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Numerous factors may contribute to a particular case of obesity, and Neurofeedback is relevant to a number of these. First of all, there is the issue of appetite regulation, which is trainable. Second, there may be an anxiety or depression aspect to the condition, which may also respond to Neurofeedback training. Third, there may be a compulsion around food, which can be helped with Neurofeedback /EEG Biofeedback. Fourth, there may be a trauma history that underlies and sustains the condition. This too can be helped with Neurofeedback. If attention to these factors is combined with sound nutrition and attention to proper gut function, recovery potential may be significantly enhanced.
- Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior
This type of behavior is neurologically kin to Tourette Syndrome (TS). Almost everything we say about Neurofeedback for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) applies to TS and vice versa. The techniques are identical, and our recent breakthrough with respect to OCD also applies to TS.
This condition benefits greatly from training of the pre-frontal lobes because it centrally involves the dopamine circuits that project there. It also benefits greatly from the tailoring of the protocol to the person, which is what has made the recent clinical gains possible. The most intractable cases of OCD appear to respond to training at very low frequencies. The implication in the neurophysiological realm is that we are dealing with a condition of extreme over-arousal. The implication in the psychodynamic realm is that we may be dealing with a condition grounded in a trauma history. Both considerations call for training at very low frequencies as part of the protocol.
Sleep apnea has been categorized traditionally into a central sleep apnea, where the system "forgets to breathe" and an obstructive sleep apnea where the airway collapses at night when the musculature relaxes during certain phases of sleep. When it was first suggested that Neurofeedback could be helpful for sleep apnea there was great consternation about the fact that we were not seeing a great distinction between central and obstructive sleep apnea. Both seemed to respond to the training. The answer of course lies in the fact that even in obstructive sleep apnea we are involved in central regulation of the muscle system.
Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with obesity, but not all obese people have obstructive sleep apnea. With training, the unfortunate ones can perhaps join the fortunate ones.
Careful diagnosis has shown that oppositionality is an issue with about 65% of ADHD children. Conversely, children who are oppositional are also highly likely to be ADD. Oppositionality can therefore be regarded as part of the whole ADHD "spectrum." This brings emotional regulation in ADHD children into the discussion. Emotional regulation may in fact be a key constituent of the ADHD picture. We continually evaluate our own experience with our emotional selves. A deficiency in our attentional capacities can also lodge in our "emotional attention." At the level of our neuronal circuitry, we are simply talking about yet one more attentional network. And it is trainable like all the others.
The plain fact is that oppositionality responds to Neurofeedback much like other aspects of ADHD. This equivalence is not matched, however, on the medication side. The stimulants help the ADHD child to focus and to maintain vigilance, but they do little for oppositionality and its cousin, Conduct Disorder. This has implications for the choices parents might make for therapy. Whereas Neurofeedback and stimulants yield comparable results in the areas where stimulants are effective, Neurofeedback stands out in other areas that may in fact be of more critical concern for a particular child.
Neurofeedback / EEG Biofeedback is really about optimal mental fitness across the board, even in the presence of one or another disorder. The clinical task is really about training the brain for enhanced functional competence in the presence of whatever organic constraints may be present. Many even come to us in that frame of mind. Their objective is better mental and emotional functioning, quite irrespective of what may ail them now and again. They define themselves in entirely positive terms, even if they are afflicted with conditions that would lay others low.
The objective of optimal performance is probably the right one for most people. Most have probably recalibrated their expectations of life to the point where they are no longer hankering for the CEO's job. But improved fitness is within everyone's reach, and the cost/benefit ratio here is far more favorable when it comes to our brains than when it comes to our bodies. It should not, however, be an amateur's adventure. If you value your own brain, clinical advice on this project is advisable.
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