NeurOptimal® Dynamical Neurofeedback®
Have you ever just felt stuck in the same patterns or unable to make progress despite therapy, coaching or other methods of self-care? It’s possible that your brain just needs some realignment. The brain is a fascinating and resilient muscle and just like other muscles and joints, it can be out of alignment and need a little help getting back to its optimal position. NeurOptimal® Dynamical Neurofeedback® training might be just what you need to bring your brain back into its healthiest position and functioning.
Quick Facts
- Neurofeedback is not a medical treatment, but rather a training system, classified by Health Canada as a ‘consumer product,’ designed to enhance optimal brain functioning and peak performance.
- Dynamical Neurofeedback® is NOT the same as linear neurofeedback. Linear neurofeedback and Brain Mapping often interfere with regular brain processes and its natural function in order to achieve a desired result which can cause undue stress and exhaustion on the brain. Dynamical neurofeedback is all auditory and does not force the brain in any specific direction. It’s non-intrusive, safe for all ages, and has no negative side effects.
- When your brain is operating at its best, you become more resilient, more regulated, and better able to rebound from stress or difficult experiences.
- Training sessions take about 50 minutes.
- Rates: 1 session = $140 (+GST); 5 session bundle = $100/session (+GST); 10 session bundle = $90/session (+GST)
Fresh Track Coaching’s neurofeedback training sessions are designed to use your brain’s natural compass to guide it back into alignment so that it can function optimally and improve your self-regulation, resilience, flexibility and balance. These characteristics are critical in managing adversity and stepping into a life of freedom and vitality. Your brain is strong, buoyant, flexible, and hardy. It is able to adjust, find balance, and adapt. Neurofeedback helps your brain work smoothly and efficiently like it was designed to do.
Different uses for neurofeedback training may include:
- Promoting healthy sleep habits
- Allowing for more focus, certainty and a sense of calm
- Aiding with performance or sports anxiety
- Promoting relaxation which may help anxiety and weight loss
- Improving concentration, problem-solving, multitasking, logic and coordination
- Enhancing learning capacity
- Exercising your brain and keeping it fit, especially as you age
- Maintaining overall wellness as part of a healthy lifestyle
How It Works
NeurOptimal® uses EEG technology to monitor your brain’s electrical activity (256 times per second), and loops feedback to it through a mathematical process called Joint Time-Frequency Analysis (JTFA) which measures movement or transitions using a complex algorithm. This feedback is communicated to your brain through small interruptions in a music track you listen to. The central nervous system (CNS) sees each interruption as information that it then uses to move away from the ‘discomfort’ of the interruptions (although there is no discomfort to the individual). It is like the system saying, “Hey brain, we are noticing a slight shift in the way you are functioning. How would you like to regulate the shift?” Your brain then practices responding as optimally as it can. It is as though a mirror is being held up to your brain so it can notice what it’s doing and learn to regulate its response. The more the CNS moves and learns from that information, the less likely it will return to past behaviours.
Think of brain training this way: It’s like a deer eating grass by the side of the road. It is at ease and not bothered when cars go by because its brain is used to that ‘noise’ and can filter it out. However, if it hears a twig snap nearby, the deer’s CNS alerts it that something is different and the deer comes to attention. The deer then decides if there is actual danger (or not) and then reacts according to that information. It might run away, or it might just go back to eating grass. Dynamical Neurofeedback® doesn’t force a particular response; rather it alerts your brain to a shift as it’s happening (the snapping twig) so your own brain can choose its optimal response.
NeurOptimal® utilizes your brain’s intrinsic intelligence to regulate the amount and type of brain activity needed for optimal functioning. The better it becomes at this type of regulation, the more strength and resilience it has to return to its ideal state when faced with the challenges of life.
Dynamical Neurofeedback® can be used as a stand-alone service, or in conjunction with Enneagram coaching and/or traditional counselling with your therapist. There is no previous ‘diagnosis’ needed as the program is for everyone. Every brain is different and every session is different, even with the same person.
Put simply, training your brain enhances your transformation, so that when you’re working through the specifics of your life and struggles, you are doing so with flexibility, hardiness, and quick recalibration.
What To Expect In A Training Session
Brain training is precognitive, meaning you do not need to exert any effort, think anything, or try to feel anything throughout the training sessions. Your brain does all the work!
During sessions, EEG electrodes are placed on your head and ears. You will then spend 33 minutes listening to music that is interrupted periodically to provide feedback to your brain. These interruptions occur in response to the information gathered through the electrodes using an extremely advanced mathematical algorithm. It is these informed interruptions that train your brain to orient to its optimal functioning and enhance peak performance. While the training is occurring, you can relax, reflect, journal, or read.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How often should I do sessions?
- Because this is a training program and not a specific treatment, this is something you will get a feel for as you get started.
- We recommend no less than once a week to get started. Many people start with 2-3 (or more) sessions a week because they are eager to see evidence of change.
2. How many sessions will I need?
- Again, there is no exact answer to this question, as every person responds on their own unique timeline.
- We will help you track any shifts so you’ll be able to identify when you’ve received the benefits you were looking for.
- The training aspect is similar to learning how to ride a bike. Each person will need various amounts of time to learn to be a proficient rider, but we do know they’ll be on a trajectory toward riding independently if they practice/train.
- As a general idea, many people report noticeable changes after 10-15 sessions or 1-3 months of regular training. For some it’s much sooner, for some a little longer.
3. Will I need to do sessions forever?
- Not at all. Like learning to ride a bike, once you can do it, you don’t forget. Your brain will form new pathways that are mostly permanent.
- Sometimes if you face a stressful or traumatic event, you may notice you seem to be revisiting old patterns to some degree. If that happens, a tune up training session or two is all that is usually required to get your brain back on its optimal track.
4. When will I notice changes?
- Some people notice immediate changes; others don’t feel any different until they’ve done several sessions.
- Brain training is similar to starting a new exercise program. Some people feel great after their first workout and others don’t feel the benefits until they’ve been doing it awhile.
5. Are there risks or side effects?
- No. We don’t put anything in or manipulate your brain.
- As people regulate more efficiently, they might recognize the need to change other aspects of their life to be free to function at their best. Sometimes those changes (like setting new boundaries, or creating new habits) can have risks to current behavior and require adjustment.
Testimonials
“I am laughing like I haven’t laughed in years! I’m more relaxed and able to find joy and humour in situations. I feel happier!”
“I am much better able to express my emotions. I’m not instantly trying to hold back [healthy emotions] anymore.”
“I normally have trouble remembering people’s names and on a recent business trip, I was able to focus intently for 12 hours a day, remember names and then sleep at night without my mind racing.”
“The fog in my brain that has kept me from productive work, thought processing, remembering most things, finding the right words to use – cleared after the first session and has not returned to the same degree.”
“I no longer have the smothering anxiety feeling of not letting anyone in for fear of what they might think of me…In the past couple weeks, I have found myself doing things that shocked me! [Neurofeedback training] has enabled me to be more relaxed, have more fun and laugh more.”
“When my husband and I have had hard conversations, they are much less intense and we are able to come back together sooner, discuss things more calmly and move past things faster and without resentment.”
If you have more questions about what Dynamical Neurofeedback® can do for you, click HERE to book a free 30-minute consultation.