In a world where technology seems to advance at the drop of a hat, it’s remarkable to witness the profound impact of cutting-edge therapy that operates at the intersection of neuroscience and innovation. Neurofeedback, a holistic therapeutic technique, is gaining traction as a way to help people optimize their lives and be their best selves. Through the power of real-time brain activity monitoring and targeted feedback, neurofeedback is ushering in a new era of personalized brain training, fundamentally transforming the mental health landscape, and leading people to hope, wellness, and restoration. At The Well Clinic, people are partaking in this practice, and finding out that the sky’s the limit.
For nearly a decade, The Well Clinic, a small, holistically-minded practice has been serving people struggling with various ailments–anxiety, depression, stroke, ADHD, trauma, PTSD, and a host of other things. While The Well Clinic has been providing patients with counseling services, coaching, and medication management for a while now, it was only recently that neurofeedback was made available. In 2022, the conversation about neurofeedback began and led to its introduction in September 2023. In early 2024, The Well Clinic officially began offering neurofeedback services. Currently, The Well Clinic has seen about 80 to 100 patients; people hoping to improve performance, relieve ailments, and optimize their lives.
WHY NEUROFEEDBACK?
“I started to notice a change in her fourth session,” says a mother who chose to remain anonymous. Her child is currently being treated for ADHD and social anxiety. In many cases, children with ADHD are treated with stimulants or controlled substances like amphetamines. While medications work for some, the side effects and withdrawal can be too much for others. Since these medications weren’t working, this Mother decided to invest time into neurofeedback and found out it is time well spent. “She did get super tired after this last session, but immediately after she came home, she started organizing and cleaning her room. We noticed she wasn’t all over the place. She’s able to sit still and do her homework now. She also recovers quicker than normally, and her entire attitude and positivity has changed,” she says.
Dr. Forrest Sanders, a neuropsychologist, notes that neurofeedback sessions are a unique and promising stand-alone modality that can be an excellent adjunct to standard medical treatment. “Some people, especially parents with younger children, are utilizing neurofeedback as an adjunct to treatment or alternative when standard medical treatments are contraindicated or undesirable. People are turning to neurofeedback, and we have seen significant improvements in as little as six sessions,” he says.
Another testimonial from a patient who prefers to stay anonymous, illustrates this point. Having endured an abusive relationship, they sought treatment at The Well Clinic for a couple of years. Their anxiety was high (8/10) at the beginning of 2023, and they and their physician wanted to work on decreasing their anxiety. Under the care of Dr. Andy Yarborough, they had been doing Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EDMR), in hopes of reducing their anxiety. With EDMR, this patient’s anxiety went down to a 2/10. Still, there was work to be done, and this is when Dr. Yarborough suggested neurofeedback. “It was like neurofeedback flipped a light switch for me,” says the patient. “The lights were on and everything was running again. I’ve never had an experience in mental health like that before.” Now, this patient reports having the energy to put into things they enjoy and has experienced four months straight of no depression or anxiety. “I am about to start neurofeedback for one of my kids with a possible autism diagnosis. Dr. Yarborough recommended neurofeedback for her.”
Spanning 40 years now, neurofeedback is not new for mental illness. Despite its longevity in the neuroscience community, it remains relatively obscure. Still, people are turning to it and seeing life-changing results. “What people are noticing is hard to describe,” says Dr. Sanders. “It’s a nuance, but on the other hand, because of the characteristics of it, it’s different. Greater efficiency, greater range of progress. Neurofeedback offers a buffer for patients to consider what’s going on internally, without being bound to it.
There is a buffer that gives you a greater range of opportunities. It broadens what you can take in and consider. This is an investment. Because the people who benefit from it have more hope. They experience progress that has opened them up to the idea of the possibility they’re not stuck forever.”
