Brain Training Proven to Reduce Effects of PTSD

“Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the debilitating psychiatric condition that can develop after exposure to trauma.” – American Psychiatric Association.

No one is immune to PTSD, and it can occur at any point in life. The symptoms individuals can experience include “persistent intrusive recollections, avoidance of trauma stimuli, alterations in cognition and mood, and alterations in arousal and reactivity.” According to a new study published in NeuroImage: Clinical journal by the Lawson Health Research Institute and Western University, neurofeedback training has shown to be an effective treatment for people living with PTSD. And at Grey Matters, this is one of our specialties. Why? Because Grey Matters founder, Courtney Boyer, found her way to neurofeedback looking for treatment of her own PTSD symptoms. And, it worked!

More About PTSD

PTSD affects each of its victims differently, and many don’t realize they have PTSD until a month or so after the incident. Sometimes, symptoms may not even show up for years afterward, as the brain represses and tries to cope with the trauma. However, once symptoms become apparent, they can have a significant impact on the individual and his or her family. PTSD symptoms can be so severe that they interfere with your capabilities to perform normal, daily tasks.

In some cases, individuals feel so ashamed of their mental health decline that they fail to ask for help and get treatment. Doctors may also inadvertently prescribe medications or sleeping aids to help ease the symptoms, but these do nothing more than mask the underlying issue in the brain. That’s why it’s important for family members and close relatives to pay attention to their loved ones, especially if they’re aware that a traumatic event occurred.

What the Study Found

In this particular study, researchers tested a total of 72 individuals, including 36 participants with a known case of PTSD. The remaining 36 people were control participants. Eighteen of the 36 people with PTSD were randomized and asked to participate in neurofeedback training, while the remaining 18 acted as a comparison group.

Over the course of 20 weeks, participants were taken through weekly neurofeedback sessions and were asked to reduce the brain’s alpha wave intensity. In this study, these alpha waves were cast as a still cartoon or distorted picture that would either start playing or become clearer when the alpha waves were reduced.

By the end, researchers found that the severity of the PTSD symptoms was reduced in the randomized group. Over 61% of these people no longer had symptoms that defined them as having PTSD. 

How Neurofeedback Helps

Neurofeedback training is training for your brain. As you go through your sessions, you learn to control your brain waves, and the brain creates newer, happier pathways that lead to fewer PTSD symptoms or mental health struggles. Not only can neurofeedback training work with PTSD patients, but it can also help those living with anxiety, depression, migraines, which are also common symptoms of PTSD.

Schedule Your Appointment Today!

PTSD can happen to anyone at any age and can make you feel vulnerable. Here at Grey Matters of Carmel, we treat each of our patients like family, and your emotional and physical well-being is our top priority. So, if you’re ready to tackle your PTSD, then we’re ready to have you in our clinic. Get your brain map today when you call our office at (317) 215-7208.

Photo by Anthony Tran on Unsplash