Types of Neurotherapy
Learn about the diverse ways to improve brain function using the brain “rewiring” capabilities of neurotherapy.
Because neurofeedback therapy is essentially “rewiring” the brain in order to improve the way it functions, it can be beneficial in treating many types of disorders, both mental and physical. And because the brain is such a complex structure, the means to understand its functions and rewire it are diverse.
For a more in-depth explanation on how it works, check out our full guide on neurofeedback therapy.
Neurotherapy is one of these fast-growing therapies meant to treat a variety of mental health and behavioral disorders. Few therapists are certified and qualified in neurotherapy, let alone all the variations of it. What exactly are these variations and what do they treat?
While the overall concept is the same throughout each type of neurofeedback, they can be used for different types of struggles. Each one uses feedback based on brain reactivity from stimuli.
Frequency/Power Neurofeedback
Frequency/power neurofeedback is the most common and simple type of neurotherapy used today. Some refer to it as amplitude training.
How Does it Work?
It detects brainwave frequency and amplitude through the use of 2-4 electrodes attached to the client’s head.
Frequency refers to how fast the brain waves oscillate, or how frequently they repeat. Amplitude is the distance the brainwave travels from resting, which refers to the power of the brainwave.
Alpha/theta neurofeedback therapy targets alpha and theta brain waves, which show up more dominantly when the client is relaxed, calm, and safe. They have a relatively low frequency.
Beta neurofeedback therapy targets beta brain waves, which are associated with heightened cognitive activity, attention, and concentration. They have a higher frequency than alpha or theta waves
Frequency/power neurofeedback collects data about the frequency and amplitude of these brain waves so that the client can learn to activate or inhibit certain brain waves.
What Does it Treat?
Because frequency/power neurofeedback can target different types of brain waves, it can be used to treat a range of different things.
Those looking for relaxation or calming might benefit from alpha/theta neurofeedback. It can help those struggling with anxiety, trauma, or insomnia.
Because beta neurofeedback helps people increase their concentration, it’s a popular treatment for those with ADHD.
Slow Cortical Potential Neurofeedback (SCP)
This type of neurotherapy takes a look at the electrical activity of the outer layer of the brain. The outer layer or the human brain is the cerebral cortex. It’s littered with neurons and their messaging pathways.
How Does it Work?
SCP stands for “slow cortical potential”. According to the National Library of Medicine, this refers to the “shifts in the cortical electrical activity lasting several hundred milliseconds to several seconds.” It sounds brief, but in terms of brain activity, that’s extremely slow.
SCP regulates the likelihood of neurons firing, and improves the direction of slow electrical activity in the cerebral cortex. The different directions of electrical activity can have different effects—positive shifts lead to a relaxed state and less reactivity, while negative shifts are associated with arousal and cognitive activity.
What Does it Treat?
Clients can train their brain to favor different directions of these electrical shifts. This approach is used in the treatment of migraines, ADHD, epilepsy, depression, and PTSD.
Infraslow Frequency Neurofeedback
More commonly known as ISF, this type of neurofeedback looks at slow brain waves, but also across the whole brain.
How Does it Work?
While the brain waves targeted by frequency/power neurofeedback are between 4-30 Hertz, infraslow frequency neurofeedback targets brain waves at .1 Hertz.
These brain waves are associated with the autonomic nervous system, which is the branch of the nervous system in control of our fight-flight-freeze response. The client learns which of these waves brings the most neutral, calm state, then trains their brains to stay in that frequency.
What Does it Treat?
The goal of ISF is homeostasis—not in an anxious or depressive state. It’s a similar concept to that of the polyvagal theory ladder. It states that humans have a state of rest that’s not 100% at rest, but not 100% agitated.
When someone reaches homeostasis through ISF, they’re capable of regulating their emotions and interacting “normally” with their environment.
Therefore, ISF is a treatment often used for those with anxiety, stress management issues, and trauma.
Low-Energy Neurofeedback System (LENS)
LENS is different from other neurotherapies as it is passive, rebalances the entire brain rather than a specific site, and requires no conscious effort from the client.
How Does it Work?
A small, low magnetic energy signal is sent to the scalp where activity is low. It disrupts the old maladapted neural connectivity and helps to reset it to function in a more desirable way.
The signal produced has a similar frequency to what your brain naturally produces. It’s perfectly timed to affect the reactivity volume of the natural brain waves and stimulate a more optimal biochemical change.
What Does it Treat?
This type of neurotherapy is quicker than other neurofeedback and just as effective in treating disorders such as anxiety and depression, insomnia and restless leg syndrome, anger control, fibromyalgia, low energy, and traumatic brain injury.
Hemoencephalography (HEG) Neurofeedback
This is a rarer type of neurotherapy, usually only used for those with chronic migraines. It’s often referred to as pIR HEG, or passive infrared HEG.
How Does it Work?
Rather than electrodes monitoring brain waves, HEG uses an infrared sensor that sits on your forehead. It detects brain temperature, as well as blood flow in the frontal cortex.
What Does it Treat?
pIR HEG is mostly used for migraine treatment. Doctors can see the information about how blood flows through the frontal cortex and then identify the cause and best course of treatment.
However, there is some evidence that pIR HEG can be used in treating some mental health disorders. The frontal cortex is responsible for a lot of cognitive functions like logic, decision making, and memory. Monitoring blood flow is another way to gain potential insights into what the client is experiencing.
Live Z-Score Training
Z-score neurofeedback is another type that’s fairly limited in application. However, it’s incredibly effective.
How Does it Work?
In math, the Z-score is the difference between a number value and the average of that value. This type of neurofeedback uses this concept, but compares abnormal brain waves to normal brain waves.
Z-score training takes data about brain wave function of a client and compares it against individuals of the same age and the gender who do not suffer from any kind of disorder. The client then uses operant conditioning to get their brain activity closer and closer to the baseline data until they’ve had enough repetition that it becomes their own response as well.
What Does it Treat?
Z-score training is an effective insomnia treatment. But, like HEG neurofeedback, it has potential to treat a lot more, including ADHD, anxiety, PTSD, and traumatic brain injury.
Low-Resolution Electromagnetic Tomography (LORETA)
Sometimes, behavioral and mental disorders are due over or under communication between certain areas of the brain. LORETA neurotherapy is able to identify and correct this by using a full electrode cap to monitor coherence, power, and phase within the client’s brain.
How Does it Work?
LORETA requires a full cap of 19 electrodes to monitor the brain activity in order to take that information and turn it into 3D images. This allows for the healthcare provider and client to see and treat areas not seen by one electrode alone.
Coherence refers to the amount of communication between different regions of the brain. Power is the strength of the brain wave, or amount of activity. Phase refers to the different brain wave phases. All of these measurements put together can create a fairly comprehensive picture of brain activity.
What Does it Treat?
LORETA is helpful in the understanding and treatment of a wide range of disorders, such as depression, addiction, and OCD.
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)
fMRI maps the inner workings of the brain and uses this information in order to control region-specific activity in the brain.
How Does it WorK?
The client learns to self-regulate brain activity based on real-time feedback from deep subcortical areas while in the scanner. Rather than measuring brain waves, it measures the flow of deoxygenated blood. The brain consumes more oxygen from the bloodstream when it’s active.
When a mental health professional can see where the brain is most active in reaction to specific stimuli, they can better understand what mental or behavioral health struggle the client is dealing with.
What Does it Treat?
Because fMRI can look at the entire brain at once, it’s a useful tool in treating a huge range of mental and behavioral health issues. Its disadvantage is that it’s expensive, and requires an MRI machine—something many therapy offices or mental health facilities don’t have access to.
Benefits of Different Types of Neurofeedback
Why are there so many different types of this kind of treatment? Frankly, it comes down to two things: Everyone has different needs, and we learn more about the brain every day.
What neurofeedback works for one person may not work for another with similar mental health conditions. The kind of neurotherapy that a client goes through depends on:
- What they’re experiencing
- What other treatment they receive
- What their mental health provider is capable of
Neurotherapy is a non-invasive complement to pharmaceuticals that allows clients to rewire their brain in order to change deep-seeded reactions, emotions, and beliefs. It creates a harmonization of brain activity that can help people heal and go on to live healthier and higher quality lives.
Neurofeedback at Sequoia
Sequoia Behavioral Health has experienced and compassionate therapists with years of training in the most common types of neurofeedback therapy. It’s just one of many kinds of interventions in our program that we utilize to create personalized treatments for each client.
Learn more about us, including our full treatment program.
Reach out today to see how Sequoia Behavioral Health can help you or a loved one take the first step to a better life.