How It Works

Visualize

The Biofeedback Therapy Process

The first step towards mental balance and health is to gain a basic understanding of how the brain works. As an electrochemical organ, the brain produces electromagnetic oscillations, commonly referred to as brainwaves. Duffy uses biofeedback therapy, a process that combines electroencephalography (EEG) and BrainPaint technology, to help patients see a visual manifestation of their brainwaves. We show people the effects that various emotions and states have on the brain, from stress, anger, and fear to relaxation and sleep.

What to Expect

When a patient first visits Duffy, an initial interview is done to obtain more information on the issue(s) that prompted the visit. We will discuss symptoms, individual health history and family history to get a clear picture of what we are dealing with and how we will begin to approach it. Depending on the symptoms, patients may be given simple tests or forms to fill out to further clarify the issues to be dealt with. Patients suffering from memory loss, for example, will take a 30 minute, FDA approved memory test that will help determine both the extent and the origin of their problem.

The biofeedback therapy process itself is simple and pain-free, and takes place in a calm, relaxing environment. Several small electrodes are placed on and around the patient's scalp, allowing Duffy to get EEG readings. In a few short minutes, the patient will begin receiving visual feedback representing the activity in their brain.

The images created by the patient's brainwaves are displayed for them on a monitor. We help patients interpret the images, explaining the processes in the brain that cause them. It helps some individuals to think of the images as a mirror image of what is going on in their brain.

When a person can actually see what their brain is doing, they can come to understand how it works on a more visceral level. This is because there are very clear visual differences between the images the brain produces in various states: images created by the waves of the alert brain look different from those created by relaxed brain, the ideating brain creates a different set of images from the sleeping brain. The images are also affected by emotional states, from stress and fear to happiness and relaxation.

Focus

Once a patient has a basic understanding of how their brain works in various states, Duffy works with the individual to improve the way they manage these states. An individual possessing a relaxed, balanced mind is able to assert a fairly high level of control over their brainwaves and the images they create. People who have trained their brains properly are able to maximize their production in any mental state.

Familiarity with biofeedback imaging is a great starting point for people looking to achieve balance, but without guidance it can be hard for a person to apply what they have learned during a biofeedback therapy session into something they can use the real world. We give patients the tools to find balance outside of their session, when they are faced with stress, anxiety and negative emotions in their day-to-day lives. We do this by coaching patients on how to use brain entrainment techniques and developing methods to discover and combat the roots of any disorder or negative emotions.

Balance

By teaching self-directed therapeutic methods, we give people a way to balance their brain in any situation. We often focus on helping people give themselves permission to focus on their own needs instead of the needs of others. Focusing inward—if only for a moment—can allow an individual to find the balance and control needed to deal with stressful situations. When the mind is balanced and ready to rededicate itself to the needs of others, people find it easier to listen and communicate.

Duffy can teach techniques that help people find inner balance in any situation, whether they are at home or work, stuck in traffic, or in a busy mall, crowded airport, waiting room or hospital bed. Sometimes relaxation is as simple a person stopping to focus on the way they breathe, or thinking about something that makes them smile. We also work with individuals to help them create visualizations based on their own positive memories and imaginations. These visualizations can help a person regain control while removing them from the fear or anxiety they are feeling.

Relax

Our practice extends beyond visual-based methods. For children and adults with processing difficulties and ADD, we do simple listening tests to determine the sounds and frequencies they aren't listening to. We then begin to gently re-train their ears to listen to these frequencies. This is achieved by having them listen to the problem frequencies while performing simple balancing tasks, like jumping up and down on a ball.

Music also plays an integral part in our approach. We encourage patients to find music that can assist them in their search for balance. We have found that the best music for this purpose is often the music created by the patient's own brainwaves. While the brain itself does not produce music, EEG readings can be translate into musical notation. Just as no two patients will have the same visualization, no two patients' brainwaves create the same music. When individuals hear a recording of the unique "song" created by their own brainwaves, they find it calming. While we can not translate EEG readings into music, we can take the readings and have them translated for our patients by our partners in Europe.

We find that the people who come to visit us often benefit greatly from animal therapy. Animals have a way of absorbing the tension an individual feels, helping them release negative feelings through touch or even just their presence. Dogs are particularly adept at lowering stress and anxiety; many of our patients have discovered this with the help of Bijou, Duffy's resident Golden Doodle.