By: Ari Goldstein, Ph.D., Educational Psychologist, Chicago Mind Solutions
In many ways neurofeedback therapy is as individual as the patients who seek it. That’s why at Chicago Mind Solutions we are always striving to increase our knowledge not only of the brain, but the therapies developed to treat it. Last month we explored one of the traditional therapy options we offer – the LENS or Low Energy Neurofeedback System. LENS is ideal for treating concussions, patients who have issues with focusing and children who are too young to deal with traditional neurofeedback therapy.
What is BrainAvatar by BrainMaster?
In addition to LENS, we are one of a selected group of providers to offer patients the most advanced EEG-based brain biofeedback and imaging system in the world – BrainAvatar by BrainMaster. Incorporating the sophisticated technology of other BrainMaster devices and enhanced by innovations in software, this unique system is the result of decades of experience and internationally published research. It’s used for EEG evaluation, imaging, biofeedback training for a wide range of conditions and brain mapping.
A brain map reveals the four different wave frequencies (delta, alpha, theta, beta), and sensorimotor rhythm of each brain lobe. Using exclusive cutting-edge technology, BrainAvatar enables clinicians to create three-dimensional maps of the brain that show specific locations, neural hubs, and electrical frequencies involved in brain functionality. These maps enable neurofeedback providers to identify where training will be the most effective. Then, once a full assessment has been completed, a program can be developed to address each patient’s specific problems and enhance their brain’s overall performance.
For example, patients with ADHD often have trouble focusing and concentrating on specific tasks. Using BrainAvatar, therapists can help patients of all ages learn how to reduce theta waves which are counter-productive to concentration and increase the production of beta waves resulting in a more attentive state. After a relatively short training period, the patient can learn to control their brain waves even after they are no longer undergoing therapy.-
To create a brain map, the patient puts on a cap studded with electrodes that capture information about brain activity from 6,000 areas of the brain. This data is gathered in less time than a person can process their own thoughts while the clinician – and the patient – view the brain’s activity in real time.
Avatar processes this data and feeds it back to the brain while the patient participates in different training programs. These programs may involve playing a video game or watching a film. But the patient’s success at these activities always depends on producing the desired brain waves at an optimum level. Treatment is designed to enhance their intellectual focus, increase their ability to concentrate, and to reach a higher level of executive functionality. In addition to ADHD, BrainAvatar is also used to treat patients suffering from depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and anxiety.
Generally, patients receive therapy for one or two thirty-minute sessions a week. Some reach their program goals after only ten sessions. Others need forty sessions on more. On average however, most are able to achieve optimum results after 20 sessions or less. Even more impressive, for many, if not most patients, the results last a lifetime.
But whichever neurofeedback device is used during the course of therapy, treatment is always non-invasive, safe and comfortable for the patient. In addition, at Chicago Mind Solutions every patient can rest assured that their treatment program will be designed to address their individual needs. If you would like more information about BrainAvatar or LENS we would be happy to answer any questions or concerns that you might have.
About Chicago Mind Solutions
Based in Northbrook, Illinois, the licensed specialists at Chicago Mind Solutions work with children and adults to overcome symptoms and concerns related to dysfunctions in the brain with the help of neurofeedback therapy. A non-evasive approach to improving neuroplasticity, Chicago Mind Solutions is one of a select number of neurofeedback providers in the US offering its patients’ access to BrainAvatar by BrainMaster Technology. This advanced technology gives patients the opportunity to view in real-time the entire process of enhancing the brain’s neuroplasticity as a three-dimensional image. For more information about Chicago Mind Solutions, visit ChicagoMindSolutions.com
