The Benefits of Neurotherapy with Anxiety Disorders (GAD/OCD)

Anxiety disorders can be triggered by social, psychological, and environmental stressors. Anxiety disorder is the brains abnormal response to stress or the inability to relax when it is stress-free. A QEEG (Brain Mapping) can aid in identifying the pattern and regions of the brain that are hyper-aroused, hyper-vigilant, and are not functioning at optimal efficacy. These regions of too fast activity or areas that have too few slow waves may contribute to the symptoms of anxiety disorders.

Comprehensive, individualized approaches using pEMF (Neurofield, by Nicholas Dogris PhD) and 19 channel LORETA Neurofeedback (Neuroguide, by Robert Thatcher PhD), assist in training the brain to have a more appropriate response to stress. One middle aged women stated, “So this is how normal people feel”. When the brain is over stressed, it requires additional sugar and nutrients to survive, one possible reason we crave sweets when anxious. The brain’s idle speed is too high requiring more and more fuel. The more stressed the brain, the more fuel it requires; now the brain begins to rob the body of nutrients. The longer the brain is stressed, the more the body suffers. You may get sick easier and you may heal slower. The National Institute of Mental Health states, “Over time, continued strain on your body from routine stress may lead to serious health problems, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, anxiety disorder, and other illnesses”. They also suggest that, “People under chronic stress are prone to more frequent and severe viral infections, such as the flu or common cold, and vaccines, such as the flu shot, are less effective for them”

At Neurotherapy Center of Nebraska, we use the latest technology to train the brain to achieve and maintain a state of efficiency and health. We guide the client in training their brain to modulate or turn off inappropriate chronic stress responses. Clients have reported a reduction in their craving for sweets and snacks, feeling less anxious and an increase in emotional flexibility. Clients report to fall asleep easier and sleep through the night. They report feeling happier, more energized, more focused and better organized. “I don’t feel so scatter brained”, and “I don’t stress over the small things anymore. I just go with the flow”.

Psychotherapeutic interventions are often integrated into the treatment plan for clients with mood disorders. Additionally In addition to areas of dysregulation in the brain, we have also observed that changes in physical health, hormone levels, toxicity, gastrointestinal health and food allergies can affect brain health and mental health conditions. Neurotherapy Center of Nebraska strongly suggests that our clients utilize competent medical provider to rule out the potential of physical health problems that may be contributing to their condition. We also recommend to never stop or decrease any medication unless advised to do so by a competent prescribing physician.

Resources for Neurotherapy and Anxiety Disorders
  • Burti, L., & Siciliani, O. (1983). Increase in alpha-rhythm in anxious subjects using biofeedback: A preliminary study. Psichiatria Generale e dell Eta Evolutiva, 21(2–4), 79–97.
  • Chisholm, R. C., DeGood, D. E., & Hartz, M. A. (1977). Effects of alpha feedback training on occipital EEG, heart rate, and experiential reactivity to a laboratory stressor. Psychophysiology, 14(2), 157–163.
  • Fisher, S. (2007). Fpo2 and the regulation of fear. NeuroConnections Newsletter, January 2007, 13, 15–17. San Rafael, California; ISNR
  • Garrett, B. L., & Silver, M. P. (1976). The use of EMG and alpha biofeedback to relieve test anxiety in college students. Chapter in I. Wickramasekera (Ed.), Biofeedback, Behavior Therapy, and Hypnosis. Chicago: Nelson–Hall.
  • Hammond, D. C. (2005). Neurofeedback with anxiety and affective disorders. Child & Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 14(1), 105–123.
Additional Resources
  • Hardt, J. V., & Kamiya, J. (1978). Anxiety change through electroencephalographic alpha feedback seen only in high anxiety subjects. Science, 201, 79–81.
  • Holmes, D. S., Burish, T. G., & Frost, R. O. (1980). Effects of instructions and biofeedback in EEG-alpha production and the effects of EEG-alpha biofeedback training for controlled arousal in a subsequent stressful situation. Journal of Research in Personality, 14(2), 212–223.
  • Huang-Storms, L., Bodenhamer-Davis, E., Davis, R., & Dunn, J. (2006). QEEG-guided neurofeedback for children with histories of abuse and neglect: Neurodevelopmental rationale and pilot study. Journal of Neurotherapy, 10(4), 3–16.
  • Keller, I. (2001). Neurofeedback therapy of attention deficits in patients with traumatic brain injury. Journal of Neurotherapy, 5(1-2), 19–32.
  • Kerson, C., Sherman, R.A., Kozlowski, G.P. (2009). Alpha suppression and symmetry training for generalized anxiety symptoms. Journal of Neurotherapy, 13(3), 146–155.
  • Kirschbaum, J., & Gisti, E. (1973). Correlations of alpha percentage in EEG, alpha feedback, anxiety scores from MAS and MMQ. Archives fur Psychologie, 125(4), 263273.
  • McKnight, J. T., & Fehmi, L. G. (2001). Attention and neurofeedback synchrony training: Clinical results and their significance. Journal of Neurotherapy, 5(1–2), 45–62.
  • Moore, N. C. (2000). A review of EEG biofeedback treatment of anxiety disorders. Clinical Electroencephalography, 31(1), 1–6.
  • Norris, S. L., Lee, C-T., Burshteyn, D., & Cea-Aravena, J. (2001). The effects of performance enhancement training on hypertension, human attention, stress, and brain wave patterns: A case study. Journal of Neurotherapy, 4(3), 29–44.
  • Plotkin, W. B., & Rice, K. M. (1981). Biofeedback as a placebo: Anxiety reduction facilitated by training in either suppression or enhancement of alpha brainwaves. Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 49, 590–596.
  • Rice, K. M., Blanchard, E. B., & Purcell, M. (1993). Biofeedback treatments of generalized anxiety disorder: Preliminary results. Biofeedback & Self-Regulation, 18, 93–105.
  • Sattlberger, E., & Thomas, J. E. (2000). Treatment of anxiety disorder with slow-wave suppression EEG feedback: A case study. Biofeedback, 28(4), 17–19.
  • Thomas, J. E., & Sattlberger, B. A. (1997). Treatment of chronic anxiety disorder with neurotherapy: A case study. Journal of Neurotherapy, 2(2), 14–19.
  • Valdez, M. (1988). A program of stress management in a college setting. Psychotherapy in Private Practice, 6(2), 43–54.
  • Vanathy, S., Sharma, P. S. V. N., & Kumar, K. B. (1998). The efficacy of alpha and theta neurofeedback training in treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. Indian Journal of Clinical Psychology, 25(2), 136–143.
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