Neurofeedback is a brain activity feedback technique that teaches us to regulate our brain waves and better manages emotions
The impact of the pandemic on mental health will be significant in the long term and will occur globally, as predicted by the WHO, which not only focuses its consequences on the transmission of the virus, the fear of contagion, or the psychological impact of confinement. , but also puts the focus on the ravages caused by unemployment and socioeconomic difficulties.
But in addition, the effects of social isolation and the loss of experiential routines on daily functions such as attention, memory, or executive functions are already appreciated in consultation, according to neurologist Dr. Juan A. Cruz Velarde, from the Institute of Clinical Neurobiology, who assures that the lack of social interactions has influenced the destabilization of patients already affected by anxiety and depression problems.
Thus, the expert affirms that an increase in pathologies associated with these problems such as tension headaches, insomnia, or neck pain due to muscle tension has been noted.
There have also been many sleep disturbances, as well as an increase in obsessive disorders such as obsession with hygiene or hypochondria, according to the director of the Neuroscience Clinic, Sydney Pinoy, who acknowledges that symptoms and disorders are being seen that was latent but now come to light. “ Uncertainty about the future is something that is hitting hard for those who feel more stress or who are more prone to anxiety,” he reveals.
In fact, the expert affirms that the majority of those who come to his consultation due to anxiety or depression consider that the coronavirus has been an aggravating circumstance.
All this has given rise to a growing need to work on the mind to face unfavorable situations such as the ones we are experiencing. And this is where neurofeedback comes into play, the brain training technique that both experts work with.
How neurofeedback works
According to the definition of director of Neuroscience, neurofeedback is a feedback technique of brain activity that teaches how to regulate brain waves. “First we record brain waves through sensors located on the scalp (electroencephalogram or EEG). These are then interpreted to find out which areas of the brain are malfunctioning compared to their normal function. During training, a computer provides audiovisual indications (in the form of an exercise or a video game) for the activation or deactivation of specific brain regions. If the brain follows the exercise well, the video game keeps going. But if erroneous processes are detected, it stops. In this way the brain learns what to do to reduce the brain waves that cause stress or difficulty and to increase the activity of those that are optimally functioning », he explains.
According to the expert, therefore, what is achieved with this technique is that the brain manages to consolidate what has been learned thanks to repetition and remains in that same state of balance after treatment to improve its stress management. «Learning processes work through automation, so when we learn or repeat non-functional processes, they become entrenched within our habits. Neurofeedback allows the brain to unlearn in order to relearn new, more functional neural circuits that do not affect emotional or physical well-being,” he explains.
Currently, there are protocols developed -with empirical evidence- to address its symptoms in cases of altered sleep patterns, anxiety, depression, and OCD, among others. It also facilitates the process of integrating the emotions experienced within the psychotherapeutic approach in consultation.«When carrying out brain training, new neural routes are created, so that we are creating new brain habits that translate into changes in the way of facing reality» Sydney Pinoy, Director de Neuroscience
But in addition, as Dr. Cruz Velarde points out, carrying out activities that promote neuronal connection and the creation of new functional routes between different brain areas is the key to delaying and protecting ourselves against cognitive aging. Stress reduction and enhancement of the trophic function of the parasympathetic system in combination with different techniques such as meditation or neurofeedback can be very interesting for patients.
Promote neuroplasticity
Brain training techniques seek to activate neural circuits and cognitive functions based on the deficiencies detected. “It can be done through targeted neuropsychology exercises and also through neurofeedback to optimize the connections between brain areas in a personalized way,” explains Dr. Cruz Velarde.
In general, everything that makes our brain exercise and promotes its neuroplasticity benefits health in general. Meditation, mindfulness, learning languages or new instruments, as well as neurofeedback, are some of the techniques that, according to Pinoy, allow the brain to be trained. “Meditation and mindfulness have important cognitive and psychological benefits. For example, they improve memory, increase the ability to concentrate and creativity, and delay the deterioration associated with aging, and there are even studies that claim that they improve the immune system », she points out.
To work on mindfulness there is an effective exercise that consists of reading while timing the moments in which we are fully attentive to what we read. When we lose focus because of a thought, we stop the stopwatch and write it down and then start over. “Over time, we will see that our capacity for attention and concentration is increasing,” reveals Pinoy.
For its part, neurofeedback is a technique that allows us to focus on what we want to improve and train so that it is more precise and faster than meditation or mindfulness, and any other brain training.
The benefits of training the brain
When performing brain training, new neural pathways are created, so that, as Sydney Pinoy explains, we are creating new brain habits that translate into changes in the way we face reality. “Thus, after training, the person will have more resources and more channeling and adaptation capacity, which will translate into less stress, for example,” she clarifies.
Neurofeedback increases a person’s ‘insight’ capacity, that is, it increases the capacity through which we can become aware of a situation in order to understand it. This allows, for example, psychotherapy to be carried out in better conditions.
“I like to say that neurofeedback is like those Christmas snowballs that you shake, and then wait for the snow to fall and fall back into place,” says Pinoy, who reveals that the brain works in the same way because throughout our lives we have to shake it to promote its plasticity, thereby creating new neural networks (synapses), which will later translate into our behaviors.
How, how much, and when to train the brain
If we talk about meditation, the idea is to practice it at least 20 minutes a day, according to experts. As for mindfulness, you can try to practice it as much as possible. “Being aware of our surroundings and our lives is important for our psychological and physical well-being. The results will settle over time, depending on the person’s physiology and psychology,” says Pinoy.
In the case of neurofeedback, training is carried out by performing one or two 30-minute sessions a week. According to the expert, there is empirical evidence of initial changes after 20 neurofeedback sessions in 80% of cases, but, as he clarifies, it must be taken into account that each case is always different, so we move within margins of between 20 and 180 sessions. “These are broad numbers, there are cases of people who improve after a few sessions and others who begin to notice its effects after 20 sessions,” he concludes.
