Posted by mars on January 21, 2001, at 12:01:26
In reply to Re: More on neurofeedback???}} Mars, posted by dj on January 21, 2001, at 11:17:57
dj ~
I think I did a few more than twenty treatments; I did them twice a week, Mondays and Thursdays - it helps to spread them out evenly. I had some difficulty getting used to the process ~ you don't actually *do* much except try to pay attention, but I became much more comfortable with the process as time went on. I really liked the people I was working with - they gave me lots of information and feedback about what was going on. It takes some time figuring out what frequencies to focus on, and I did occasionally have some anxiety in response to a treatment. But I also had some good results, and that was pretty exciting. My life was pretty chaotic at the time, so I did have to think a lot about what was the effect of the neuro and what other effects I was feeling from the difficulties in my life.
What happened near the end was that we were getting to a point where they were thinking about switching me to some different equipment ~ we just weren't to make any progress. Also, they mentioned the software wasn't calibrated finely enough for them to get to what they thought the right frequencies were - and they also said that my brain is very, very sensitive. (sigh - i seem to get that a lot :) They did say, however, that a new version of the software was coming out that might yield better results.
I did adjust my lithium up and down a tiny bit ~ I was feeling too medicated at first, but then got a bit wired later on. They prefer you to keep your meds stable so they know whether any changes you experience are due to the treatments. I didn't work with my pdoc about the neuro ~ she and I were having a lot of problems at the time, and on some occasions she treats new areas of inquiry that I bring up with a skepticism that seems like a form of reactive stupidity to me. (She's not always like that.) I was so intent on finding some alternative to ECT that I just went ahead and did it, and I'm glad I did. The psychologist I worked with also didn't have a lot of experience with bipolar disorders and my meds. That may be a more general problem with neurofeedback ~ my understanding is that not a lot of the practitioners are MD's, although some psychology PhD's obviously know a lot about meds.
I did feel that it was a very worthwhile experience, and if/when I can swing it financially, I want to go back for a more extended trial. I also think it would help if I waited until my life were a bit more stable than it was back then, so it may be awhile before I can try it.
check out these links:
http://www.symphonyinthebrain.com - website for a good book on neurofeedback
http://www.eegspectrum.com - lots of info about using neurofeedback to treat various disorders, and links to neurofeedback providers all over the world. The guy I worked with is listed here, although I actually just found him by searching on biofeedback, hitting the term neurofeedback, and then sifting through a bunch of links to crappy information. When I found Dr. Rothman's page I was really impressed with how straightforward he was. He was like that in person, too, so I think I got lucky.
Are you thinking about trying it?
mary
> Mars,
>
> How many Neurofeedback treatments did you have and what did you notice from them? Did they help at all, at the time? Were you able to adjust your meds, at the time or???
>
> dj
poster:mars
thread:52118
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010111/msgs/52152.html