New York Neurofeedback Blog

Meta-Analysis Study of Neurofeedback and ADHD

2012-01-23T08:39:00.000-05:00

If you are research oriented and interested in neurofeedback for ADHD, read about a 2009 meta-analysis of related research.

A meta-analysis examines numerous previous studies, looking at differences in and quality of methods used in order to produce a conclusion that integrates the results from all the studies.

The researchers conclude that:

...neurofeedback treatment for ADHD can be considered "Efficacious and Specific" ... with a large ES [effect size] for inattention and impulsivity and a medium ES for hyperactivity.

Personally, what I've seen with clients is improvements in focus and productivity, including being able to organize their tasks and stick with them. It's very rewarding to see the differences these changes make in their lives.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Mindfulness at the Wheel

2012-01-16T08:05:00.002-05:00

If you have ever arrived at a destination with very little memory of how you - at the wheel of a two-ton automobile - got there, you might want to read this terrific article, Awake at the Wheel, by meditation teacher Michele McDonald.

Probably anyone who has ever gotten behind the wheel has had the experience of not remembering whole chunks of the drive. I know I have. Today we have even more distractions available then when I first got my learner's permit at 15 and a half.

In addition to increasing your safety and that of those around you, driving is another opportunity to practice being in the present moment.

If that's hard for you, consider neurofeedback. Many of my clients have "being able to sit still to meditate" as one of their goals. If you have questions, please post them here or email me.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

The Perspective of Nature

2012-01-10T08:03:00.001-05:00

I originally posted this on my psychotherapy blog, but I like this video so much I wanted to put it up here as well. If you are in need of a little perspective, it will provide it for you.

Did you find that just watching the video helped you be a little more still inside? This was a video - imagine being there in person! Being in nature can produce both calming and lightening of mood (as can neurofeedback).

To read more about the benefits of being outdoors:
Getting Out into Green Spaces
Nature and Mood
Time in Nature Boosts Mood

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

The Neuroscience of Why the Grinch Stole Christmas

2011-12-23T12:10:00.000-05:00

I've closed the office until December 27, but this article came my way and I couldn't resist putting up the link.

Forbes Magazine: Neuroscience Explains Why the Grinch Stole Christmas

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback Helps Canadian Vets with PTSD

2011-12-19T08:33:00.000-05:00

The use of neurofeedback for PTSD has been getting considerable notice lately. This makes the neurofeedback trainers I know happy because we know how effective it can be.

An article published in September, 2011, in the Toronto Globe and Mail describes the experiences of one Canadian veteran who served in Syria and Afghanistan. Neurofeedback helped him get his life back on track, to the point that he felt comfortable starting a family.

The description of the neurofeedback used sounds like it must be NeurOptimal® neurofeedback, the system I use.

Dr. Janet McCullough, this vet's psychiatrist, suggested the use of neurofeedback. I like her description of how neurofeedback works:

"It acts like a rumble strip on a highway,” Dr. McCullough said. “The brain self-corrects.”

Canadian Veterans Affairs have authorized payment for her patient to have a personal system at home. Many United States military agencies are also now funding neurofeedback for PTSD.

NeurOptimal®, by the way, is a Canadian-based company. One of the reasons I like being a neurofeedback trainer has been having opportunities to spend more time in that beautiful country. More important, is the chance to make a difference.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Brain Benefits from Aerobics

2011-12-12T08:06:00.000-05:00

Mayo Clinic neurologist J. Eric Ahlskog, MD, PhD, spoke about a recently conducted review of the research on aerobic exercise and benefits to the brain. They concluded that "you can make a very compelling argument for [aerobic] exercise as a disease-modifying strategy to prevent dementia and mild cognitive impairment, and for favorably modifying these processes once they have developed.

In the Medscape Medical News article about the research, Dr. Ahlskog was quoted:

...exercise sufficient to elevate the heart rate to about 60% of maximum, and done for about 150 minutes a week [divided], would be a good starting recommendation. This is similar to the American Heart Association recommendation.

Aerobic exercise generates new neurons in the brain. I always ask neurofeedback clients about their exercise habits and educate them about the benefits.

In this post we're talking about "just" benefits to the brain, but I'm sure most readers are also aware of the evidence for aerobic exercise benefit to the cardiovascular system. Brain benefits are yet another reason to start - or keep - moving your body fast enough to get up to that 60%.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Benefits of Mindfulness

2011-12-05T08:14:00.002-05:00

A sizable number of my neurofeedback clients come because they want to reduce anxiety. Anxiety can be quite miserable, as anyone who has felt much of it will tell you.

Many of these clients tell me that meditation or mindfulness practice has been recommended to them - and they feel drawn to it - but they just can't sit still for it. This often gets much easier after a few sessions of NeurOptimal® (the state of the art system I use).

Anxious or fidgety people can also practice mindfulness that doesn't require sitting still. I came across a really nice Psychology Today article recently called 6 Benefits of Practicing Mindfulness Outside of Meditation.

In addition to "how to" instructions, the article covers a spectrum of potential benefits, including "turning a boring activity into an adventure" and making wiser choices.

If this is something you've been longing for but thought you couldn't do, there are ways to get the benefits that don't involve a cushion.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Chemo Brain Helped by Neurofeedback

2011-11-28T07:54:00.004-05:00

Colleagues Jean Alvarez, David Granoff, and Allan Lundy are presenting this month at the annual conference of the Society for Integrative Oncology. They will be talking about their just completed research into use of neurofeedback for the cognitive impairment, emotional distress and sleep disturbances that often follow chemotherapy - and which, in a significant portion of patients, do not go away.

I've seen neurofeedback help my clients with these problems, which are common enough to have developed less than affectionate nicknames, like Chemo Brain. Chemo Fog is another.

The full study is not available yet but you can read the abstract (an abstract is a summary of the research). I'll be hearing more of the details at a conference in February.

It's certainly rewarding to be part of this work. If you have these symptoms yourself and would like to pursue neurofeedback, you're welcome to email me, and I'll tell you if I know someone in your area or point you at provider lists.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback and Teen Depression

2011-11-14T08:34:00.001-05:00

This is a link to an August 2011 eight minute radio broadcast on research being done by Brown University, Tufts University, and Harvard University using neurofeedback to alleviate depression in teens.

You can listen to it on your computer or download an mp3 file.

The experiment described uses a different type of neurofeedback than NeurOptimal®, the type I use. But I'm happy to see this research being done. These teenagers are going to have a very different experience of adolescence than they might have had, without the neurofeedback.

That's if the research happens. Unfortunately, the researchers have been having trouble finding enough teenagers to fill their study. If you know of someone in the Boston area, there is a link to follow on the Radio Boston website.

I'm not a researcher, but here are the types of things my clients have reported about depression.

Noticing the signs of depression but being able to choose to not "go there."
Reducing or eliminating anti-depressant use.
Depression symptoms disappearing entirely.
Frequency, duration and/or intensity of episodes minimizing.

For more examples of how neurofeedback can help, click on the link to my website below.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

2011 - How to Survive the Holidays

2011-11-07T08:08:00.001-05:00

This is a bit of a public service announcement, since it's not directly related to neurofeedback - other than that neurofeedback makes most things easier to navigate. (In families that can mean more ability to choose how to respond because of decreased reactivity.) No one can get to us like our families can!

But returning to the subject of holidays:

Back in around 1987 I was the assistant to the leader (Jill Raiguel, MFCC) for a workshop called How to Survive the Holidays. It was the best attended out of many workshops we did, which told me how much of a problem holidays can be for people.

Since that workshop, I've watched for opportunities to be helpful around the holiday season - in my psychotherapy practice and with annual posts in both my blogs since their inception in 2009.

Here it is, that time again. The suggestions below have been tried, tested and added to since 1987.

It seems some things don't change. The more dysfunctional your family, the more important it is to have a plan.

Make sure you get time away from the house. Go for a walk, run an errand, see a movie. This is easier when you're the visitor, but sometimes just five minutes alone in the backyard or the back room can help.
Have a support person lined up. That could be your good friend from where you live now, ready to remind you over the phone that you have a life outside your family. Get counseling if you need it. (Many therapists will make a phone appointment with you during an out of town trip.)
If you are the visitor and there are people you like who live in the same town or city as your family, make plans to see them on your own during the visit.
Conduct an experiment: Study your family members as if you were meeting them for the first time. This will give you some helpful distance and perspective. And it can be surprising.
Remember: You are not your family; you are a separate person.

Please ask questions or make comments here, or you're welcome to email me, especially if you're curious about how neurofeedback might help you in these kinds of situations.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Alternatives to Anti-Depressants

2011-10-31T08:23:00.000-04:00

In July, 2011, Science Daily published an article titled Patients Who Use Anti-Depressants Can Be More Likely to Suffer Relapse, Researcher Finds.

The researcher, evolutionary psychologist Paul Andrews, concluded that those participants who had used anti-depressant medications were nearly twice as susceptible to future episodes of major depression (25% rate of relapse for those not taking meds versus a 42% rate for those who had taken and gone off medication).

Anti-depressants and other psychotropic medications have their place, but many feel that the main problem with them is that they suppress symptoms - the brain isn't learning anything. This is likely why some studies have shown lower rates of relapse with those getting psychotherapy alone for depression or a combination of psychotherapy with medication.

With neurofeedback, the brain learns. A common report from my clients who have experienced recurrent depression is that when they notice depression symptoms starting up they are able to choose to "not go there." Others report their depression being gone completely. Most who come in taking medications are able to reduce the dosage or number of medications they are taking. Some are able to eliminate medication entirely.

In makes a difference when the brain learns. Our systems seem to like running more efficiently and with less discomfort. Once learned, they tend to continue to operate that way.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

How Many Sessions of Neurofeedback?

2011-10-24T08:12:00.000-04:00

One of the first posts I made to this blog was in answer to that question. It's often one of the first things a prospective client asks. Understandably - the process is taking time and money and most of us don't have an unlimited supply of either.

I decided to write this update because there have been some important changes to NeurOptimal® - that's the system I use - since that early post.

A little more than a year ago, we had a major upgrade from Zengar, the makers of NeurOptimal®, which allowed us to provide more feedback per session, more precise feedback, and feedback adjustments that happen in real time more quickly than a trainer can manually make a change. (For more on this, see How Does Neurofeedback Work?)

Since then I've seen changes happening for my clients both more quickly and more profoundly. Things I had found to be stubborn in the past are now changing.

One thing that hasn't changed: Every brain is unique, so that makes any attempt at predicting a more precise number of sessions needed just that, an attempt. Most people come for around 15 or 20 sessions, but I have had people get what they came for, and had it be lasting change, in as few as nine or ten.

And some people keep coming past the point where they got what they initially came for because they want to find out what's going to transform next. Some do their neurofeedback in "chunks," coming back when they're ready for more change.

Questions are welcome - please post here or email me.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

NeurOptimal® Neurofeedback for Veterans

2011-09-26T08:07:00.001-04:00

Operation Giving Back provides free NeurOptimal® neurofeedback to veterans. This video shows two active duty Marines talking about the difference these sessions have made for them.

You can also get a sense by watching this video of the many ways that neurofeedback can make a difference for anyone. Please email me if you have questions about what neurofeedback might change in your life.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback for Kids with ADHD

2011-09-19T07:25:00.002-04:00

Here is a June 2011 CNN video feature on the use of neurofeedback for ADHD. (Warning: You'll have to watch a short advertisement first.)

The child in this video had been on medication, but his family felt he wasn't himself - that his personality was suppressed. The center they went to in Southern California has the goal of as few children as possible needing medication and that those children who are on medication are able to take the least possible amount.

Neurofeedback is also helpful for adults with attention deficit disorders. I've seen marked improvements in my clients. I don't work with children, but if you're in the New York area you're welcome to email me for a referral to neurofeedback trainers who do - or to ask about your own ADD or ADHD.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Treating Mom Helps Child

2011-09-12T08:43:00.002-04:00

Maternal depression has been established as a significant risk factor for well-being in children. A Columbia University (et al) study published in the American Journal for Psychiatry in March, 2011, shows that symptoms of children improve and problem behaviors decrease no matter when the mother's depression remits but that functioning improves only with "early-remitting" mothers.

This suggests that while treating mothers' depression at any time is beneficial to children, treating it early helps children to develop improved functioning - not just stop problem behaviors and other symptoms.

There are many ways to treat depression. The message to depressed mothers is: Choose a treatment that feels right to you and get started ASAP, for your child's sake as well as your own. If you are nursing or for other reasons would like to avoid (or reduce) medications, consider neurofeedback or counseling.

Please post any questions or comments here or email me.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback for Insomnia

2011-08-29T08:01:00.000-04:00

NBC recently did a feature on the use of neurofeedback for insomnia. Rae Tattenbaum of Inner Act in West Hartford, Connecticut, talks about the use of biofeedback for sleep problems. The video shows NeurOptimal®, the system Rae and I use.

I especially like Rae's description of the "inner critic" that keeps many of us awake at night.

Rae also works with many people in the arts and other areas who are interested in neurofeedback and peak performance. But you don't have to be a pro golfer or an opera singer to have an inner critic!

Please post a comment here or email me if you have questions.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

How Does Neurofeedback Work?

2011-08-22T07:41:00.002-04:00

Your brain is the most complex system on Earth. It is masterful at taking in information and using it to reorganize itself to maximize efficiency and minimize discomfort. If you give it the right information, it will use it to meet those goals.

The type of neurofeedback I use does just that, it gives it the right information, hundreds of times in a session.

NeurOptimal™ gives your brain feedback on what it's doing, right now, in real time, while you are listening to a sound stream, usually music.

It does this by reading the electricity on the surface of your scalp - your EEG - and using complex mathematical transforms to tell your system when it is about to shift states, right now (lose focus, start to obsess, whatever that is for you).

This means tiny pauses in the sound stream that happen just when your brain is about to tip into a change of state. Your brain is alerted by the pause, comes back to the present and can assess, does it really want to go there? Typically, over time, it just doesn't go to the maladaptive states any more, or at least far less often. (It takes more to get to you!)

Other forms of neurofeedback are more likely to utilize protocols - for example, you "win" at a video game when you produce the desired increase or decrease in a frequency range. This pushes or pulls the brain in a direction - that's why there can be side effects with these types of systems.

Your brain uses the information NeurOptimal™ gives it to become more efficient, flexible and resilient - in the way that is right for you. Your Central Nervous System (the brain and spinal cord) is the expert on reorganizing your system.

What that means in your life will be unique to you. It can be things like:

Improved sleep
Decreased anxiety
Less frequency, intensity and duration of migraines
A better golf score
Lighter mood and more fun
More focus and concentration
Less reactivity

But it will be unique to you and your brain. What would you like to see change? If you don't see it on the list above, you are welcome to email me. You can also read more about what to expect in a neurofeedback session on my website.

And you can post comments or questions right here on the blog.

Catherine Boyer
New York Neurofeedback

The Healthy Brain Platter

2011-08-15T07:36:00.004-04:00

One of the ways you can get the most out of your neurofeedback training is by giving your brain the kinds of activity and food it needs.

Dan Goleman and Dan Siegel's Healthy Brain Platter is discussed in a Harvard Business Review post by David Rock, Maintain Your Mental Well-Being.

Keeping your brain healthy means giving it time spent in several different ways. Here's what the article says is on The Healthy Brain Platter.

The seven essential mental activities are:

Focus Time. When we closely focus on tasks in a goal-oriented way, taking on challenges that make deep connections in the brain.
Play Time. When we allow ourselves to be spontaneous or creative, playfully enjoying novel experiences, which helps make new connections in the brain.
Connecting Time. When we connect with other people, ideally in person, richly activating the brain's social circuitry.
Physical Time. When we move our bodies, aerobically if possible, which strengthens the brain in many ways.
Time In. When we quietly reflect internally, focusing on sensations, images, feelings and thoughts, helping to better integrate the brain.
Down Time. When we are non-focused, without any specific goal, and let our mind wander or simply relax, which helps our brain recharge.
Sleep Time. When we give the brain the rest it needs to consolidate learning and recover from the experiences of the day.

If you'd also like to know more about foods to eat to nourish your brain, read Foods Your Brain Will Thank You For.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Sleep Loss Equals Productivity Drops

2011-08-08T07:32:00.001-04:00

Dr. Ed O'Malley of Sleep HealthCare of Connecticut has written an article for the Fairfield Country Business Journal about how lack of sleep can impact productivity.

Here are two of the striking statistics Ed cites:

One third of United States adults suffer from symptoms of insomnia.
Sleep disturbances can cost employers around $2,000 a year per employee.

If you do the math on that, the total costs are astronomical, and that's just the cost to the bottom lines of businesses. There are also costs to personal health (which you can also read about in Ed's article).

One of the tools Ed uses at the sleep center is neurofeedback. In my experience, improvements in sleep are very often one of the first things my clients report, sometimes as quickly as after one session. And as my clients often say, sleeping better makes everything better.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback and ADHD on ABC

2011-08-01T07:40:00.001-04:00

According to this June 2011 ABC news feature, one out of every six children are now diagnosed with a learning disability. This increase in frequency of diagnosis appears to be largely related to attentional disorders and autism diagnoses.

In this feature, ABC shows the successful use of neurofeedback as an alternative to medication for ADD and ADHD. Colleagues who have used neurofeedback with autism spectrum conditions have also seen positive results - reductions in anxiety and increased ability to connect, among others changes.

The video shows a different type of neurofeedback from the state of the art system I use, NeurOptimal®. One of the advantages I find using NeurOptimal® is that, unlike most, possibly all, other systems, it is virtually side effect free. That's a nice benefit particularly for people who have had difficulty tolerating medications due to side effects.

I work with adults and have personally seen great results with ADD and the Autism spectrum. If you have a child you'd like to see get neurofeedback training, please feel free to email me for information about trainers I know who work with children and also how to find a trainer internationally.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback for PTSD and Perhaps to Prevent It

2011-07-25T08:59:00.001-04:00

Most of us are likely aware of the debilitating symptoms of PTSD plaguing many war veterans.

In recent months, the use of neurofeedback for PTSD has been getting deserved attention. I don't think more than two or three days have gone by without my getting a news alert in my Inbox about this subject. The military has seen the potential and started to implement the use of neurofeedback (see the article linked to in this paragraph).

This is not just to provide relief from the symptoms of PTSD, but also to forestall its development when symptoms first appear. Improvements are typically pretty much immediate.

Given that neurofeedback is also used for peak performance - improving focus and concentration and decreasing anxiety - it is sounding like it could, perhaps should, be a part of military training programs - prior to going into combat. Many feel this would make military personnel be at less risk of developing PTSD at all.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

How Much Sleep Do You Need?

2011-07-18T07:32:00.001-04:00

It's well worth reading this 2011 New York Times article titled "How Little Sleep Can You Get Away With?"

I'm going to bottom line it for you here anyway, in case you don't read it, because I think what it's saying is so important.

This information comes from a four-year research project run by David Dinges, head of the Sleep and Chronobiology Laboratory at the hospital at the University of Pennsylvania.

The old accepted wisdom that getting only four or five hours of sleep doesn't affect cognitive abilities is just not true.
Almost everybody needs eight hours of sleep a night.
Even with just a decrease to seven hours, our ability to sustain attention goes down.
We don't adapt to getting less sleep. At best, we stabilize at a lower level of performance. Genetically, about 5% of us can perform at our best with five hours sleep. If you're not in that group, you can't learn to do it. If you think you are in that group, you should consider the next point carefully.
Study participants who were sleep deprived believed that they had adapted to the lack of sleep and that their performance was as good as ever, but studies showed their performance had actually gone down. They weren't able to evaluate themselves accurately. This is similar to our inability to accurately assess functioning after consuming alcohol.

If your response to the above is, "Fine, but where do I get more time for sleep?" keep in mind that performing at our best means getting more done and making less mistakes. The tradeoff works.

If your response is, "I'm in bed for eight hours but I can't sleep!" consider neurofeedback. Improvements in sleep are often the first place my clients report change.

Questions or comments? Please post them here, or you are welcome to email me.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback for Insomnia

2011-07-11T09:28:00.001-04:00

This West Hartford article about the use of neurofeedback for child and adult insomnia features Connecticut neurofeedback trainer Rae Tattenbaum.

I know Rae through her use of NeurOptimal®, the state of the art neurofeedback system that I use in my practice.

Here's a quote from the article:

A good night’s sleep is an essential ingredient for good health. However, more than 30 percent of people battle some level of insomnia. What’s worse, sleep deprivation causes a long list of other problems, including an increased risk of obesity and inability to focus during the day. A National Sleep Foundation Poll shows that 60 percent of people have driven while feeling sleepy and 37 percent admit to having fallen asleep at the wheel in the past year. The good news is that many people are finding relief from an unconventional, non-invasive therapy.

Makes you think twice about getting in a car driven by a tired person, doesn't it? The "unconventional, non-invasive therapy" the article refers to is, of course, neurofeedback.

Rae is also known for her peak performance work with atheletes, performers and others.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

What Your Neurofeedback Trainer Sees

2011-07-02T07:56:00.003-04:00

If your neurofeedback trainer is using NeurOptimal®, the system I think is the state of the art, he or she will be looking at one of several screens that show graphical representations of your EEG in real time.

My colleague in Australia, John Thompson of Neurotribe, put up this YouTube video showing one of my favorite ways to look at my clients' EEGs.

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The orange flashes that you see in the video are the feedback happening. For more about this, please visit the What to Expect page on the New York Neurofeedback website.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

More on Neurofeedback and Migraines

2011-06-27T09:05:00.001-04:00

Here is an ABC news feature on the use of neurofeedback for migraines.

If you're interested in research, a 2011 study headed by a Dallas neurologist investigated neurofeedback's results with migraines. The study showed neurofeedback to be far superior to medication and without the frequent medication side effects.

Please feel free to email me if you have questions or would like to find out if I know a neurofeedback trainer in your area.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback and the Arts

2011-06-10T10:37:00.001-04:00

Can neurofeedback be helpful for those who work in one of the arts? In my experience, absolutely. This is often referred to as peak performance training. Some of the positive changes my creative clients have experienced are:

Elimination or reduction of stage fright.
Increased productivity.
Greater understanding of their own creative process.
Increased ability to stay focused.

For more of the kinds of things people have said about their experience with NeurOptimal® neurofeedback, visit the Client Comments page of the New York Neurofeedback website.

Please feel free to email me or comment here with any questions.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback for Migraines

2011-06-03T15:38:00.001-04:00

This recently published Dallas study of neurofeedback for migraines showed very powerfully positive results.

This is important because most treatment of migraine is with drugs; and the great majority of sufferers say that medications don't completely relieve their pain, or may not work at all. Many find that the drugs have many unpleasant side effects.

By contrast, in this study of neurofeedback used with migraines, 54% reported complete elimination of their migraines, with no side effects. This was after 24 sessions. Others experienced decreases in migraine frequency. Only one person in the neurofeedback group of 46 reported no improvement. None of the control group of 25 people taking migraine medication reported complete relief.

This matches the experience I have had with my clients with migraine - and what I have heard from neurofeedback colleagues.

If you like, you can download a PDF of neurologist Jonathan E. Walker's Clinical EEG and NeuroScience Journal article about his study.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

The Master and His Emissary

2011-05-27T10:50:00.001-04:00

My clients often ask me questions about which hemisphere does what. It's much more complex than the idea that a particular function is located in a particular area of the brain.

For anyone interested in learning more about the functions of the left and right hemispheres - which see the world in intriguingly different ways - I highly recommend The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World. No special scientific background is needed to learn from and enjoy this book.

There is a big clue in the title - but it is probably not what your're thinking!

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback - What to Expect

2011-05-20T09:26:00.001-04:00

When you come for your NeurOptimal® neurofeedback session you'll sit in a comfortable chair watching a moving visual, and you’ll be listening to music. (It's also fine to close your eyes.) You’ll hear very brief pauses in the music – this is the system giving feedback to your brain.

You may not consciously recognize the changes also happening in the visual because it's already changing on its own in several ways. That's fine. The CNS' recognition of sound change is much faster than it is for sight. That's one reason why sound is so primary that it's fine to close your eyes.

You'll have sensors on your ears and head (five altogether). The sensors are there to transmit information to the NeurOptimal® neurofeedback system about the electrical activity of your brain, specifically, to flag for your brain when it is beginning to shift into a learned response to stress (such as worrying about the future). Your central nervous system (your brain and spinal cord) will use that information to renormalize itself, to increase the flexibility and resilience of your system.

This re-normalizing will show up in your life in the way that's right for you. For example, the person who worries excessively about the future will probably find himself doing that less and less.

One of the things I love about being a neurofeedback trainer is seeing how that transformative change unfolds for each person.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback Images with NeurOptimal®

2011-05-13T16:22:00.001-04:00

Below is a video of what my neurofeedback clients look at during their sessions. There are very brief pauses in music such as what you hear on this video (or music of your choice). The interruptions to the music are the feedback to your CNS (central nervous system). More about this below.

Since the key feedback is audio, it's also okay to close your eyes during the sessions.

The pauses happen at the moment that the brain is starting to shift states into a learned response to stress. The pause brings the brain back to the present, where it orients itself to the actual circumstances - "no danger here" - and relaxes.

The old learned response could be anxiety, or loss of focus, or obsessing, or, or, or... whatever those reactions are for each of us. The CNS does what it is masterful at - reorganizes itself around this new information. My clients typically come in saying things like:

I'm just not worried about that anymore. I know I can handle it.
I'm sleeping through the night!
I started to get depressed but it was like I changed my mind.
I'm getting so much more done at work.

If you're interested to know what my experience has been with neurofeedback and things that you'd like to see change, please post a question here - or you can email me. confidentially.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback and Your Unique Brain

2011-05-06T07:55:00.001-04:00

You are a unique human being, even though you are part of a species that you are very much alike. Why is this important to neurofeedback? More about that in a minute. First, did you know that...

The typical adult body has about 50 trillion cells. That’s 50,000,000,000,000 cells.
Your genes and mine are 99.99% identical. That means only one-tenth of one percent difference, but as you can tell just by looking around a room of people that tiny percent has a big effect on what makes each of us unique.
Your brain has about 100 billion neurons. The number of connections they are capable of making is in the quadrillions (one quadrillion is 1 followed by 15 zeros). No wonder you are so unique!

What makes this uniqueness important to neurofeedback is what makes Zengar Institute's NeurOptimal® so special.

Rather than pushing the brain in a predetermined direction based on provider chosen protocols as in other systems, your brain will be given feedback that is unique to you. Your CNS (central nervous system - the brain and spinal cord) is masterful at taking in information and using it to organize itself.

What that translates to is things like more focus, better sleep, less anxiety, more contentment - whatever is right for you.

Please ask questions here, or you are welcome to email me.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

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Neurofeedback for PTSD - Pet Scans Before and After

2011-04-29T14:51:00.002-04:00

This EEG Info video shows Spect scans done at the clinic of Dr. Brian Amen, whom many of you may know from his presentations on PBS about the brain and health. The brain shown belongs to a veteran with PTSD. The difference before and after neurofeedback is striking.

What's even more exciting is what this can translate to for those with PTSD: being able to more fully live their lives again...

Without the persistent intrusive re-experiencing of the original traumas that is characteristic of PTSD
Improved sleep and elimination of the PTSD-associated nightmares
Clearing up the anger, problems with focus, hypervigilance and avoidance of triggers associated with PTSD
Being able to connect again with those they love

On the links page of the New York Neurofeedback website are five international neurofeedback provider lists.

Catherine Boyer, MA,LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback and Addictions

2011-04-22T09:31:00.003-04:00

The bottom line of how I see neurofeedback help with addictions is that it makes it easier to do what's good for you and harder to do what isn't - and in a way that is often experienced as seamless and naturally right for the individual.

The United States government's Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) said in 2004:

The category of disorders associated with substance abuse is the most common psychiatric set of conditions, affecting an estimated 22 million people in this country (SAMHSA, 2004).

I doubt that number has decreased any in the last eight years.

The type of neurofeedback I use with my clients is NeurOptimal®, which I think is state of the art. Here are some of the ways I've seen neurofeedback help with addictions:

Reducing anxiety and depression, two conditions that often lead to self-medicating with alcohol and other substances.
Making it easier to read your own body. People say things like, "I can tell when I'm full now," and "I knew I didn't really want another drink so I didn't have it."
Reducing the need for potentially addictive prescription drugs such as benzodiazepines (commonly prescribed examples are Valium, Klonopin, Xanax and Ativan).
Generally feeling better about yourself. Much addictive behavior is based in shame.
Reducing the symptoms of PTSD that are often factors in substance abuse.
Stress reduction - meaning reducing stress reactions - makes it easier to not turn to the substance.
With neurofeedback training, people often quite naturally make life changes that support sobriety, including getting enough exercise and better nutrition.

If this resonates, you can find links to five lists of neurofeedback providers on my website.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Driving While Distracted

2011-04-15T10:36:00.001-04:00

This post is on the blog because I think it's important. It's not directly related to neurofeedback - although the impulse to get things done now, even when now isn't safe, or anxiety behind the behaviors could indeed be successfully addressed with neurofeedback.

A few days ago, Jane E. Brody in her New York Times Personal Health column wrote an article called Keeping Eyes on Distracted Driving's Toll. Jane quoted Dr. Amy N. Ship of Harvard Medical School, writing in the New England Journal of Medicine: "Driving while distracted is roughly equivalent to driving drunk." Here's another quote from Jane's article:

The National Safety Council estimates that at least 1.6 million crashes - 28 percent of the total - are caused each year by drivers using cellphones or texting. Sometimes those crashes are deadly. The National Highway Traffic Safety Commission reported that in 2008, approximately one in six fatal accidents resulted from a driver being distracted.

Jane's article starts by asking if you have ever done any of a list of activities while driving. I doubt if any of us could say no to all of them. I know I can't.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Introducing Neurotribe Neurofeedback

2011-04-01T09:37:00.001-04:00

John Thompson, a neurofeedback colleague in Perth, Australia who also uses the NeurOptimal® system, has just introduced Neurotribe.

The site is about neurofeedback, but is also about creating a community for those who are interested in learning more, whether as a client or a trainer.

One of the things John has extensive experience in is working with Australian war vets with PTSD. I've learned a lot from him regarding neurofeedback and post traumatic stress. Neurofeedback, of course, is not limited to PTSD. As John says on the Neurotribe home page, neurofeedback is about "performance, wellbeing and personal growth." That can apply to all of us.

Since it is about tuning your brain to its potential, what that means will be very unique to you - whether you are interested in having less anxiety or better sleep, eliminating the symptoms of PTSD, or you want to improve your tennis game.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

A Taste of Spring

2011-03-25T14:10:00.001-04:00

Here in New York City we're all waiting not very patiently for spring. It's been a long, cold winter, so I thought I'd post a slide show from April of 2010. These photos were taken at the New York Botanical Gardens in the Bronx.

New Yorkers and visitors from around the world have been going to the Gardens for 120 years.

Okay, now I'm starting to sound like the Chamber of Commerce... Next post will be back to neurofeedback.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback Can Break the Depression/Anxiety Sleep Deprivation Cycle

2011-03-18T10:19:00.001-04:00

The worst hour for depressed people is often three or four in the morning. A common pattern is to wake about then, feel frustratingly wide awake, worrying about… whatever… and then fall back asleep just in time for the alarm to go off.

Depression (or depression plus anxiety) and sleep problems can seem like a chicken or the egg proposition. Not sleeping well can be destablizing, leading to mood problems; and mood problems can cause sleep disruption.

Very commonly, the first place people doing neurofeedback training notice improvement is in sleep. They describe waking up less during the night and falling back to sleep with much more ease.

Quality of sleep usually improves, too. People remember their dreams more - always a good sign. Waking up feeling rested is a much better way to start the day.

Changes in mood early on are also common. Many of my clients report being able to "just stop" when they start worrying, even at that 3AM witching hour.

Questions? Please comment here or you are welcome to email me.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW

New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback - Think Training not Treatment

2011-03-11T13:47:00.001-05:00

Why?

For me, the word treatment implies a medical model: Something is wrong with you and someone in the health care field is going to give you a diagnosis and recommend treatment.

With neurofeedback training, you are in charge. NeurOptimal® neurofeedback gives your CNS, the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), information about what it is doing right now, which it uses to reorganize itself. This takes advantage of your CNS's masterful ability to take in information and use it on your behalf.

We each have around 100 billion neurons in our brains. That makes for a lot of variety. How the changes from your training roll out will be unique to you, in the order and at the pace that is right for your system. That makes the training virtually side effect free.

Please ask questions or make comments here on the blog. You're also welcome to email me and ask about the kinds of things you'd like to see change .

Visit the Client Comments page of my website to see the kinds of things people have said about their training.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback and History of Child Abuse

2011-03-04T11:10:00.001-05:00

The more we understand about how the brain of a child develops, the more clear it is that having been abused or neglected as a child is present in the wiring of the adult brain. Neurofeedback can be a great help in changing that wiring. I'll get to why in a minute.

First, though: If you're interested in reading more about how brain development is affected by a variety of problems with parenting, read Mindsightby Dan Siegel. More technical, and also fascinating, is the two volume set Affect Dysregulation and Disorders and Repair of the Selfby Allan Schore.

The ability to rewire (discussed in the books) is one reason why good psychotherapy works. Good work done with a therapist you feel a positive connection with literally rewires your brain.

Since NeurOptimal® neurofeedback gives the brain information about what it's doing which the brain then uses to optimize itself, this also can rework the problematic wiring from childhood. Personally, as both a therapist and a neurofeedback trainer, I find them to be very complementary.

More than once, I've had other therapists tell me that the therapy of their client "just took off" when the person started neurofeedback.

Some people are more comfortable with one or the other, some people do both. However you go about it, changing your neural networks changes how you feel, how you react, and how well you are able to live at your potential.

One of the many magical things about our brains is their ability to keep changing, no matter what age we are. Psychotherapy and neurofeedback both take advantage of that.

Please comment here or email me with questions.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback and Psychotherapy

2011-02-25T17:18:00.001-05:00

Below is an interesting video of interviews of two psychotherapists talking about how they use neurofeedback to increase the effectiveness of therapy and decrease the amount of treatment time required.

As both a psychotherapist and a neurofeedback trainer, I agree with them about the benefits. Neurofeedback and counseling are wonderfully complementary.

Many of my therapy clients have done a lot of very good work but find there are still elements of "wiring," either inherited or developed in response to trauma or neglect, that neurofeedback can make the difference with.

Another aspect of using neurofeedback that I especially like is that it typically decreases the negative feelings associated with past traumas without the need for the client to intensely re-experience them. Clients feel freed up in a very natural, organic way. That's wonderful for people who experienced severe abuse as a child, for whom the working through process can be difficult.

If you have questions, please post them here - or you can also email me confidentially.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback for Anxiety and Better Sleep

2011-02-18T09:17:00.001-05:00

Having an anxiety disorder is a misery no one should have to live with.

About 20% of Americans suffer from anxiety. That doesn't mean 20% of Americans will have an anxiety disorder sometime in their lifetime. It means that in any given year one out of five have anxiety to the degree that it is a diagnosable disorder. Which means that a whole lot more of us are suffering from milder forms of anxiety.

Some of the more common types are:

Panic Disorder
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Social Anxiety Disorder
Phobias
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Many people have more than one, including many of my clients. I have seen all of these helped greatly by neurofeedback.

Psychotherapy can also help both by teaching coping techniques and by getting to underlying beliefs that create anxiety. Un-worked through past traumas frequently generate anxiety. Counseling can help you get the past to stay in the past.

Medication can help, but the most commonly prescribed are benzodiazepines, which carry with them a number of side effects and risks, including addiction. You probably will recognize a number of the most common: Xanax, Ativan, Librium, Klonopin and many more.

Benzodiazepines are also used to treat insomnia. This makes sense because anxiety is at the root of many people's problems with sleep.

Anxiety can be in your "wiring," both inherited and developed over time in response to circumstances. Neurofeedback can benefit both. For examples of this, read the Client Comments page of my website.

Please also comment here or email me. If you're not in the New York City area, you can look for a neurofeedback trainer from the Links page of the NYNF website.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback, Depression and Pregnancy

2011-02-11T10:58:00.001-05:00

It's not uncommon to get a call about neurofeedback from a woman concerned about depression and pregnancy. A recent study about the effects of depression in the mother resulting in higher stress hormones in infants is typical of the types of concerns would be parents have.

It can feel like being between a rock and a hard place: Concern about the effects of medication on the developing fetus and concern about the effects of having a depressed mother during pregnancy and after delivery.

Usually people who contact me when they want to have a child are hoping to reduce or eliminate some or all of the psychotropic medications they are taking. Of course, that needs to be done in conjunction with their physician; but frequently it is possible to reduce or eliminate at least some of the medications being taken.

Neurofeedback can be a helpful part of pre-conception and pre- and post-natal care. Please post comments or questions here or you are welcome to email me confidentially.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

When Your Mind Wanders...

2011-02-04T11:38:00.001-05:00

According to recent research done at Harvard, our minds wander away from what we are doing 47% of the time. That's almost half of us "wandering" at any given time!

People's minds are most likely to wander during personal grooming and least likely during sex.

A really interesting conclusion from the research is that day dreaming tends to produce unhappiness. Over the several months of the study, the people whose minds wandered the most were the least happy.

The timing of mind wandering versus mood was tracked and the evidence showed that day dreaming causes mood to drop, not the other way around.

Read more about this interesting research in this New York Times article.

What's the relevance of this to neurofeedback? Staying in the present moment becomes easier, and being in the present moment (rather than wanting to be somewhere else) brings contentment.

You're welcome to post comments here on this interesting topic or ask questions about neurofeedback. You can also email me confidentially.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

The Animators of Life

2011-01-28T11:10:00.001-05:00

This is a wonderful six minute video from The New York Times called The Animators of Life. It beautifully shows detailed animations of the complex inner life of cells, based on decades of research, as well as talking about the projects and people that have produced these animations. (Warning: There will be a short commerical at the beginning.)

This is a visual way to appreciate the awe inspiring systems that are all the forms of life, including us, and certainly including our brains. It's amazing for me to think about this while running someone's neurofeedback session, knowing that the incredibly complex system that is my client's brain is using what we are doing to re-normalize itself and reach its potential.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

New Study on Sleep and Learning

2011-01-20T10:18:00.001-05:00

The power of sleep to strengthen new memories is demonstrated in a joint study conducted by Harvard Medical School and the University of York. The study was published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Sleep helps you learn. For the study, volunteers learned new words, were tested, and then went to sleep. In the morning they were tested again. Not only did they remember more words than they did right after learning them, but they also recognized them more quickly. Sleep had strengthened the new learning.

There's a direct connection to neurofeedback. Sleep is often one of the first things that people who come for training see improvements in. This may be any of the following:

Falling asleep more easily
Waking less or not at all during the night
Easier to fall back asleep if you do wake
More memory of dreams
Deeper, more restorative sleep

If you have questions about how neurofeedback could help you improve your sleep please post them here, or you can email me confidentially.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neuroplasticity and Neurofeedback

2011-01-10T11:04:00.001-05:00

Neuroplasticity means our brains' ability to change and reorganize our networks of neurons.

It is not true that past a certain age, the brain can't change. Fortunately for us, neuroplasticity continues throughout life.

Neurofeedback takes advantage of this. NeurOptimal® neurofeedback gives your brain the information it needs to reorganize and optimize itself. That translates in life to better focus and concentration and less anxiety, depression, etc. To get an idea of the types of things neurofeedback can help with, visit the Client Comments page of my website.

Neuroplasticity is also enhanced by taking care of these six elements of life:

Nutrition - Omega 3s, for example, are great for a healthy brain and neuroplasticity.
Aerobic exercise - yet another reason moving our bodies around is good for us.
Social relationships - If you have social anxiety, neurofeedback is likely to reduce or eliminate it.
Sleep - often the first area in which people getting neurofeedback notice improvements.
Novelty - learning new things generates new neurons and new neural connections.
Closely paying attention activates neural circuits - neurofeedback can improve focus (and reduce ADD). Meditation and mindfulness training are also helpful in increasing the ability to be in the moment and pay close attention.

Please post any comments you have. You're also welcome to email me.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback Used with ADD

2011-01-04T17:26:00.001-05:00

Rae Tattenbaum, a colleague, friend and the owner of Inner Act in Hartford, Connecticut, talks in this video about neurofeedback as a drugless solution for ADD. The video shows NeurOptimal® being used. This is the neurofeedback system I use and believe is state of the art.

Rae is also known for her work in peak performance.

NeurOptimal® "tunes up" the brain to its potential, making it effective at improving, among other things, focus and concentration, and decreasing stage fright and other types of blocks to doing our best. Neurofeedback is being used for everyone from opera singers to Olympic athletes.

Please post comments or questions here, or email me.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Benoît Mandelbrot

2010-12-27T14:43:00.001-05:00

The images used on this blog and on the New York Neurofeedback website are fractals.

Benoît Mandelbrot, who died in 2010, changed how we can view ourselves and our world by introducing us to fractal geometry. It mirrored the complex real world in ways that the pristine and simpler shapes of classical geometry that we learned as school children did not.

This is the New York Times tribute to him, written by James Gleick. It was published in this Sunday's annual Magazine issue, The Lives They Lived.

You can read and see more on the Fractals page of my website, and Gleick's book Chaos: Making a New Science is an excellent introduction to fractals and chaos theory.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Responsibility, Compassion, Connection

2010-12-17T11:15:00.001-05:00

This wonderful short film called Second Line was directed and acted in by Danny Glover. It's inspiring. It also made me laugh out loud. Liberty Mutual (which I have no connection to) funded it as part of The Responsibility Project.

One thing I've learned from 20 plus years as a psychotherapist and for the last six years as a neurofeedback trainer is that personal healing leads to living with more compassion and more moment to moment awareness of our connection to others. Doing "the right thing" becomes easier, even effortless. And has a ripple effect, as the film shows...

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Van der Kolk Trauma Center Incorporates Neurofeedback

2010-12-10T15:30:00.001-05:00

Dr. Bessel van der Kolk has for decades been a well-respected leader in the treatment of severe trauma.

By severe trauma, I mean Dissociate Identity Disorder (which used to be called Multiiple Personality Disorder) as well as PTSD and types of personality disorders that usually stem from abuse and neglect.

State of the art treatment programs at the van der Kolk Center in Massachusetts are based on his research. The article I just linked you to lists some of the types of treatments available at the Center:

[The programs] have names such as Attachment, Self-Regulation, and Competence Treatment; Sensory Motor Arousal Regulation Therapy; Trauma-Informed Yoga; and neurofeedback, [and] Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing [EMDR].

This is a residential treatment center, but it's possible to find many of these treatments in most areas. On the links page of my website you can connect to two lists of neurofeedback providers.

For clinicians and researchers, Treating Complex Traumatic Stress Disorders: An Evidence Based Guide, is a comprehensive resource, including Dr. van der Kolk's work along with other leading edge thinkers.

Our understanding of trauma has grown by leaps and bounds. Trauma changes the brain and affects the development of the brains of children. We're now understanding much more about what is needed to heal these traumas, not just manage the consequences of them.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

The Benefits of Getting More Green

2010-11-30T09:38:00.001-05:00

This may at first seem a bit off topic for a neurofeedback blog, but...

I've been writing elsewhere for awhile now on the benefits to mood from getting out into nature. It made my day to read this article about the physical as well as mental health benefits of getting out into nature. It's by Jane Brody, who writes a wonderful weekly column for the Tuesday Science Times section of the The New York Times.

The article particularly emphasizes the health risks to children of not getting outdoors - and the benefits of getting more time with green. It cites one study, for example, that shows improved cognitive functioning in children after moving to an area that is greener - not more affluent, just more green growing things.

Outdoor play is time not spent with electronics. I'm thinking about that for children - but not just for kids. How many of us as adults are wedded to our computers and our smartphones?

The relationship to neurofeedback - whether for children or adults - is that anything that supports brain health - exercise, nutrition, sleep, social connection, meditation - will help your brain take maximum advantage of the neurofeedback training. So... go outdoors as much as you can!

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Is There a Type D Personality?

2010-11-22T16:34:00.001-05:00

According to this US News article about Type D personality people, anxiety, stress, depression and negativity - hallmarks of this type - triple the risk for heart problems.

Type D is a name for people who tend to see the glass as half full and to worry about both small and large things. Often they are chronically angry. At the same time many do not show their feelings.

In addition to the health risks, it doesn't sound like much fun, does it? If you recognize yourself, you already know that these traits don't make for a great quality of life.

I've found neurofeedback to be helpful in decreasing all of these tendencies in my clients. People say things like:

It takes more to get to me.
I've been forgetting to worry about a lot of things. But I'm not worried about that either.
When I get depressed now, it lasts a few hours instead of days or weeks.

Visit the Client Comments page of my website for more of what people say. And please post questions here or email me.

It's not necessary to remain a Type D.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

How to Survive the Holidays

2010-11-13T16:22:00.000-05:00

Usually when my clients are asking about this, they are talking about going home for the holidays, but it can be equally difficult when your family is coming to you.

If family holidays are at best stressful and at worst they repeat that bad stuff that happened when you lived there, here are some ways to make a holiday visit as healthy as possible for you.

If you're currently getting neurofeedback training it's a good idea to go home with your brain "tuned up." Scheduling a session for right after you get back can be very helpful, too, especially if you have jet lag to deal with. And here are six non-neurofeedback tips on how to survive holidays at home.

Make sure you get time away from the house. Go for a walk, run an errand, see a movie. This may be easier when you're the visitor instead of the host or hostess, but sometimes just five minutes alone in the backyard or the back room can help.
Have a support person lined up. That could be a good friend from where you live now, ready to remind you over the phone that you have a life outside your family. Get psychotherapy if you need it. (Many therapists will make a phone appointment with you during an out of town visit.)
If you are the visitor and there are people you like who live in the same town or city as your family, make plans to see them on your own during the visit. The idea is to have some time away from your relations. Or you may have a sibling or cousin with whom you have fun getting away from everyone else for awhile.
Conduct an experiment: Study your family members as if you were meeting them for the first time. This will give you some helpful distance and perspective. And it can be surprising.
Remember: You are not your family; you are a separate person.

If you haven't done neurofeedback yet, it can be extremely helpful in navigating any stressful situation. Old learned reactions to stress drop away as the brain becomes more resilient and flexible.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Three Ways to Keep Your Brain Healthy

2010-11-02T08:39:00.001-04:00

Dr. John H. Byrne is chairman of the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Medical School. In an interview, he had three recommendations for promoting brain health. All of these are highly complementary with neurofeedback. They may also improve memory.

Exercise - more and more studies show that exercise promotes the growth of new nerve cells in the brain.

Diet - there are foods that are good for the brain.

Brain Activity - learning new things and being social increase neuroplasticity - the brain's ability to change itself.

I've just summarized these briefly. You can read more details in the full article on how to keep your brain healthy. And read this post on Foods Your Brain Will Thank You For. Some of your favorite foods are quite likely to be on the list.

The healthier the brain the more benefit it will get from neurofeedback. It's also interesting that most people who come for neurofeedback find after they've been training for awhile that it's easier to do what's good for them - and not do what isn't!

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback and Better Sleep

2010-10-11T07:56:00.000-04:00

It's a smart thing to be concerned about. Not that long ago the common belief was that during sleep the brain just turned off. Not even close.

Growth and repair occur during sleep, including building bone, muscle and tissue.
Learning is integrated.
Hormones are secreted.

The list is much longer. Here's a short article about what sleep is and how much we need. Sleep is also important in preventing problems.

New studies show sleep deprivation is associated with reduced lifespan.
Lack of sleep has been linked to increased risk of depression, heart disease and some forms of cancer.

If you're concerned about your sleep, consider seeing a sleep specialist or going to a sleep clinic.

Many sleep problems can be helped by neurofeedback. For example, sleep problems related to anxiety typically respond very well, and neurofeedback also helps with adjusting to wearing the C-PAP, a respiratory device often prescribed for apnea. Anyone who suffers from insomnia should consider neurofeedback.

If you have questions, please post a comment here or email me.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW

New York Neurofeedback

Finding a Neurofeedback Trainer

2010-10-05T08:04:00.000-04:00

If you're having trouble finding a neurofeedback trainer near you, it's not too surprising, especially if you don't live in an urban area. There are probably less than 10,000 of us in the world.

That number is growing as neurofeedback becomes better known. More people are drawn to becoming trainers, sometimes out of their own experience of changes brought about by neurofeedback for themselves or someone they know well.

Or they may be in an allied profession - for example, I received an email a week or so ago from a psychotherapist who was thinking of adding neurofeedback to what she can offer her clients. She had seen on my website that I'm also a psychotherapist. We had an interesting conversation about the combination. Because it directly addresses the "wiring" in the brain, neurofeedback can be the missing piece for people who have done a lot of therapy and other kinds of work on themselves but still aren't feeling and living the way they want to.

If you're interested in NeurOptimal® neurofeedback (which I believe is the state of the art), you can look for a provider by visiting the New York Neurofeedback website where you'll find links to three international neurofeedback provider lists.

You're also welcome to email me and let me know where you live and what a reasonable commute for you is. I may personally know someone in your area.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

How Long Does Neurofeedback Take?

2010-09-27T13:18:00.000-04:00

I've posted about this before, but it's worth talking about again. Understandably, it's a question new clients are very interested in.

In the old days (which in neurofeedback might be only two or three years ago), there was a commonly held guideline that 20 sessions were needed for integration of change. The neuroeedback system I use, NeurOptimal® has evolved to the point where I'm not so sure that 20 session rule of thumb still holds.

The least sessions I've seen a client need to get the change they want (and have it hold when I've checked back six months or a year later) is eight or nine. That's been when someone came in with something of fairly recent vintage (for example, mood problems that started with onset of menopause a year or two prior).

When a client comes in with a lot of things they'd like to see change and those things have been around for many years, I expect it to take more sessions than eight or nine to get good benefits and have them stick. But if there's one thing I've learned from being a neurofeedback trainer, is that every time I think I know what to expect, I'm likely to be surprised, almost always pleasantly. Every brain is unique.

Many people experience change after just the first (briefer than usual) training. Almost everyone does by the fourth or fifth session. If not, we start figuring out why not.

Some people keep coming after they've checked the important stuff off their list because they want to see what else might happen.

Please post comments or questions here on the blog. You're also welcome to email me.

For information about the kinds of things neurofeedback can help with click the New York Neurofeedback link below to go to my website's home page or visit Client Comments to see what others have said about the changes brought about by neurofeedback.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Your Brain Needs a Break

2010-09-20T20:25:00.000-04:00

This is an interesting recent article in the New York Times about the brain's need for downtime.

Many of us now fill all those small moments waiting...

For an elevator
On line in the supermarket
On a bus or subway

...with activities on our smartphones. The article suggests that the absence of all those small amounts of time "doing nothing" deprive the brain of the chance to...

Integrate learning
Remember information
Have new ideas

Hmmm. Something to think about. I know one of the things many of my clients like about their neurofeedback sessions is that there's nothing for them to do but sit in the chair. With NeurOptimal® neurofeedback, clients listen to music that gives their brains feedback that it uses to become more resilient, flexible and stable. For more about this, visit the What to Expect page of my website.

If you find it hard to conceive of leaving those moments... empty... there's probably a reason. You might be distracting yourself from anxiety, for example. Or we may all be rewiring our brains to think we need to be always occupied.

I love my smartphone, so I also understand the appeal. One of the things neurofeedback has helped me with is keeping balance in my life - including having my goodie-filled phone and giving my brain downtime. And I get feedback from my clients that they are more able to make good choices for themselves about all those activities and substances that can be addictive.

Please post comments here or email me.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

The Brain and Neuroplasticity

2010-09-10T11:59:00.000-04:00

Norman Doidge, author of The Brain That Changes Itself, believes that the idea of neuroplasticity - the brain's ability to change itself - is the most revolutionary new understanding of the brain in 400 years.

The brain is able to change how it functions and to change its own structure. We are not limited to the brain we have when we reach adulthood, as was believed for hundreds of years.

The video below shows the first eight minutes of a program featuring Dr. Doidge, produced by Slow TV in Australia. The full program can be viewed by clicking here.

What does this have to do with neurofeedback? Your brain's neuroplasticity, it's ability to change itself, is integral to the effectiveness of neurofeedback training. With NeurOptimal® neurofeedback, the system I use, your central nervous system (your brain and spinal cord) is given feedback when it is about to make a shift in state that reflects a maladaptive learned or inherited response to stress (loss of focus, anxiety, obsessive thinking, to give a few examples). The brain comes back to the presence moment, assesses for safety (my office is very safe), and relaxes. Over time, this becomes more and more the default way of operating. And the life of you, the client, is transformed.

To get a sense of what this new wiring looks like in peoples' lives, visit the Client Comments page of my website.

If you have comments or questions about neurofeedback or what it might help you with, please post here or email me.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

New Sleep Center Opens in New York City

2010-08-27T10:35:00.000-04:00

New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Hospital has just opened a new state of the art sleep center. I'm hoping state of the art means it will be including neurofeedback as one of the ways it works with people, because for most of my clients sleep is one of the first things they see improvement in.

The article linked to above cites the statistic that one out of five Americans is sleepy during the daytime.

I'm surprised it's not higher than that. Maybe that's because I live and work in New York City, which is pretty notorious for long hours at work and late nights. Or because many of my clients come for help getting sleep - and for anxiety which is a common cause of sleeplessness.

Still, one in five is a very significant number. Sleep deprivation contributes to lower productivity, automobile and other accidents. People who start getting enough sleep report more clarity, better decision making, more integration of new learning and a host of other benefits over and above feeling rested. Reduced sleep has been linked to decreased longevity. Sleep apnea strains the heart.

Don't just put up with not getting enough sleep or not sleeping well. One thing you can do as a start is learn about and improve your sleep hygiene (the link takes you to a page on my psychotherapy website where you can download a free PDF file.) Click on this next link for a video about neurofeedback and sleep and more about what to expect from neurofeedback.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Why Relaxing Is So Hard

2010-08-20T07:53:00.000-04:00

This interesting Wall Street Journal article, Why Relaxing is Hard Work, talks about how our plugged in way of life makes it hard to "power down," even on vacations.

I'm hearing about this a lot from my counseling and neurofeedback clients. 24/7 availability to work and, for some, the desire to have a clean inbox - which is now not just the paper inbox but also, of course, the virtual inbox - where is the off switch? (Daily emails have increased from 12 billion in 2000 to 247 billion in 2010!)

One simple tip I tell clients is: Don't answer everything immediately, just to get it off your plate. People who are also trying to get through their inbox will just answer you right away, and then you answer them, and then...

It's also a good idea to limit email to one or two periods of the day. If you're like me, it's tempting to keep checking (and then emptying).

People who really need to have a clean inbox may be suffering from anxiety and attempting to reduce it by getting everything done, an impossible task. Those emails just keep coming! Addressing the anxiety directly may be a better choice with big longterm benefits. On my website you can read the comments of people who have benefited from trying neurofeedback to reduce anxiety, among other things neurofeedback can help with.

The fast pace of work can make it hard to slow down - evenings, weekends, vacations. That makes it important to take at least mini-breaks regularly. Five minutes - even one minute - of focusing on your breath can make a huge difference to your body's ability to shift out of "fight or flight," the state all too many of us are living in these days.

Neurofeedback can also help with this, as it teaches the brain flexibility and resilience, which means more ability to shift states fluidly and to bounce back to a healthy state after a high stress time.

I love email (especially being in more frequent contact with friends at a distance), but I want it and the other ways we're "plugged in" to be a benefit in my life rather than a problem. Staying awake about what's going on is part of the solution.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Depression and Health

2010-08-13T10:25:00.000-04:00

Besides feeling awful and keeping people from fully living their lives, depression needs to be treated because of associated health risks. For example, this recent article discusses the possibility that depression may increase the risk of dementia.

Some things you can do:

Psychotherapy even if you are taking medication that is helping - studies show therapy is better at preventing reoccurrences.
Regular exercise helps reduce both depression and anxiety.
As demonstrated in a study of the positive effects of a form of meditation called Transcendental Meditation, meditation and mindfulness training can alleviate depression. (Jon Kabit-Zinn, the doctor largely responsible for bringing meditation into mainstream medicine, teaches meditation in the video on this post on my psychotherapy blog.) (Please note that this study of TM does not imply that all forms of meditation may reduce depression.)

What does this have to do with neurofeedback? One of the results people typically experience from neurofeedback training is increased ability to live in the present moment - and that's what meditation is all about. For those of you who can't sit still and think that because of that you can't meditate, I predict that you'll be surprised at how that changes for you after even a few neurofeedback sessions.

And I have had many, many clients whose depression lifted and anxiety lessened with neurofeedback.

If you have questions about any of this, please post them here or email me.

Catherine Boyer, MA,, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

The Hand Model of the Brain

2010-08-06T09:31:00.000-04:00

Most of us find it hard to keep the parts of the brain in mind. I know I do - Latin names are difficult to hold onto. Anterior cingulate... Corpus calloscum... Here's a short video of Dan Siegel describing the brain in easy to understand terms. He uses a great, always available teaching aid - your hand.

Dan uses this handy (honestly, I did not see that pun until I was proofreading this) teaching aid with everyone from therapists and other professionals to parents and their children. It certainly beats the $400 model of the brain I was looking at!

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback and PTSD

2010-07-30T10:57:00.000-04:00

PTSD has been in the news a lot lately related to soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. This description of the criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD was published by the Department of Veteran Affairs, but PTSD can be the aftermath of any kind of life-threatening (or perceived as life-threatening) experience.

Many clinicians also believe that there is a PTSD-like set of symptoms that comes from having suffered chronic child abuse - which is a highly stressful way to grow up.

Neurofeedback can be very helpful with all of these conditions.

This video with Dr. Siegfried Ottmer, one of the pioneers in the neurofeedback field, shows pre and post neurofeedback SPECT scans of a veteran who had been suffering from PTSD. The changes in brain activity are dramatic - as were the changes in the veteran's life.

Please post any questions you have here on the blog, or you're welcome to email me and ask if I think neuroeedback could help you. You'll get an honest answer.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Foods Your Brain Will Thank You For

2010-07-23T09:50:00.000-04:00

Having as healthy a brain as possible can't help but contribute to the outcome of your neurofeedback training.

Nutritionist Barbara Mendez, who has guest posted here, recently wrote a post on her own blog Roots and Seeds titled Six Foods Your Brain Will Thank You For.

Here are the six foods - to read more about how each is good for your brain, click on the link above.

Blueberries
Wild Alaskan salmon
Nuts and seeds
Avacados
Flax
Cacao

Hmmm, cacao... chocolate... None of those foods sound hard to take, do they? I get a daily dose of flax by sprinkling ground flax seeds on my cereal (get the vacuum packed kind for freshness). This kind of good nutrition will help your brain make the most of the good work your brain is doing in neurofeedback training - and all the other things you do in life.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

The History of Neurofeedback

2010-07-17T13:51:00.000-04:00

I had never heard of neurofeedback until about 2002, when I was looking for help with life long sleep problems that had gotten worse as I got older. After trying all sorts of things - medications, relaxation training, supplements, CDs for sleep - a colleague recommended neurofeedback, and I found a provider in New York. Pretty quickly my sleep improved, and not long after that I decided to add NeurOptimal™ to my psychotherapy practice.

The fact that I hadn't heard of neurofeedback doesn't mean it hadn't been around. Neurofeedback actually goes back to the 1960s and has a really interesting history including experiments involving space flight.

Prior to the invention of the Pentium chip for computers, neurofeedback could only be done in hospital or university settings having what were then called super computers. (Now the laptop I'm typing this post on has more than enough power.) This means that you can come for neurofeedback to small clinics and to private offices like mine.

If you'd like to read more about neurofeedback's history, I recommend A Symphony in the Brain by Jim Robbins. Jim makes science understandable and entertaining for non-scientists. His book will give you an good idea of the many ways neurofeedback can be helpful.

The book stops short of NeurOptimal™ but it's still a good place to start. (You can read more about the differences between other forms of neurofeedback and NeurOptimal™ on this page of my website.) NeurOptimal™ is state of the art, effective, and virtually side effect free. I find it very exciting and rewarding using this cutting edge technology with my clients and watching the changes that take place for them.

If you'd like to ask how neurofeedback could specifically help you, please comment here or email me. Or if you'd like to ask for a referral to a trainer in your area, I very likely may know someone.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Time in Nature Boosts Vitality

2010-07-08T21:07:00.000-04:00

While you're deciding if neurofeedback is right for you, there's a simple thing you can do to improve your life that is backed up by science.

Research shows that spending more time in nature increases well-being and energy. A series of studies published in the June 2010 issue of the Journal of Environmental Psychology found, among other things, that as little as 20 minutes a day outside in nature boosted vitality levels. You don't have to be active when you're outdoors (although exercise carries its own set of benefits, including increasing new neuron generation). All you have to do is be there.

Here in New York we're blessed with beautiful parks. I hope these photos of Central Park will give you a little hit of nature until you can get outdoors yourself.

And please email me with any questions you have about neurofeedback and how it might benefit you.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Meditation and Neurofeedback

2010-07-02T12:32:00.000-04:00

Meditation reduces the experience of pain, a recent University of Manchester study confirms, as reported in the Journal Pain.

Because meditation builds the ability to stay in the present moment, meditators anticipate pain less and are less bothered by it. This makes sense to me, and perhaps on a physical level as well. If we're not worrying about approaching pain (Blood tests! Vaccinations!), we're not tensing up.

I'm happy to see studies like this, because I believe mindfulness practice has great value for just about everybody. It's become commonplace for me to encourage mindfulness practice for my psychotherapy clients. And the type of neurofeedback I offer is very much about training you to return to the present moment. Neurofeedback clients who are already meditators often report increased benefits from their meditation. It is amazing how different the experience of life is if we are just... present. Not worrying about tomorrow or turning yesterday over and over in our minds. Just being right here.

People often think of meditation as being about attaining a blissful state or having a quiet mind. Those things may happen, but meditation is really about building the "awareness muscle."

What I mean by that is getting really good at being present, noticing when we're meditating when we've drifted off into...

What's for dinner?

Is it 20 minutes yet???

Or finding yourself in another room, or at the computer, not remembering how you got there...

...and then returning to the present moment (and your meditation cushion). It can be meditating on the breath (my personal favorite), or on a mantra, or whatever type of meditation resonates for you. It's that pulse of being in the moment, drifting off, returning to the moment, over and over, that builds the muscle.

Building that awareness muscle serves us well in the rest of life. Not anticipating pain and worrying about it, as this study shows; and also enjoying what's in front of us, right now.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Clients Tell their Own Stories

2010-06-25T10:47:00.000-04:00

People's own words about their experience with neurofeedback are often the most useful and powerful in understanding what might be possible for you. Joan Cross, a colleague in Washington State, made this video of her clients talking about what had changed for them with neurofeedback. She's been kind enough to share it with us.

In the six and a half minute video, Joan's clients talk about changes they experienced with migraines, PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), difficulty with sleep, and autism.

How can neurofeedback work with such different things? Read this blog post.

Joan Cross has 30 years of experience in neurorehabilitation and is located north of Seattle in La Conner, Washington. Her website is Inner Wave Center. You can also email Joan. If you're interested in neurofeedback in the New York area, please email me or call 212-877-6923 with any questions.You can also post comments or questions here on the blog.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback and ADHD

2010-06-18T10:45:00.000-04:00

I've seen real solid improvement in attention and focus and decreased distractedability in the adults with ADD and ADHD who've come to me for neurofeedback training. My colleagues who work with children also report very good results.

The Journal of Neurotherapy has just published a position paper on the use of neurofeedback with ADHD, describing it as safe and effective. Here's a link to a review of the position paper - Neurofeedback and ADHD - or you can purchase the paper itself from the Journal by clicking here.

Medication can be helpful with attention problems, but if it was for myself or someone I know I'd want to try neurofeedback first, especially with the developing brain of a child. I don't work with children myself, but if you would like a referral for your child to someone in New York City or elsewhere, please email me (or if you'd like to come for yourself).

You can also post questions here on the blog.

Catherine Boyrer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback and Psychotherapy

2010-06-11T09:40:00.000-04:00

How are neurofeedback and psychotherapy related? Do you need to do both? What if you've done lots of therapy and still don't feel the way you want to?

Here is an interesting two minute video of two psychotherapists talking about how they use neurofeedback and psychotherapy.

I was a psychotherapist for many years before I heard of neurofeedback. Now I've been using both for several years, I have found that they complement each other well. Some of my clients do both. Or I may find myself suggesting neurofeedback to a client who came for counseling, especially when they've had years of therapy and still aren't where they want to be.

If you feel that description fits you, or you have other questions, please comment here on the blog (you can post anonymously, or email me.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

How to Make New Neurons in Your Brain

2010-06-04T16:10:00.000-04:00

Why is this important? Your brain makes use of the new neurons to implement change. Change is what you wanted when you got interested in neurofeedback, or psychotherapy, or any of the other things we look to in order to feel better and live our lives more fully. So this is about giving your brain what it needs to help it make the changes you want for yourself.

Neuroplasticity is enhanced by:

Aerobic exercise
Novelty
Emotional arousal
Mindfulness practice

So - moving your body, learning something new, excitement and enthusiasm, and mindfulness practice are all activities that will produce new neurons in your brain.

For more information on the kinds of things that can change for you, visit my website. You can also email me with any questions you have.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback - on Manhattan's Upper West Side

Neuroplasticity and Neurofeedback -- Why It's Important

2010-05-28T15:35:00.000-04:00

Why is neuroplasticity important for you - and for neurofeedback?

It's very important - it's been exciting seeing neuroplasticity mentioned so much in the media lately. Neuroplasticity refers to the brain's lifelong capacity to generate new neurons. "Lifelong" is the big news - our prior understanding - not that long ago - was that this ability went away once we reached adulthood. Not so - you can make new neurons indefinitely. One of the things the brain uses them for is new learning - and learning is what your brain is doing with neurofeedback.

For more about neuroplasticity, if you enjoyed Sharon Begley's Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain, you'll also like The Brain That Changes Itself, by Norman Doidge. Each fascinating chapter tells the story of how people are able to use the highly adaptive brain (that we each have) to recover from or adapt to a wide variety of conditions and injuries.

My next post will be about how you can enhance your own brain's neuroplasticity.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback and Anxiety

2010-05-21T15:19:00.000-04:00

Neurofeedback can be very helpful with:

Social Anxiety
Generalized Anxiety
OCD - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Panic Attacks
Phobias

All of these, and other forms of anxiety are miserable to have. People who are both depressed and anxious are statistically at greater risk of suicide than people who are just depressed. It is not at all a fun way to experience life. I encourage you to not just put up with it.

Most commonly, the first two things my clients report are better sleep and less anxiety, often after the first one or two sessions. Other things may take a bit longer or sometimes a lot longer.

For a sampling of the results reported by my clients, visit the Client Comments page of my website. If you have problems with anxiety, you're likely to relate to things you read there. That's also true if there are other things you'd like to see change: Focus and attention problems, depression, "chemo brain," and others. I love the things my clients report and there's a broad sampling there.

If you are considering neurofeedback for anxiety, while you are mulling it over you could also practice the well-validated Relaxation Response breathing method. Click here to go to the Links page of my website, where you can download a free PDF instruction sheet.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback and Exercise

2010-05-14T09:45:00.000-04:00

We all know exercise is good for our physical health. What about mental health? The benefits of exercise in reducing both anxiety and depression have been clearly established. The Mayo Clinic website, for example, talks about it in this article.

The brain forms more new neurons when we exercise. New neurons are used for change. If you're depressed or anxious, you want that to change. If you want to improve your golf score or SAT, you want those things to change for the better, too.

The training your brain gets from neurofeedback takes advantage of those new neurons.

But what if you just don't like to exercise? Find something you do like that moves your body around.

Do you like to compete? Find a team sport to take up.
If you hate jogging, put on fast music that you love and dance.
Walk - park your car or get off the bus or subway a stop or two early and walk the rest.
Don't like yoga or Pilates? Try a martial art.

As well as being good for your brain, as we all know, there are cardiovascular and other health benefits from exercising. Most people with a little thought and experimenting can find a type of exercise that they don't have to force or bribe themselves to do. I think that part is important - that the type of exercise you get is a fit for you and, if at all possible, fun.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Anxiety, Depression and Nutrition

2010-05-07T09:40:00.000-04:00

What you eat can play a big role in mood. I ask all my neurofeedback clients about their nutrition and often hear about eating habits that may be contributing to their depression and anxiety.

Poor nutrition can also slow down their progress with neurofeedback. Often, they need information and guidance about the ways they can feel better by feeding their brains well. The nutritionist I refer them to is Barbara Mendez. I especially like the way she starts people off with a manageable amount of change and educates them about how it makes a difference to their bodies, including their brain.

I thought it would be helpful to post some of that information here, so I asked Barbara to be a "guest poster." Here's what she wrote for us:

Recent British research showed that a diet that is high in processed and refined foods can lead to anxiety and depression. This is a conundrum for those afflicted by either condition. While many stressed out, anxious people feel drawn to soothe themselves with cookies and cakes that offer immediate relief, a short time later they are left feeling more depressed and anxious than before.

What do they do? How can they help themselves feel better without running to the doctor for a prescription for Prozac and Xanax? The answer is through diet. Foods that restore serotonin balance are available in every farm stand and grocery store, and it is really not that hard to do.

Eliminate Sugar

The reason that sugar helps to calm you down is that the insulin rush that accompanies sugar consumption floods out competing amino acids and allows tryptophan, the precursor to serotonin, to win the absorption race. While sugar may give you immediate relief from stress and anxiety because of the intense flood of serotonin that it unleashes, anything that goes up that high must come down and when it does it usually crashes.

When you self medicate with sugar you are setting yourself up to feel depressed, anxious and sad in a vicious, ever changing cycle. It will feel hard to get a handle on your emotions and then as your waistline expands from the extra calories and insulin rush, this will add to your already compromised mood.

Eliminating sugar will allow you to feel steady, balanced, calm and happy. You will find that while the external factors are the same, and nothing at work or at home has changed, your ability to deal with it all has. For some suggestions on how to eliminate sugar from your diet, check out my blog.

Barbara Mendez, R.Ph. M.S.

I rarely eat sugar myself, and I know personally the difference that change can make. It's possible to do this and still get great enjoyment from what you're eating. For more information about Barbara and her services, visit her website, Barbara Mendez Nutrition.

Neurofeedback also makes it much easier for most people to do what's good for them and not do what isn't. People report back to me things like, "Now I know when I'm full," and "I could tell I really didn't want that second glass of wine, so I didn't have it." Making these kinds of changes can feel right and easy.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback - Why Change Can Happen

2010-04-30T09:57:00.000-04:00

You know the saying, "Can't teach an old dog new tricks." It's wrong. Our newer understanding of the brain says that just isn't so.

You are able to change your brain throughout your life. You are doing this right now as you read this blog post.

There is so much we don't know about the central nervous system (your brain and spinal cord), the most complex system on the Earth but we now know that neuroplasticity, the ability of the brain to rewire itself, continues throughout life.

Neuroplasticity is one of the things that makes neurofeedback work. If you'd like to know more about this wonderful ability of the brain to change itself and improve your well-being and functioning in life, I recommend Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain, by Sharon Begley. Very readable and quite fascinating, it also explains why exercise is so important for a healthy brain.

If you have a question or comment, please post it here or email me.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback - What's Possible?

2010-04-23T12:14:00.000-04:00

Probably more than you think. Here's a personal example.

I first heard of neurofeedback in relationship to my own sleep problems. Sleep improved quite quickly, but then I also noticed other things were getting better.

My husband was also reporting positive changes that he saw in me. I asked him what he'd noticed and he said, "You're not angry at me as often." I thought he'd just been behaving better! (Naturally, he was all for my continuing with neurofeedback.)

I also had less anxiety. For a really clear example of that, read the story of what made me decide to become a neurofeedback trainer. I tell about how that popular anxiety dream about being back in school and not being prepared changed dramatically. (About 60% of women and 40% of men report having school anxiety dreams long after they're out of school.)

Neurofeedback trains the brain to be at its best, more resilient and more stable, and also more flexible. Part of the fun as a trainer is in watching how that shows up in each individual.

My point in telling you my own neurofeedback story? Have goals for what you'd like to see changed, but don't be surprised if other things change as well! And please comment here or email me with questions.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Parts of the Brain

2010-04-18T09:53:00.000-04:00

If you ever wanted a way to learn the parts of the brain... This is a very cute video.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback - What to Expect

2010-04-14T09:28:00.000-04:00

You can get more detailed information about what a NeurOptimal™ neurofeedback session is like by visiting this page of the New York Neurofeedback website. But, briefly: You'll be sitting in a comfortable chair listening to music and watching constantly moving visuals like these. (It's also fine to close your eyes.) You're watching images similar to the slide show below; but the actual visuals flow beautifully, with the colors and other elements changing from moment to moment.

The system will be reading the electrical activity on the surface of your head (your EEG). By very brief pauses in the music, it will be giving your CNS (Central Nervous System - your brain and spinal cord) information about what it's doing - in real time - that it will use to tune itself to its potential. People experience less anxiety, better sleep, improved job performance and much more - because the CNS is involved in virtually everything you do.

If you have questions about whether neurofeedback has helped people with the kinds of things you'd like for yourself, please post questions here or you can email me directly.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Jill Bolte Taylor's Stroke of Insight

2010-04-05T13:34:00.000-04:00

This is a video of neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor talking about the massive stroke she had at age 37. She watched herself lose functions with all her professional knowledge of what was happening to her. If you think this will be upsetting or depressing to watch, I predict you will have exactly the opposite experience. It is inspiring, and not in the usual way of such stories.

Neuroanatomy, Jill Bolte's field, is the branch of anatomy that deals with the nervous system. That's why this video and book are of so much interest to a neurofeedback provider. If you enjoyed the video, you may also want to read her book, My Stroke of Insight. Highly recommended if you or anyone you love has suffered a stroke.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback, Ambien and Sleep

2010-03-26T09:05:00.000-04:00

This video of a broadcast on Fox News hits Ambien hard regarding the negative experiences some have had (including depression, sleep walking, sleep driving, and violent behavior). It also shows the kind of neurofeedback I use with my clients, NeurOptimal™ and reports on the positive changes that clients had with their sleep.

I find with my clients that, whatever they came to neurofeedback for, sleep is very often the first thing that improves (emotional reactivity also usually gets better quickly). Changes typically begin to occur after the first session to four or five sessions.

My clients often aren't aware of what good sleep hygiene is. I made a handout for them. There is a free downloadable PDF copy of it available here on my psychotherapy website. It will tell you what good sleep hygiene is. There are a lot of things you can do (and avoid doing) that promote good sleep.

Good sleep quality and quantity is so important for our physical, mental and emotional well-being. Questions? Please post a comment or question here or email me. I'll answer you within a day.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback and Chemo Brain Fog

2010-03-18T21:47:00.000-04:00

Read here about a study now in progress in Cleveland using neurofeedback with people experiencing chemo brain - the cognitive losses, insomnia and depression that can occur as side effects of chemotherapy. Patients often describe it as brain cloudiness or brain fog.

For the majority of patients the side effects go away when the chemo ends, but for as many as 20% the problems persist.

One of the researchers conducting the study had herself suffered from memory losses, insomnia and depression that lasted for seven years after her treatment for breast cancer - until she found neurofeedback.

After three sessions, she was sleeping again. After ten sessions, her depression lifted. Her own positive experience is what inspired her to do the research and is described in the article linked to above.

What she reports matches what I've seen myself using neurofeedback with my clients. If you have questions or would like a referral to someone in your area, please ask here on the blog or email me.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback, Peak Performance and Olympic Gold

2010-03-12T13:08:00.000-05:00

Neurofeedback got an amazing amount of positive mentions in the press related to Olympic success. Just one example: Neurofeedback was used as in the training programs of the entire Canadian moguls and aerials teams.

Peak performance, of course, applies to anything we aspire to in life. Increasing your ability to stay in the moment (which often means decreasing anxiety) improves everything from public speaking to shooting hoops to enjoying your children.

Questions about how neurofeedback might help you? Please post a question here or email me through my website. You're also welcome to ask me if I know of a good neurofeedback trainer in your area. I've had the pleasure of getting to know many wonderful providers in the United States and internationally.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback and your EEG

2010-03-08T08:53:00.000-05:00

Your EEG (electroencephalogram) is the electrical activity on the surface of your scalp that is produced by the neurons firing in your brain. Neurofeedback uses your EEG to train you brain to its potential.

You may have seen images of the EEG that look like this.

NeurOptimal™ neurofeedback reads your EEG and gives your brain feedback in real time about what it's doing. Your EEG on your trainer's monitor will look a lot like the image below, but it will be in constant motion.

Your brain uses the feedback to reorganize itself to be more resilient and more flexible. What happens in your life will be unique to you. Among other things, people typically see improvements in focus and sleep and reductions in anxiety, depression and addictive behaviors. Visit the Client Comments page of my website for examples. I think you'll enjoy reading what people have said, and very likely one or even many of the comments will connect for you. If not, please email me and ask about what you'd like to see change.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback in the News: PTSD

2010-03-01T17:13:00.000-05:00

Neurofeedback is showing up more and more often in the news. Here is a short article about neurofeedback and PTSD.

This article talks about both an Iraq war veteran's Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and a student's inability to concentrate in class.

Neurofeedback is widely applicable because it works directly with the CNS (the central nervous system, the brain and spinal cord), training it to function to its potential and to renormalize itself after traumatic experiences. Visit the Client Comments page of my website for examples of how neurofeedback can help.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback and Fractals

2010-02-24T21:28:00.000-05:00

The beautiful wavelike image at the top of this blog and the small square images are all fractals. What does this have to do with neurofeedback?

Fractal geometry is everywhere in nature. Other examples where you can see this self-similarity are the branching of trees, frost crystals, the surface of the moon, spider webs, the structure of the heart – and it is there in the electrical activity of your brain.

Fractals display what is called self-simularity. They repeat themselves, but not quite exactly. (Go look at a head of broccoli - the whole head looks like a giant version of one of the small florets, and each floret is made up of many tiny florets - similar but not identical.)

You can clearly see the way fractals repeat their parts by watching this beautiful video.

For more about these fascinating images, visit the Fractals page of the New York Neurofeedback website.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback and Peak Performance

2010-02-18T08:59:00.000-05:00

How can neurofeedback help you improve your game? Here are three of the ways:

Stay in the moment (this means being in the "flow" state)
Reduce anxiety and use that energy for your game
Be able to let go of mistakes and refocus quickly

Of course, this doesn't just apply to sports; but here's an interesting article about the Italian team that won the World Cup in 2006 using neurofeedback to help them play their best.

And a closer to home story: My husband has been playing softball in New York's Central Park on Saturdays for more than 25 years. He's a pitcher ("windmill," for those who know softball). He doesn't throw as fast or as hard now as he did when he was younger, but he is winning more games because he is more focused, he pitches "smarter," and he doesn't get derailed when his team makes errors behind him. He's also having a lot more fun. He was the first person I started training when I began doing neurofeedback. He gives neurofeedback a lot of the credit (getting older and wiser helps, too).

Peak performance applies to everything we do in life. If you have questions about how neurofeedback could help you with your game (or in other ways), please post a question here or email me through my website.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback and Depression

2010-02-11T11:45:00.000-05:00

In the U.S. almost one in ten women and one in 20 men are taking an anti-depressant. If you are one of them and the medication you take is helping, that's great. I have certainly seen medications help my clients over the years, but unfortunately they don't help everyone.

If you don't like the idea of medication and are looking for support for that, Sharon Begley has written a very interesting article for Newsweek, The Depressing News about Anti-Depressants. If you've tried medications and they haven't made a difference with your depression, or the side effects are a problem, fortunately, there are options. And here is psychiatrist Robert Klitzman's thoughtful response to Begley's article: A Doctor Disagrees.

Exercise, mindfulness training, and nutritional changes can all help with depression. Neurofeedback, which is best known for alleviating anxiety, may also play a part in getting you better. Most of my clients who have come for help with depression have found that they are either not depressed any more, or they feel less depression and less often, or they need less medication to feel good. One person tickled me by describing it as being now able to shake off depression the way a dog shakes off water.

Not sure if you're depressed? Of course, get a professional consultation; and you can also click here to take a simple depression-screening test. You're welcome to post comments or questions on this blog. If you'd like more privacy, you can email me through my website (no one reads the emails but me).

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback, ADD and AD/HD

2010-02-02T07:02:00.000-05:00

Do you or someone you care about have ADD or AD/HD and you want to consider alternatives to stimulants? I have seen some excellent results from neurofeedback in clients who come in wanting to be able to focus, to be less distractable, or who have been diagnosed with ADD or AD/HD. (To see a sampling of comments clients have made, visit this page of my website.)

Here's a very interesting quote from an article by Jay Lebow in the January/February Issue of Psychotherapy Networker (a great professional journal).

...prominent AD/HD researcher William Pelham, after reviewing the most recent findings from the best long-term outcome studies of ADD and AD/HD, concluded that a decade after treatment began, the only difference between those treated with stimulants and those who weren't was a two-inch difference in average height stemming form the side effects of stimulant medication.

That part about height differences (it means two inches less) is pretty hotly debated. Some researchers have concluded it exists but goes away with time. I don't work with children myself, but if I had a child with ADD or AD/HD that child would be getting neurofeedback regularly. (If you're in the New York area and would like a referral to someone who works with children, please email me.)

You're also welcome to email with questions or comments, or post them here.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback - What Kind of Changes Can Happen?

2010-01-20T22:07:00.000-05:00

Below is a sampling of changes my clients have told me about just in the last two weeks.

Sleeping through the night instead of waking up two or three times
Having more fun being with their children because of being really with them instead of distracted
Worrying less
For the first time in this person's life, not passing out when having a blood test done
Going for a walk and noticing more details and color
Stopping smoking pot and not finding it hard
A fight with a spouse starting and being able to say helpful things instead of ramping it up

It's very nice doing this for a living and getting to hear about these kinds of changes!

You'll find more examples of comments clients have made on this page of my website.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback and Sleep, Insomnia and Other Sleep Problems

2010-01-06T13:44:00.000-05:00

If you're not sleeping well or enough and you're looking for help, you're doing something really important. Enough good sleep is critical for physical, mental and emotional well-being.

Neurofeedback has a good track record with improving sleep. In fact, sleep is often the first thing people report seeing positive changes in:

More easily falling asleep
Staying asleep
Easily getting back to sleep if you wake up during the night
Remembering your dreams
Anxious dreams and nightmares decreasing or disappearing

Please ask questions by emailing me through the contact page of my neurofeedback website or posting a comment here on the blog. You can also go to this page of my psychotherapy website where there is a link to a free pdf file about sleep hygiene. Sometimes just changing some of the things described in the handout can make a big difference in quality and quantity of sleep.

Meanwhile, here is a video showing NeurOptimal™ being used to help people get off sleep meds.

Catherine Boyer
New York Neurofeedback

With Neurofeedback, Will I Need to Come Back for Tuneups?

2009-12-22T13:59:00.000-05:00

Most people don't. You're likely to come in with a list of changes you'd like to see happen - better sleep, more peace of mind, less anxiety, better focus, less depression, whatever your list is - and stay until you feel happy with where you are. For a more complete list of things that can change, visit the New York Neurofeedback website.

There's not really a ceiling on benefits for most people, so you choose when you're ready to stop. A very small percentage of people do best with regular sessions ongoingly (and may want to get their own system). Occasionally, someone comes back because they had one too many difficult things happen to them at once and got thrown off track. Usually two or three sessions sets them right. Or someone might come in because they just got a promotion or other opportunity and want to be at their very best for it.

If you'd like to ask about something you'd like to see change, please leave a comment; or you can email me privately by clicking on my name below.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

How Can Neurofeedback Help with So Many Things?

2009-12-15T13:28:00.000-05:00

It's a great question, and one that makes some people hold back from trying neurofeedback. How can it be that good? The answer is that neurofeedback works directly with the central nervous system (the brain and the spinal cord).

I think of the CNS as the captain of the ship, central to all the ways you experience of life, for example:

Emotions, including those associated with anxiety and depression
Sensations - what your eyes, ears, nose, etc., are telling you
Coordination of the activity of the body (including the involuntary actions like breathing and keeping your heart beating)
Control of behavior (along with the peripheral nervous system, which connects the CNS to your hands, arms, legs, etc., and to your organs)

Neurofeedback is a training for the CNS, tuning it to be at its best. Since the CNS is key to all of the above, that means there is potential positive change in a great variety of the things you would like to have change.

By the way, today's Washington Post published an artcile about the first federally funded study of neurofeedback. The study is about ADHD and neurofeedback.

And for more information about what neurofeedback can help with, click on the link below.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback – How Can You Know It Will Help You?

2009-12-04T10:25:00.000-05:00

Since NeurOptimal™ neurofeedback works with the brain so that it functions at its best potential, it's likely most everyone will benefit. I've been a neurofeedback provider for several years now, and I've only had one or two people not have positive changes (and I think they just didn't stay long enough). Neurofeedback changed my life for the better, and that's what I see happening with my clients.

But, of course, you want to know if neurofeedback can help with your particular issue. I have seen my clients have improvements - sometimes stunningly large - with depression, anxiety, out of control swings between one mood and another, obsessing, addictions. People do neurofeedback for personal growth and peak performance. Recovery from addictions and having been abused as a child can also benefit from neurofeedback. It can be terrific for sleep problems such as difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep. Nightmares typically reduce or disappear entirely.

For comments clients have made about the changes they experienced, click here.

In my next post, I'll address the question of why neurofeedback helps with so many different things. Meanwhile, please comment here or email me with your specific problem. I'll answer you honestly, and I'll answer even if you are nowhere near my office in New York City. By the way, no one gets my email or voicemail but me. Posts here are public but there will be an option to choose to post anonymously. You can ask and be comfortable about confidentiality.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

How to Survive Going Home for the Holidays

2009-11-18T17:09:00.000-05:00

Are visits home at best stressful and at worst they repeat that bad stuff that happened when you lived there? Here are some ways to make a holiday visit as healthy as possible for you.

If you're currently getting neurofeedback training, it's a good idea to go home with your brain "tuned up." Scheduling a session for right after you get back can be very helpful, too, especially if you have jet lag to deal with. And here are six non-neurofeedback tips on how to survive holidays at home.

Make sure you get time away from the house. Go for a walk, run an errand, see a movie.
Have a support person lined up. That could be your good friend from where you live now, ready to remind you over the phone that you have a life outside your family. Get professional help if you need it.

If there are people you like who live in the same town or city as your family, make plans to see them on your own during the visit.
Conduct an experiment: Study your family members as if you were meeting them for the first time. This will give you some helpful distance and perspective.
Remember: You are not your family; you are a separate person.
Make the visit as short as possible. It's your life, not theirs!

What to Expect in a NF Session

2009-11-10T13:00:00.023-05:00

When you come for a NeurOptimal™ neurofeedback session you'll be sitting in a comfortable chair watching a graphic (or you can close your eyes), and you’ll be listening to music. You’ll hear very brief pauses in the music – this is the system giving feedback to your brain – and the image will also pause or change.

You'll have sensors on your ears and head (five altogether). The sensors are there to transmit information to the NeurOptimal™ neurofeedback system about the electrical activity of your brain, specifically, to flag for your brain when it is beginning to operate in a way that is problematic (such as anxiety or loss of focus). Your central nervous system (your brain and spinal cord) will use that information to renormalize itself, to increase the flexibility and resilience of your system.

Next post: What this change might look like in your life.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

What Can You Expect from Neurofeedback?

2009-10-30T17:14:00.000-04:00

The bottom line with people is usually: Can neurofeedback help me with what I want to see change?

Because it works with the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord), neurofeedback has the potential to affect a broad spectrum of the things people want more of or less of. So anxiety, depression, PTSD symptoms, sleep problems, and may other conditions may respond well. People often ask, how can one thing help with so much? This is why: Because it works directly with the central nervous system, the captain of your ship.

People also do neurofeedback for peak performance, for better focus and concentration and other things they want more of. For a more complete list of things that neurofeedback may help with, visit the New York Neurofeedback home page; and to specifically see what many of my clients have said, you're likely to find something that resonates for you on my Client Comments page. I tell a personal neurofeedback story there that has to do with a dream more than half of you will say you've had: Being back in school and having forgotten a test, or not being able to find the right classroom -- something anxiety-provoking about school. The bottom line is, neurofeedback did away with that dream, which I'd had regularly for years. I think you'll enjoy reading the short story of how that came about.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback

What to Expect in a Neurofeedback Session

2009-10-09T17:08:00.000-04:00

What is Neurofeedback?

2009-09-25T20:32:00.000-04:00

Your brain is the most complex system on Earth, and it possesses an amazing ability to reorganize itself. Neurofeedback works with the electrical activity of that system.

Neurofeedback has been around for about half a century, gradually becoming more and more comprehensive and sophisticated. If you want to perform at your best or improve your sleep or concentration; or if there is something you want less of, perhaps anxiety, distractibility, depression, anger, or headaches, it is very likely that neurofeedback can help you.

The NeurOptimal™ system I use does this by giving your brain information on what it's doing. Your brain then uses that information to become more efficient, flexible and resilient. In the course of the sessions, your brain is trained to be at its best.

I'll write more about what happens in a session in my next post.

Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback