingham, designed a system in which the client's EEG was connected to a videogame. Brainwave activity in the reward range moved the Pac-Man figure ahead, put the colors in the box, and most importantly, delivered soothing beeps – to which the brain responds positively. The Othmers and Dillinghams formed a company and took neurofeedback to the world.

Sue spent most of her time developing an understanding of how neurofeedback works. Children with ADHD formed the main part of the early client base, but adults with all sorts of problems have also found neurofeedback to be unimaginably helpful. Sue started by following the protocols first tried by Dr. Sterman. From there she developed other approaches, placing electrodes on both sides of the brain, and setting the reward and inhibit bands in different widths. After twenty years, Sue has seen clients attribute their success in breaking alcohol, smoking, or other habits to neurofeedback. Many clients report immediate improvement in sleep. Others have turned to neurofeedback to solve the dilemma of migraine headaches. And, the ADHD children – and adults – have continued to report significant, life-transforming improvement after neurofeedback sessions.

Eventually, the Othmers formed a non-profit organization to concentrate on research and education, the Brian Othmer Foundation. In December 2002, the Othmers began working out of the BOF's EEG Institute in Woodland Hills, California. They continue their life's work today.

"Kurt here." That is the response you will get when you call Kurt Othmer. Kurt is devoted to advancing his parents' cause both idealistically and as a business. Kurt promotes neurofeedback by putting together everything from neurofeedback systems to training courses, from coordinating practitioner advocacy groups to developing new equipment for use by practitioners, from building websites to arranging community speaking programs. As Sue and Siegfried have proudly noted, they grew their own management team. Kurt reflects the enthusiasm of his parents – and then some.

When he takes a break from his high-energy work pace, Kurt can often be found paragliding or riding through the Santa Monica mountains on his mountain bike. He also sings and plays piano and..., so he will frequently jump in when Siegfried talks about conducting the orchestra in the brain. Most recently, Kurt has started a Saturday morning training session with streaming video on the Web.