Do you suffer from any of the following?

 

• Difficulty concentrating

• Trouble learning and remembering

• Tiredness and lack of energy

• Mood swings that make you feel out of control

• Constantly staying on high alert for uncomfortable and dangerous events

• Persistent feeling of sadness, emptiness, helplessness, and hopelessness

• Migraine headaches

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​These diverse functional limitations are all typically characterized by reduced activity of one’s prefrontal cortex. Often described as the brain’s “executive control centre,” the prefrontal cortex plays a pivotal role in integrating memorized and current sensory information, formulating plans and pursuing them to their goal in the face of distractions and stress, making decisions under free-choice conditions, and creative problem solving. It is also largely responsible for emotional regulation, our sense of self, and our ability to put ourselves in the minds of others.

 

The neurofeedback system we use, called passive Infrared Hemoencephalography (pIR HEG), monitors the real-time changes in infrared output from the brain measured directly over the prefrontal cortex. The acquired signal reflects changes in local cerebral blood flow and cellular metabolism. It can be thought of in terms of the amount of thermal energy the brain must get rid of to maintain thermal stability. Increases in the pIR HEG signal reflect increased output of “thermal waste” generated by the brain as a result of increased prefrontal activity, and vice versa.

 

The sensor assembly of the pIR HEG system picks up the infrared radiation from the surface of the forehead while the client watches a movie, and feeds this signal into a computer. The system also involves a threshold-based control over DVD player. A threshold is set on the computer, below which a movie will turn off, and above which it will turn on.

 

The purpose of the movie is to activate the emotions sufficiently to reduce prefrontal activity. The relationship between the prefrontal cortex and the brain’s emotional realm is reciprocal. When one activates, the other shuts down.

 

When the movie generates a strong emotional response, the prefrontal cortex “goes offline,” reducing the thermal output, which causes the movie to pause.  A vertical bar graph will then appear on the screen. To resume the movie, the person must quiet the emotional response and simultaneously concentrate on the bar until it rises above the threshold line displayed.

 

Raising the bar requires intense mental effort combined with calmness. Even small degree of agitation will produce a signal drop which will be seen on the bar graph.

 

In a nutshell, the intent of pIR HEG is twofold:

• Increasing the dominance of the person’s prefrontal cortex (demonstrated, in particular, by improved ability to control impulses); and

• Strengthening the person’s capacity to flip easily from reflexive, emotion-driven state to a state of relaxed focus.

 

The overarching goal is to smoothen and limit “emergency responses” while maintaining alertness (“taking tension out of attention”), and also to build mental flexibility and resilience so that the person does not respond to the world with a single habitual pattern.

 

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With pIR HEG, nothing “goes into” your brain at any time. The process is non-invasive, safe, painless, and fun.

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In contrast to stimulant medications such as Concerta, Dexedrine, or Ritalin, whose intended effects typically vanish in just four to six hours after intake, training with pIR HEG can result in lasting improvements.  Further, while these drugs can cause multiple side effects (including anxiety, irritability, abdominal pain, decreased appetite, insomnia, and headache), there are no known negative experiences resulting from pIR HEG apart from occasional mild fatigue that vanishes within a few hours after the session.