By Ashley Reichel, Holistic Health Coach
ADD and ADHD are perhaps two of the most common diagnosis among school-age children. Those who may be displaying emotional outbursts, impulsivity, struggles with attention, focus, and learning are very quick to be given the ADD/ADHD label. The most common and often limited solution is to prescribe such individuals with drugs such as Adderall or Ritalin. Though seemingly helpful, these prescription drugs often have undesirable side effects and only mask symptoms; they never truly get to and remediate the underlying problem.
Neurofeedback is a drug-free and non-invasive way to treat, lessen, and even eliminate the symptoms of ADD/ADHD. Neurofeedback targets the irregular brainwaves that may be causing the inattentive state that a child or person with ADD/ADHD is most consistent in those with this condition. In the simplest of terms, Neurofeedback training aims to improve ADD/ADHD symptoms by helping the individual decrease the amount of inattentive-like brain waves they produce and encourage an increase in the more productive type of waves.
The process begins with a mapping in which we can image the brain in real-time. The brain map is an important tool that allows us to evaluate brainwaves and identify opportunities to improve communication between various regions of the brain. The detailed brain map identifies the unhealthy brainwave patterns and connectivity issues that are causing symptoms of ADD/ADHD and produces training protocols needed to improve or eliminate these symptoms using neurofeedback.
Neurofeedback training is a pleasant experience, particularly for individuals who may be intimidated by more clinical settings. Sessions are 30 minutes long and involve watching a movie, a show, or listening to music while wearing photic light glasses. During the training, participants are hooked up to a computer that monitors brainwaves and gently guides brainwaves into a more regular or healthy pattern. The average number of sessions can range from 20-40, training 2-3 times per week.
Here at IM of CNY, we take a unique whole-person approach to training individuals with ADD/ADHD, (or any other conditions through our neurofeedback program). Beyond just brain training, we also offer personalized health coaching and stress reduction education (like HeartMath breathing techniques), to ensure optimal results in each individual’s Neurofeedback experience. Dietary and lifestyle choices can make a huge difference in treating conditions such as ADD/ADHD, and our program offers the education, assistance, and support to help participants and/or family members make these changes alongside the neurofeedback training.
As we are at the end of the school year, now is the perfect time to see if Neurofeedback could help you or your school-aged child. We are currently offering a discount on some of our Neurofeedback packages to all students!
If you are interested in learning more about how we treat conditions such as ADD/ADHD through neurofeedback, please reach out to our IM of CNY neurofeedback team at 315-741-5774.
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