Tucson Neurofeedback

01/28/2023

ADHD is one of the most widely studied conditions in the field of neurofeedback. Based off of EEG findings, ADHD has several variations. The most common variant of ADHD is alpha slowing, where the brain’s processing speed is slower than others of a similar age. This is seen in an elevated theta/beta ratio, as seen here, where the theta/beta ratio is elevated in the right frontal region. People with this variant of ADHD may experience difficulty performing cognitive tasks and staying focused. Often times they feel sluggish and have a decreased capacity to pay attention to directions.
In such a variant, the goal is to decrease the theta/beta ratio in the region of the brain where it is elevated. This shift in brainwave patterns may correlated with increased reading and verbal comprehension, as well as renewed capacity to successfully perform cognitively challenging tasks.
While this is one variant of ADHD, our clinic treats all variants of the disorder. Each individual is different and there is often more than one treatment goal to target. This is why a thorough assessment of your individual brain is so critical to your success. Our intake procedure includes the use of a QEEG brain map to ensure that you are receiving appropriate and personalized treatment.

01/28/2023

The book we recommend the most to clients wanting to learn more about neurofeedback is the classic Neurofeedback 101: Rewiring the Brain for ADHD, Anxiety, Depression, and Beyond (without medication) by Michael Cohen. This book is especially helpful as its written in clear, concise language and provides a nice overview of what neurofeedback is and how it works, along with some of the seminal, important research findings in the field. If you want to know more about us or what we do as neurofeedback specialists, this is a good starting place. To learn more about us in particular and how we can help you, give us a call today at (520) 261-0448.

01/28/2023

01/28/2023

Apart from being effective for a variety of conditions, neurofeedback can also enhance positive qualities and help you get more out of your brain. Our “brain brightening” programs, which are designed around findings in peak performance research, can help enhance your cognitive processing speed, decrease performance anxiety, and may even increase intelligence. These positive shifts may result in improvements in everything from test taking, to work performance, to creative capability.

01/28/2023

There are many different kinds of depression, and these variants appear subtly different on the EEG and brain map. And because all successful treatments are tailored to the specific variant of depression that you have, it is critical to get an EEG and a brain map before you receive treatment.
Once your clinician identifies what your depression looks like on the EEG and correlates it to your symptoms, that clinician may then effectively target the origin of your depression. As the brainwaves that give rise to depression are shifted, a positive shift in psychology is often the result.
The above scan reveals a power imbalance in the brain within the alpha range of brainwaves. Alpha waves travel throughout the surface of the brain as well as deeper brain structures, such as the hypothalamus and thalamus. An imbalance of power, as seen here, is correlated with negative mood.
There is research indicating that a deficit in power in the left frontal regions is correlated to depression.
http://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.0089

01/28/2023

The brain generates all frequencies of brainwaves at any moment of time, but depending on circumstance, certain types of brainwaves may predominant for a time. For example, delta brainwaves ideally predominate during deep, non-REM sleep, while beta brainwaves predominate during tasks that require concentration. Gamma-band brainwaves are the only brainwaves that are not generated by deeper brain structures and up until recently, were very hard to measure. However, our state-of-the-art equipment can both measure and train frequencies in the gamma bandwidth, which is particularly important in meditation.

01/28/2023

Anxiety is one of the most common reasons to pursue neurofeedback. Most of the time, anxiety is produced by an excessive amount of fast beta brainwaves. The quality of anxiety may be different depending on where the excessive beta waves are located. For example, occipital beta brainwaves at the back of the head are correlated with general feelings of unease, while beta brainwaves in the frontal lobes are correlated with racing, intrusive thoughts. After a brainwave analysis is done to determine where the fast brainwaves are occurring, treatment usually involves rerouting power away from fast waves and enhancing deep sleep frequencies generated by the brain.

01/28/2023

Among other benefits, meditation may promote sustained focus and contribute to a sense of calm and wellbeing. However, meditation is effortful and it can be challenging to learn how to do it well. Neurofeedback is a way to super-charge your learning in this area; the correct use of neurofeedback reinforces desirable, meditative brainwave states while reducing noise in the brain.
Because they take a one-size-fits-all approach, at-home neurofeedback training devices have limited efficacy when learning meditation. Meditation has several different EEG profiles, and successful neurofeedback training is dependent on knowing which profile you naturally have and designing treatment protocols around it. For example, depending on the individual, meditation profiles can include (1) increased alpha and theta, (2) decreased alpha, (3) increased gamma, (4) increased gamma coherence. Our approach to helping you become an effective meditator is to see which style you naturally gravitate toward by way of EEG analysis, and then reinforcing that naturally tendency while decreasing discordant brainwave patterns.

01/28/2023

Kay Johnson LMFT, our lead clinician, has been a mental health provider for over 20 years. She specializes in providing therapy to veterans and their family members. Her interest in neurofeedback stems from personal experience: after receiving life-changing treatment for ADHD, depression, and a concussion, she noticed profound shifts in her emotional and cognitive abilities. For the first time in recent memory, she was able to think clearly and coherently. Feeling grounded and centered, she no longer operated from a state of perpetual fight-or-flight or scattered-ness that so often comes with ADHD. “All that I had been dealing with,” she said, “in navigating life with these cognitive impairments, it was so incredibly improved after this treatment.”
Because she has experienced the benefits of neurofeedback/neurostimulation herself, she knows first hand the potential that this treatment holds and is excited to share it with everyone in Tucson.
Tucson Neurotherapy is a new clinic, launched in 2022, that specializes in targeting and shifting specific brainwave patterns. Knowing that many minds are better than one, our master-level clinicians work under a team of licensed psychologists who provide treatment recommendations. This enables us to collaborate with a team of healthcare providers to target all areas of potential