Best Kept Secret in Mental Health, Part 1
By Anna Raab, M.A. BCN, Abundant Living Neurofeedback and Counseling
Part 1: The Brain is an Electrical Organ
In this article I am going to begin to explain the mental health technology that literally saves lives. With this tool I’ve been able to resolve suicidal depression, anxiety, ADHD and so much more. I have been able to see healing where only the word treatment or coping had been used before. I am so excited to explain what it is, how it works, and what it can help.
Most people are familiar with biofeedback, right? With biofeedback a person can learn to control heart rate, body temperature, muscle tension, and other physiological process for which we are usually unaware. Well, with Neurofeedback we can actually learn to regulate our brain wave activity. That’s right, our brain waves can be trained to normalize.
Most people aren’t even really aware of what our brain waves do, much less that they can misbehave. But the reality is that our brain is an electro-chemical universe and the patterns of electrical activity have everything to do with our human existence and experience. There is enough electricity in our brain in our waking moments to light up a small light bulb! Our brain has an estimated 100 million Neurons and 100 trillion connections. That’s a lot of traffic! We are electrical beings!
All these neuron connections are carrying impulses of electrical activity ranging from very slow to very fast electrical currents. These currents are measured in cycles per second called hertz. From slow to fast these waves are called Delta, Theta, Alpha, Beta, and Gamma brainwaves. In the waking state all types of activity are working together to accomplish all the tasks of brain processing.
I love metaphors and because I’m a musician I love this one. Just like a chord of five notes resonates when certain notes are played, electrical patterns also seem to resonate best when in certain relationship to each other. The reason a chord of notes resonates is because those notes are an exact ratio to another and hence those sound waves resonate and sound beautiful.
On the contrary, if we hit a sharp or a flat it can ruin the whole chord and we hear dissonance because a soundwave is “misbehaving” and is either too fast or too slow and creates discord with the other waves.
Something similar is true with brainwave activity. According to Neurofeedback research and databases that show normal brainwave activity in humans, brainwaves need to operate in a certain relationship to each other in order for optimal brain processing to occur.
When there is too much or too little of any type of electrical activity a type of disharmony can emerge and signals do not resonate and operate the way they need to for optimal effectiveness. ADHD is a common disorder that has been shown to commonly have a theta to beta ratios that are too high, hence causing a slowing of the electrical traffic and causing symptoms.
Understanding the brain as an electrical organ is the first step in understanding true mental health. It’s not all in your head, but it is all in your brain.
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Best Kept Secret in Mental Health, Part 2
By Anna Raab, M.A. MFT, BCN
Part 2: Mapping the Electrical Universe
In my last article I began an introduction into the world of Neurofeedback by explaining the mechanisms of the brain as an electrical organ. I explained that the brain is an electro-chemical universe, and that in order for that universe to be in unison with itself, the different types of electrical waves must be in balance and in harmony with one another. In this edition I will explain how we map this electrical universe and make meaning out of the patterns and complexities therein.
Brain Mapping begins with what is called a quantitative EEG or qEEG. This qEEG is taken by way of an electrode cap. This cap is full of electrodes that can actually capture and transmit the electrical activity being emitted by the brain and through the scalp.
By use of conductive gel this electrical activity is picked up by the electrode sensors and sent to an amplifier that amplifies the signals and makes them readable and recordable by the computer software. After recording 10 minutes of total activity, five minutes with eyes opened and five minutes with eyes closed, we are able to upload the recording to our database.
This database compares the electrical activity to the normative measures based on age, gender, and the location of the brain being recorded. The final product is what is called a Brain Map.
The Brain Map then becomes a visible and easily readable representation of brainwave activity. The map shows how much of each of the types of activity (from slow to fast) is present, the connectivity between hemispheres, the dominant frequencies of each of the types of waves, the left or right hemisphere dominance of the waves, and how in sync the waves are between hemispheres. Basically, hundreds of variables of brain wave activity are represented in a Brain Map that can be read and explained by a highly qualified clinician.
I like to explain that reading a Brain Map is like reading a traffic map. There is a lot of information represented that shows what is going on with the roads and highways of the brain. The actual roads
and highways can be just fine. We aren’t looking for “brain damage.” We are simply looking at electrical traffic, identifying where the traffic is not flowing properly, and proceed from there to correct the traffic.
One of the greatest values that I see in Brain Mapping is how it validates the mental struggle of individuals. I left my last article saying it’s not all in your head, but it IS all in your brain. I know so many people who have actually been told by practitioners that their problems are all in their head… how very cruel and judgmental to leave a patient feeling like they’ve merely conjured up all their issues.
How sad when clinicians don’t talk about the brain as an organ just as they would any other organ, like it is somehow different and able to be controlled if you just try hard enough. This is simply not the case and a Brain Map can be one of the most validating experiences on a person’s mental health journey, as they can finally see the face of the invisible giant that has caused them or their loved ones so much frustration or pain.
Please look for my article in the next edition that will explain where we go from here. I will explain exactly how we go about correcting the “traffic.”
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Best Kept Secret in Mental Health, Part 3
By Anna Raab, M.A. MFT, BCN
Part 3: Normalizing Brain Wave Activity
In my last article I explained how we “map the electrical universe.” Through brain mapping, or creating the electrical traffic map, we are able to measure the brain’s electrical activity in order to assess abnormalities and how they are affecting the individual. I also explained how therapeutic this can be for the individual as they are able to see that their issues are real and measurable. In this article I am very excited to explain how these abnormalities are also treatable!
When I describe Neurofeedback and how it works, I like to use the metaphor of how we learn to ride a bike. The brain is a learning machine and it is an adaptive organ. So much of what we learn and repeat is based on what we get rewarded for, and as we learn we become more and more adaptive. As you learn to ride a bike the feedback loop is almost exactly the same as how the brain learns to produce normalized brain wave activity.
On a bike you are consciously aware that you do not want to fall down right? Your brain, through a constant do this and don’t do that feedback loop, figures out (learns) what it’s doing to keep you upright and after multiple attempts memorizes (adapts) what it is doing and repeats all the complex processes required to keep your bicycle upright.
All the while, all you’re really thinking about and aware of is “I don’t want to fall down.” Hence, while your brain is actively focused on that end, there are untold number of subconscious processes hard at work to keep you from falling over. The brain learns and adapts and, voila, you’re riding a bike. As the old saying goes, “you don’t ever forget how to ride a bike.” In the same amazing way, with sufficient training, your brain can also learn to produce and permanently repeat normalized and more adaptive electrical functioning.
This kind of reward feedback (not falling over) is actually called operant conditioning in psychology. Operant conditioning is a learning process through which the strength of a behavior is modified by reinforcement or punishment.
We basically learn to ride a bike by being rewarded for not falling down. In the same way, Neurofeedback trains the brain to produce normalized brain wave activity by rewarding the brain for producing normal activity. In our office this literally comes by way of watching a movie! Yes, that’s correct, you can heal your brain by watching the movie of your choice.
All we have to do is put your brain in a position where it has to work to see the movie. So, in this case, the reward is that while your brain is producing normalized activity it is rewarded with a bright full picture of your movie. When brain wave activity is veering off in the wrong direction, you experience a very fast darkening of the screen, which of course for any modernized person, is like punishment.
In order for the client not become too frustrated by these interruptions, however (because many people ask), we set the training level so that each individual is getting an optimal and encouraging amount of reward while experiencing enough resistance to change and normalize brain wave activity.
And there you have it, just like that, your brain is on the road to recovery.
On this journey we will continue to take a closer look at how Neurofeedback operates, and the common types of abnormalities and resulting issues Neurofeedback works to resolve.
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Best Kept Secret in Mental Health, Part 4
By Anna Raab, M.A. Counseling, BCN
In my last three articles I’ve been able to explain some of the key aspects of Neurofeedback Therapy. I’ve brought to the forefront that the brain is electrical, that brain wave balance is at the foundation of mental health, how brain wave activity can be mapped, and the basic concepts of how Neurofeedback can normalize brain wave activity to lead to reduction or resolution of mental health issues.
In this edition I would like to use the foundation of what I have explained and now begin to apply it to specific mental health issues that Neurofeedback can help resolve. I will begin with one of the most well researched applications of Neurofeedback which is ADHD.
ADHD is marked by failure to pay close attention, making careless mistakes, poor listening, lack of follow through, inability to sustain attention, misplacing items, being easily distracted, having difficulty filtering out external stimuli, and forgetfulness. Hyperactive symptoms include fidgeting, roaming around, restlessness, loud or obnoxious behavior, being driven as with a motor, and excessive speech. In addition, some individuals may also have symptoms of impulsivity which include speaking before thinking, impatience, interrupting, and intrusive behaviors.
There is much debate about ADHD, whether it is over-diagnosed, if it is just a “boy-thing” that will be outgrown, or if it’s the inevitable outcome of asking kids to sit still for hours on end. All of these thoughts are valid and understandably confusing. From my vantage point as a Neuro-therapist, however, I can definitively say ADHD is clearly illustrated in client brain maps and has very real signatures of abnormal brain wave activity which I have seen consistently in hundreds of client maps, and has been well documented in QEEG research.
As I explained in part 2, the brain map illustrates brain wave activity in the cerebral cortex (the outer layer of the brain) a little bit like a traffic map. All the major types of brain wave activity are shown in terms of how the client map compares to a person with no abnormal symptoms.
One of the major measurements included in the map is called “magnitude” and demonstrates how much of each type of activity is present in the individual and whether they have too much or too little in any of the measured locations. Without exception, individuals with ADHD produce too much slow (delta and/or theta) activity in the frontal and sometimes temporal regions of the brain.
This excessive slow wave activity begins to create what I call a traffic jam that can impede normal processing, specifically in the executive centers of the brain which control attention, cognitive inhibition, working memory, cognitive flexibility, reasoning, and problem solving.
Think of it like the larger, slower brain waves getting in the way of the more concentrated, faster processing transmissions. This causes transmissions to be slower, or sometimes fall off completely, resulting in the very real and frustrating symptoms of ADHD.
In conclusion, as I explained in my last article, with Neurofeedback intervention the brain can be trained through operant conditioning feedback to normalize. Hence, in the case of treating ADHD, overwhelming headway can be made to train the brain to reduce the production of slow wave activity and increase faster speeds so issues like focus, attention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity can become a thing of the past.
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Grief: When the Unthinkable Happens
By Anna Raab, M.A., BCN, Abundant Living Neurofeedback and Counseling
This article is dedicated to the victims and survivors of the recent I-35 tragedy.
I write this with tears and a pure heart hoping to say something that will help give words of comfort to anyone who has or is experiencing the unthinkable. I am a 41-year-old mother of a blended family with 5 children. I drive a seven seat SUV that is constantly full of children. When I told my husband about the tragedy on I 35 he immediately got sick. It could have been us. It is a nightmare beyond nightmares. It is beyond comprehension, so it is with deep respect and overwhelming empathy that I write and dedicate this article to those personally affected by this tragedy.
As I have prayerfully considered what to say, my friend Karen recently posted about the grief of her father’s loss. It resonated so powerfully that I asked permission to quote her.
I remember crying until I was physically sick. Feeling like my heart was going to burst out of my chest… hoping it would so I could just get the indescribable pain out of me. And anger… much of it misplaced. In the blurry days that followed, I so often wanted to scream, ‘YOU DON’T KNOW HOW THIS FEELS, QUIT TRYING TO COMFORT ME,’ even though I deeply needed every single word of comfort I received. I didn’t think I would ever stop feeling anything other than mind-numbing pain. And here’s the thing, the pain didn’t stop. I got stronger. I learned to cope. This is what I now know to be true: You have to open yourself up to the people who refuse to let the darkness consume you.
Karen, thank you for your vulnerability and honesty. The truth is, the pain never stops with losses like these, it only gets bearable as we allow others to love us and help carry our pain.
When the wounds of tragedy are so fresh and deep for those we love, we fear saying anything and yet, we fear saying nothing at all. When the unthinkable happens, we desperately want to help but often worry about doing or saying the wrong thing. However, in times like these people desperately need to know that we care, even though they may also feel that no one could ever care enough; no one could possibly understand their grief and unrelenting pain. In many cases they are right, especially in cases like these. All we can do is love unconditionally, without questions, without expectations, and long past the aftermath.
If you are one of those personally affected by this recent tragedy, please know you are loved beyond what you could ever know. Thousands who you will never meet have wept with you. Our hearts break with you and we pray for peace that surpasses knowledge to consume you as you grieve. We hold our own closer and love deeper in honor of you.
For help finding grief assistance in your area please call 918-933-4455.
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