“If meditating is like climbing a mountain,
NeurOptimal® is like taking a gondola.”
How does NeurOptimal® training work?
You can think of NeurOptimal® training as holding up a mirror to your brain. Imagine you had not seen yourself in a mirror in a long time. Once you see your reflection you naturally start adjusting yourself, maybe standing a little taller, straightening up your hair and so on. The mirror provides the information you need to correct and adjust yourself. And so it is with the brain.
The brain has an inherent ability to self-correct when given the right information and NeurOptimal® is designed to provide the brain with the information it needs to make its own adjustments. Inconsistency, or abrupt changes in electrical activity in the brain, undermines optimal functioning of the brain. NeurOptimal® detects these abrupt changes and informs the brain of these sudden shifts through interruptions in the sound you are listening to. These almost imperceptible pauses invite your central nervous system to pull away from this less-than-ideal path it was on. This happens over and over until the natural self-correction becomes your new normal and your brain functions more efficiently, effectively and comfortably. When this happens, you sleep better, are less stressed, can focus more easily and feel the joy of an easier life, despite the challenges you may face from the outside.
This approach to training is unique to NeurOptimal®. Training with NeurOptimal® allows your brain — and you — to become more flexible and more resilient. A better functioning brain makes for a better life.
What is neuroplasticity?
From THE SEVEN KEYS TO GREAT MEDITATION: A Neuroscience Perspective by Jeffrey L. Fannin, Ph.D.
Brainwave synchronization is the practice to entrain one’s brainwaves to a desired frequency or group of frequencies, by means of a periodic stimulus with corresponding frequency. Practicing meditation [and neurofeedback] on a regular basis enhances brainwave synchronization. Connectivity is fundamentally the brain’s ability to produce neuropathways. That ability is known as neuroplasticity. … Neuroplasticity is the key reason that the brain can reorganize itself by forming new brainwave connections throughout a person’s lifetime. Neuroplasticity allows the neurons (nerve cells) in the brain to compensate for injury and disease and to adjust their activities in response to new situations or to changes in their environment.
Neurofeedback enhances neuroplasticity
From The Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute
Neurofeedback is a research-supported treatment to sharpen attention, relieve anxiety, enhance mood, and improve learning and behavior—without medication. Neurofeedback makes use of the brain’s natural capacity to change by reshaping brain networks. Although we are all born with “hard wiring” – networks of neurons and connecting fibers – our brains are constantly being shaped by experience. Repeated experience results in increased connections among neurons and in greater strength in the existing connections. Small changes that are repeatedly reinforced lead to changes in how our brains work.
With neurofeedback, your brain changes itself, taking advantage of the brain’s ability to change itself. This is known as “neuroplasticity” and is the way we learn anything. For example, neuroplasticity allows you to become better at a sport with practice or to develop a new habit over time. Because neurofeedback is involved in helping the nervous system regulate itself, it can be used with clients of all ages with a wide range of concerns. Many people’s brains have become stuck in a rigid pattern of responding. With neurofeedback, we can help the brain to become more flexible and efficient, allowing you to be better able to adapt to challenges in the future.
