How Neurofeedback Supports Recovery from Trauma: Beyond PTSD

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) occurs when a person suffers intense psychological and emotional impact from exposure to something threatening. The brain has specific ways of processing information from our experiences to help us rebound after traumatic events. When the system works well, our brain can process the event and get us through to the other side. Our nervous system resets, and we do not develop PTSD.

However, sometimes, the brain’s processing mechanisms can be hijacked during trauma, leaving our nervous system in a state of overarousal as if the event is still occurring. Symptoms of PTSD can be different from one person to another but may include flashbacks, hypervigilance, and intense anxiety. Other indicators of an over-aroused nervous system may be increased anger outbursts or feeling disconnected/ withdrawn from your life.

Neurofeedback is a non-invasive method that can help the brain ‘unstick’ itself from being in this prolonged state of overarousal. Emerald Coast NeuroFeedback utilizes evidenced-based protocols for the treatment of PTSD, helping our clients reduce or eliminate troubling symptoms.

What Is PTSD?

Let’s start with what PTSD is not. It is not a weakness and does not mean something is wrong with the person. It means that the system that helps us recover from trauma sends signals (in the form of symptoms) like an indicator light. When humans experience a traumatic event, the brain has a fight-or-flight response to help us get through the immediate threat. With PTSD, that fight-or-flight response stays on beyond its intended time frame. The symptoms are there for a purpose. They indicate that the brain has not fully processed what’s occurred, as noted by the National Institutes of Mental Health.

Trauma affects the brain and body. It can cause various stressor-related disorders, and not all of them fit the criteria for PTSD. Some others include acute stress disorder, adjustment disorders, prolonged grief disorder and other trauma-related reactions. At ECNF, our evidence-based protocols can help the brain get back to a balanced state after difficult life experiences, making it easier to cope with what has happened and returning our nervous system to balance.

What Is Neurofeedback?

Neurofeedback provides a mirror for the brain to see how it functions and helps it improve. The brain is known as a complex adaptive system. This means that it learns from itself if you give it feedback. We learn to walk, ride a bike or ski by receiving feedback from gravity about how to balance ourselves. ‘Neuro’ feedback utilizes EEG data from our brainwaves to help the brain self-correct patterns that are contributing to our symptoms. We use sensors placed on your scalp and ears to pick up this signal. Specialized software displays the EEG in real time, showing what the brain is doing. Simultaneously, the software provides audio and visual feedback (sounds and abstract fractals) on the screen to help your brain learn to move in the direction of your protocol. Over a series of approximately 20-30 sessions, your brain learns to self-correct arousal patterns that are leading to stressor-related symptoms. In other words, it helps your brain turn on its innate parasympathetic response and alleviate physiological, psychological and behavioral symptoms of distress. It is easy, safe and noninvasive. Neurofeedback can bring your brain back into balance and can be utilized independently or as part of a holistic approach to trauma recovery.

Emerald Coast NeuroFeedback’s Approach to Trauma Recovery

Emerald Coast NeuroFeedback is committed to personalized care for trauma recovery. While we support other therapeutic methods, the traction that can be achieved with our proprietary evidence-based protocols for PTSD and other stressor reactions can profoundly improve one’s recovery in a short period of time.

I have worked with a myriad of clients suffering from PTSD over the last 12 years and have utilized several treatment approaches, including EMDR, with good success. However, my #1 choice for the treatment of PTSD and other Stressor Related Disorders is a course of Neurofeedback with ECNF. I’ve seen [neurofeedback] accomplish what would take months to achieve in therapy in just 2-3 weeks in some cases. Also, although good therapy can be effective, some people do not want to participate. They do not want to talk about the things that have happened. With neurofeedback, we are working with your brain, not your mind, so we need next to zero information about what happened. That’s an appealing option for a lot of people.

Pamela Downey, MS, LMHC

At ECNF, we do not ask you detailed questions about traumatic events, nor do we need a diagnosis to work effectively. We frequently work with active-duty military, law enforcement, first responders and others for whom discretion and efficiency are key. In your evaluation, we will ask you a series of yes/no questions that tell us all we need to know to determine the best protocols for your specific goals. Protocols for stressor-related responses alleviate symptoms by helping the brain to ‘reset’ itself after stressful events. While this does not mean the event(s) did not happen, it helps the brain’s innate processing systems re-engage to alleviate symptoms of distress. This is an easy and passive process.

Beyond PTSD: Addressing a Range of Trauma Responses

When people hear the word ‘trauma,’ they commonly associate it with PTSD. However, not everyone experiencing significant symptoms after stressful events meets the criteria for a PTSD diagnosis. Other stressor-related responses that can impact one’s mental health and quality of life include:

• Adjustment Disorders: Conditions in which a stressful event leads to unhealthy or excessive actions.
• Acute Stress Disorder: A condition in which a person experiences flashbacks, anxiety, and intense fear, often occurring within the first month after a traumatic event.

Neurofeedback can offer a noninvasive solution for these conditions. Our evidence-based protocols can help people with a wide range of trauma-related emotional dysregulation, dissociation, and anxiety. In the same way, neurofeedback helps the brain regain equilibrium after PTSD; it aids the brain in regaining balance after any other trauma or stressor-related response.

How Neurofeedback Supports Trauma Recovery

How does neurofeedback work to achieve improvement? When a person has experienced a traumatic event or events, part of our processing system fails to recognize the event is over and stays stuck in a state of physiologic and psychological arousal that impacts our thoughts, emotions and behavior. Neurofeedback helps the nervous system reset itself. Calming the brain’s stress response reduces hyperarousal and improves emotional regulation, making us more prepared to be present for whatever we are experiencing at this moment. (This is one reason neurofeedback is so valuable for high-stress professions such as law enforcement, first responders and active duty military.)

Neurofeedback can also help with what we call ‘restimulations’ or triggers (things that get wired in the brain as threatening because the brain has paired a neutral stimulus, such as a loud noise, with the original threat, making life more frustrating and intolerable when those stimuli are common in our environment). By recalibrating our responses to everyday life events, neurofeedback can help us function better now, improve our relationships and feel less disconnected from life and the people around us.

What to Expect During Neurofeedback Sessions at Emerald Coast NeuroFeedback

Our evidence-based approach to working with stressor-related responses offers a noninvasive, drug-free method to improve how you feel, think and function. Contact us by phone or email, and we will provide a free 15-minute consultation to help answer your questions and set you up for an evaluation. During this evaluation, we will ask you about 90 questions, mostly yes or no. This curated set of questions tells us all we need to know to create your protocols. We will also develop measurable growth areas (areas you would like to improve). From here, we will schedule you for a minimum of 2 appointments a week, which take about 45 minutes. (If you choose to come more, you can finish faster and gain relief sooner.) We ask that clients commit to their sessions until they reach a plateau (typically between 20-30 sessions). This ensures your brain has learned from the protocol and that your improvements are now solidified.

Long-Term Benefits of Neurofeedback for Trauma Recovery

Neurofeedback is true brain learning. It is not putting your brain in a state artificially (as is the case with medication, for example). It is teaching your brain how to get there on its own (or, more accurately, giving it the tools to teach itself). Given that your brain is actually learning something, it does take a time commitment of 20-30 sessions. However, when you stick to the plan of 2+ feedback sessions per week until a plateau, your gains will stay with you much the same way riding a bike becomes permanent as a learned skill. We at ECNF know how valuable that can be, as we often see clients who have given up on medication, therapy, or other forms of help. We understand how frustrating it can be to invest your time and money into a hope chest. We believe in what we do and have seen countless successes with our clients. Whether you want to add neurofeedback to other treatments for PTSD and other stress-related disorders or have tried other methods without sufficient relief, we are here to help.

Contact us today to:

• Create long-lasting changes in the function of the brain
• Alleviate the symptoms you feel
• Develop resilience and reduce reactivity to various situations in your life
• Promote emotional balance

Why Choose Emerald Coast NeuroFeedback for Trauma Recovery?

Emerald Coast NeuroFeedback was founded by a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who specializes in treating PTSD and stress-related disorders. As a result, we have an exceptional understanding of trauma treatment options and are confident in our ability to provide fast relief to those suffering from these symptoms. Our team uses the most advanced software, systems and practices to deliver the most effective neurofeedback training anywhere along the Gulf Coast. We are compassionately committed to your results. Your success is our success.

Contact Emerald Coast NeuroFeedback for personalized support. Schedule a consultation at either of our locations to explore how we can help you move beyond trauma towards a better life today.