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Can Neurofeedback Help Those Suffering with Migraine Headaches?
- By Clare Albright
- Published 01/21/2010
- Stress Management
- Unrated
Anyone who regularly experiences the debilitating effects of migraine headaches knows how quickly they can ruin your plans for any given day. People who have never experienced a migraine may not realize that the pain, nausea, and other accompanying symptoms of migraines place them on a completely different plane than your ordinary headache.
Regular painkillers usually have little or no effect once a migraine has taken hold. But some of the stronger medications required for migraine pain can have harmful side effects, especially when used frequently for many years.
If you suffer from migraines, and have resigned yourself to the thought that you will have to deal with them for the rest of your life, constantly trying to figure out and avoid things that trigger them, neurofeedback therapy could be the natural solution you have been hoping for.
Studies show that 80%, or 8 out of 10 people who are treated with neurofeedback for migraines experience what some people are calling a cure. The relief for those people appears to be long lasting.
-How Does Neurofeedback Help Relieve Migraines?
Neurofeedback, or EEG brain biofeedback, is endorsed by the American Psychological Association, and has been proven effective in treating many conditions involving brain function. It is a computer guided non-invasive treatment with little or no side effects. Most patients find the sessions to be enjoyable and stress reducing. In fact, conditions such as migraine headaches, that are triggered by, or made worse by stress are the ones that respond most readily to neurofeedback.
During the sessions, the therapist will attach sensors to your scalp with a special gel. These will collect information about your brain wave activity and send it to a computer to be analyzed.
If you think about a radio, it is like taking radio waves and organizing them into sounds that can be transmitted and understood by those listening to a particular station. Likewise, the leads will pick up previously invisible energy and then organize it into patterns that can be used to determine specific things about how your brain is functioning.
You will spend each session comfortably listening to soothing musical sounds, watching pleasant imagery, or playing games. Through a variety of "exercises," your brain will receive positive reinforcement when the brain waves operate in the desired manner.
Research has shown that people who feel like much of what happens in their life is out of their hands are more likely to suffer from headaches than those who feel like they exert a great deal of control in the outcome of each day. Interestingly enough, neurofeedback is all about allowing your brain to take control by regulating itself.
The success of neurofeedback treatments is not dependent on your belief in the outcome, however. People who generally feel at the mercy of the world around them will find that neurofeedback therapy is just as effective for them as it is for those who usually feel in control. Ultimately, both groups will gain more real control over their lives when they are no longer at the mercy of migraine headaches.
Regular painkillers usually have little or no effect once a migraine has taken hold. But some of the stronger medications required for migraine pain can have harmful side effects, especially when used frequently for many years.
If you suffer from migraines, and have resigned yourself to the thought that you will have to deal with them for the rest of your life, constantly trying to figure out and avoid things that trigger them, neurofeedback therapy could be the natural solution you have been hoping for.
Studies show that 80%, or 8 out of 10 people who are treated with neurofeedback for migraines experience what some people are calling a cure. The relief for those people appears to be long lasting.
-How Does Neurofeedback Help Relieve Migraines?
Neurofeedback, or EEG brain biofeedback, is endorsed by the American Psychological Association, and has been proven effective in treating many conditions involving brain function. It is a computer guided non-invasive treatment with little or no side effects. Most patients find the sessions to be enjoyable and stress reducing. In fact, conditions such as migraine headaches, that are triggered by, or made worse by stress are the ones that respond most readily to neurofeedback.
During the sessions, the therapist will attach sensors to your scalp with a special gel. These will collect information about your brain wave activity and send it to a computer to be analyzed.
If you think about a radio, it is like taking radio waves and organizing them into sounds that can be transmitted and understood by those listening to a particular station. Likewise, the leads will pick up previously invisible energy and then organize it into patterns that can be used to determine specific things about how your brain is functioning.
You will spend each session comfortably listening to soothing musical sounds, watching pleasant imagery, or playing games. Through a variety of "exercises," your brain will receive positive reinforcement when the brain waves operate in the desired manner.
Research has shown that people who feel like much of what happens in their life is out of their hands are more likely to suffer from headaches than those who feel like they exert a great deal of control in the outcome of each day. Interestingly enough, neurofeedback is all about allowing your brain to take control by regulating itself.
The success of neurofeedback treatments is not dependent on your belief in the outcome, however. People who generally feel at the mercy of the world around them will find that neurofeedback therapy is just as effective for them as it is for those who usually feel in control. Ultimately, both groups will gain more real control over their lives when they are no longer at the mercy of migraine headaches.
Clare Albright
For more information about Neurofeedback, go to http://www.NeurofeedbackBook.com Dr. Clare Albright is a psychologist (CA License PSY11660) and a Neurofeedback practitioner and can be reached at (949)454-0996
View all articles by Clare Albright