Is Neurofeedback an Effective Treatment for ADHD ?
ADHD or attention deficit hyperactive disorder, is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects attention, impulse control , learning and organization of daily life. This brain born disorder involves over 6.1 million children nationally, according to the CDC. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) reports that 8.4% of children and 2.5% of adults have been diagnosed with ADHD. It presents itself more in males than females.
The most common treatments for children with ADHD involves medication, psychotherapy and lifestyle changes which may or may not work in every case. In the last decade, neurofeedback therapy has been gaining more attention in offering a more natural and complimentary method to other therapies in dealing with ADHD.
Neurofeedback has been around before the 1970’s and is becoming more noticed as a viable alternative in terms of more mainstream therapies for ADHD as well as many other mental health conditions.
Neurofeedback still remains relatively unknown by millions of people who would really benefit from it’s non-invasive and non-pharmacological approach to more conventional approaches.
Neurofeedback represents a totally new and safe way to self heal that wasn’t seriously considered before. But, more pediatricians will now suggest trying neurofeedback to their ADHD patients.
Neurofeedback is also known as EEG biofeedback, biofeedback and neurotherapy.
What is Neurofeedback Therapy
Neurofeedback is a method to measure and record brainwave activity to influence behaviors using a device called an EEG (electroencephalograph). The relationship of brainwaves to behaviors and vise versa is critical for all neuro-pathological conditions. One influences the other. The state of ones brainwaves tells a story of their behaviors. Neurofeedback represents a unique energetic way of influencing healthy changes in unhealthy brain frequencies.
In the case of someone with ADHD, research indicates that an ADHD brain has higher (more) theta waves in relation to beta waves. Neurofeedback specializes in correcting this phenomenon over time. The idea behind neurofeedback takes two approaches.
Traditional classical neurofeedback makes brainwave changes by a conscious training method.
The other, LENS neurofeedback uses a “disentraining” method of disrupting and rebooting the old stubborn brainwave patterns of ADHD our bodies have been stuck in and grown accustomed, into forming new healthier patterns.
What to Expect From a Neurofeedback Session for ADHD
The first neurofeedback treatment involves filling out forms, inquiry about symptoms and medical history of the patient. Once completed each follow up treatment consists of more follow up questions the client will provide to the practitioner they will use to track improvements or any changes made over time.
The practitioner will attach electrodes from the EEG devise that’s connected to a laptop, to the head of the client. The number of electrodes used depends upon what type of neurofeedback system is being used. The electrodes will measure brain activity in each of the areas it’s connected. Scans will be made and recorded while feedback signal is being delivered. There is no pain involved at all and no electrical current is ever used only bioelectrically derived signals from the brain of the person who is being worked on.
Most types of neurofeedback involve the practitioner instructing the client to perform some type of tasks that require their participation. Like watching a video, listening to music and hearing different sounds which make the brain respond to the stimuli in certain ways that the practitioner will use to help guide the person into a better brainwave state from session to session. It’s a conscious, learned, reward based, operant conditioning that can show significant changes in brain activity of ADHD people. This type of neurofeedback takes 45 minutes per session and treats the same brain sites.
Neurofeedback can pinpoint and then target the specific regions responsible for the symptoms experienced by those with ADHD. Then work to correct them using the persons own brainwaves to reinforce the new ones into a more healthy category based on a database of statistics of healthy people.
Another type neurofeedback system that successfully treats ADHD is LENS neurofeedback therapy. LENS or Low Energy Neurofeedback System is a more streamlined version that doesn’t involve learning or training brainwaves but does the opposite. It works to improve the poor brainwave activity in ADHD by disrupting and resetting the affected areas within the brain that are not communicating well with other regions. Proponents of LENS neurofeedback boast about the improvements in how rebooting and resetting the brain is faster and lasts longer than the traditional reward based versions. Also, each LENS session can take only minutes.
The LENS treats ADHD using all of the brain regions to make improvements and not only select areas like all other traditional neurofeedback. LENS disrupts harmful ADHD symptoms and the brain resets the ADHD patterns by using a direct, micro-current or subliminal radio-wave frequency to facilitate the needed changes deep within the subcortical regions of the brain that other types of neurofeedback fall short. LENS sessions are short (20-30 minutes) and typically once per week.
Findings on Neurofeedback and ADHD
There have been some mixed reviews about how effective neurofeedback is on ADHD. Most of these reviews are in reference to traditional neurofeedback and not LENS.
Most of the more cautious views have been from mainstream medical advocates that suggest there isn’t enough research on neurofeedback therapy despite it’s use for over 50 years and favorable reviews from doctors and practitioners throughout the world who use this technology on a daily basis.
Each randomly controlled peer reviewed study used by the pharmaceutical companies cost millions of dollars and involve corporate and governmental backing. Neurofeedback remains outside the medical establishment where all the major research money flows. The smaller studies you often find with neurofeedback use different methods of collecting that are primarily clinically driven data and observational findings by doctors, teachers, parents, family members and other practitioners who work with patients with ADHD over the past 50 years.
In a 2009 meta-analysis was published by researchers that observed the impact neurofeedback had on ADHD symptoms and concluded that :
there was a large scale improvement in impulsivity and inattention
a medium-grade improvements in hyperactivity of an ADHD person
The authors of the study concluded that neurofeedback could be an “efficacious and specific” treatment for symptoms of ADHD.
A 2011, researchers suggested that neurofeedback may contain a placebo effect in a very small group of 8 participants 8-15 yrs. of age.
In 2013 a review of studies that included neurofeedback on a list of interventions that may produce “statistically significant “ improvements in symptoms of ADHD.
In 2014 there was a published meta analysis of results of five previous studies on ADHD and neurofeedback.
After children underwent the neurofeedback treatment and researchers took into account parents and teachers observational findings. Researchers concluded after hearing reports of improvements in impulsivity, inattention and hyperactivity by teachers and parents. That neurofeedback might be beneficial for children with ADHD.
My Take
After almost ten years of practice working with children and adults of all ages with ADHD. Neurofeedback has shown remarkable differences in my clients with ADHD and is worthy of much more praise than it has been given in the past.
I would estimate 80-85% of my ADHD clients see significant changes in their most problematic issues.
As a LENS specialist, the changes I witness, take place fairly quickly and seem to last. Most of the people who I work with don’t want to take medication because of the side effects or have tried everything else, including, CBT, TMS, EMDR, Ketamine and other neurofeedback. They are searching for a drug-free way of helping their child or them self so they won’t have to be on pharmaceuticals for the rest of their lives.
I’m getting more doctor referrals for ADHD than I have ever previously. Which suggests that parents are sharing the beneficial changes they are seeing in their children to their family physician or pediatrician.
I see LENS as a very safe and natural way of helping your brain reset itself and correct the imbalances that take place in the body from poor diet, stress and other biological and metabolic factors.
I also see no long or short-term harmful effects from the LENS treatments on ADHD. Most of my ADHD clients report being more focused, less distracted and more calm after only a few treatments. They like the fact that only need so many treatments. Which means they won’t need to be treated for the rest of their lives.
LENS Neurofeedback represents the best drug-free method to address ADHD. I believe people are searching for a more natural and drug free way to address their ADHD symptoms and neurofeedback is the answer for so many. But it threatens the pharmaceutical industry and the medical community establishment. So, it remains the best kept secret… for now.
-A Balanced Brain is a Better Brain-