Cognitive behavioral approaches work at the level of thought — identifying distorted patterns, building more accurate interpretations, and developing coping skills for anxious moments. They are evidence-based and genuinely effective for many people. Neurofeedback works at the level of the brain’s underlying electrical activity — the nervous system’s baseline arousal level. So, cognitive approaches train how you respond to anxiety; neurofeedback trains the brain to generate less anxiety in the first place. Many people find the two approaches complementary — building coping skills while also addressing the brainwave patterns that make those skills harder to access in activated moments.