Neurofeedback training is a learning process for the brain; it requires adherence to a consistent training schedule. We advise scheduling sessions twice a week for the initial 20 sessions. The success of neurofeedback training is directly related to the timely and accurate report sent after each session, which is reviewed for planning the next session.
Here are some general hallmarks of a typical course of training:
* In the first few sessions we will explore the ways your brain responds to neurofeedback. You will be sending a note about how you’re feeling between sessions, which helps shape further training.
* Between sessions 5-10 most of the initial training sites will have been added to the training protocol. By this time, the brain has generally learned to maintain its progress between sessions.
* Between sessions 10-25, progress is being maintained as the brain consolidates the learning gained in sessions. Some new sites may be added at this point if new goals are identified. At this stage of the training, often patients will find that the training effects are maintained even if they miss one weekly session.
It is expected that most patients will require having completed a minimum of fifteen to twenty hours of training (roughly 30 – 40 sessions of 30 minutes each) to maintain the benefits of neurofeedback once the training has been discontinued. Patients who are titrating off medications, or who have experienced symptoms for an extended period of time (autism spectrum disorders, brain injury, Reactive Attachment Disorder, and OCD are some examples) may require many more than 20 hours of training to gain and maintain the beneficial training effects.