ANF Book Introduction

Attuned Neurofeedback

A Foundational Approach to Understanding Neurofeedback and Enhancing Neurofeedback Outcomes

Neurofeedback: A New Paradigm

Author: Ellen Shaw-Smith

Early in my neurofeedback journey I experienced an unexpected moment that offered me a glimpse into the new paradigm of electroencephalogram (EEG) biofeedback. It was shortly after I first climbed the stairs to Sebern Fisher’s office on a quiet side street in Northampton, Massachusetts. In 2002 she was still at an early stage in her pioneering work with neurofeedback, and not yet close to the publication of her seminal 2014 book, Neurofeedback in the Treatment of Developmental Trauma: Calming the Fear-Driven Brain.

When I entered her office that day, my mind was in a familiar state of rumination. As Sebern put sensors on my head to track and measure my EEG data, I faced a screen where a game called “Island” played as it incorporated my brain wave patterns into its activity. The game progressed as my brain responded to the game cues and modified my EEG patterns. The changes my brain made to those patterns were all occurring below my level of conscious awareness, something I did not understand at the time.

Suddenly, without notice, the habitual anxious emotions that accompanied my ruminations disappeared. Because the ruminations and the accompanying anxiety were familiar elements of my experience, it seemed as if a part of myself had disappeared. I remember how startling the change felt. Because Sebern was the only person present with me I heard myself asking, ”What did you do with my emotions?” At that moment, I felt as if she had somehow taken them away. Sebern responded by explaining that my brain had made a change that was not yet familiar to me. She reassured me that we would watch together to see how this change unfolded in my personal experience.

I now have an understanding of the changes my brain was making at that moment… and of the mechanisms of neurofeedback that supported this increase in my brain regulation. Sebern, as my neurofeedback clinician, assessed my history and goals at each session before setting up the neurofeedback system to cue my brain about how to create more stable and flexible EEG patterns. She modified the cues the neurofeedback game offered my brain from one session to the next, always based on her observations of me and my ongoing reports on the effects I observed between training sessions.

While Sebern did her part to support my progress, I learned how to do my part to work toward the changes I was hoping for. I learned to bring an open focus to each neurofeedback session, allowing my brain to try on new frequency patterns as it increased the stability and flexibility of my brain activity. I learned to observe changes between sessions and share them with Sebern so that she could adjust the neurofeedback as needed. The day my emotions seemed to disappear was my first experience of the deeper effects of neurofeedback training, giving me a glimpse into the unexpected depth of change our work could accomplish.

As I write about that experience I can still recall what it felt like to have my brain change from within in ways I did not understand. And how this and other early training experiences changed the way I saw myself and the people around me. After those first sessions, a spontaneous question began arising in my mind: I wonder what it’s like to be in that brain? This thought began to arise with each person I encountered. If my internal experience could change as it had by playing a game that modified my EEG activity, I sensed that everyone’s brain organization must be affecting elements of experience and behavior outside our common levels of awareness. My sense of what it meant to be human began to shift in ways that I could not yet make sense of.

The meaningful shifts that occurred from the training of my brain prompted a desire to learn about the electrical language of my brain and how that “brain language” was affecting my everyday life. Beyond that, I began to see that this language actually shapes our human development through the range of choices it makes available to each of us as unique human beings. My interest in these questions has only expanded over the years, and now, all these years later, I have the opportunity to share some of what I have learned in this book.

The Structure of This Exploration

The brain can seem exotic beyond measure, its presence far from our conscious awareness as we go through our day. One goal of the Attuned Neurofeedback approach is to decrease the awareness gap between our outer everyday lived experience and the ways our nervous system organization contributes to our perceptions and choices. Because Attuned Neurofeedback includes a neurological, physiological, and psychological perspective, along with an understanding that the brain’s evolutionary wiring prioritizes human attachment and connection, this book begins its exploration by laying out some of the science that undergirds our human experience.

In the first unit we’ll consider the structure and functioning of the brain and nervous system. The unit begins with a view of the cell as the body’s smallest independent living unit and ends with a look at the brain’s microtubules that may lead to thoughts about the realms of quantum science. The unit will then integrate information on neurons and neurotransmitters, on the networks within our vast nervous system, and the neuroplastic, non-linear nature of our complex brain. The unit is not designed to be a text book on neuroanatomy. Instead it offers a walk through the geography of our brain and nervous system to familiarize you with the terrain we are engaging with when we enter into the realm of biofeedback and neurofeedback. With this intention this first unit will be the starting point of the journey.

The second unit will examine how the brain is wired for safe attachment as key to survival and a positive quality of life. We’ll look at how healthy attachment arises and how the brain is affected by trauma that often disrupts our sense of connection to others. Through the use of neuroimaging, it is possible to see how the brain organizes in situations of overwhelm or trauma, situations that may cause attachment-oriented ruptures. Looking through the lenses of attachment theory, neurofeedback, and a brain-based intervention called Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR), developed by Dr Frank Corrigan, will enhance our understanding of the fundamental importance of safe human connection. These lenses will also illuminate how our EEG networks interface with our human attachment systems in ways that we can affect through both neurofeedback and DBR.

The third unit provides a guide through the field of neurofeedback by offering a basic understanding of its historical development and of the mechanisms of neurofeedback that make it possible to speak directly to the brain and nervous system. This unit explores the power and limits of neurofeedback’s ability to assist us in regulating the brain and nervous system. It also highlights some of the various applications of neurofeedback technology.

This book is not intended to recommend any specific neurofeedback or brain training system. Instead, it is intended to illuminate what it means to engage with our nervous system through the use of this technology, and the importance of being fully aware of any changes that are evoked as we engage in this process. Because the brain and nervous system operates as a complex interwoven system, it is not possible to change one element of this system without affecting the regulation of our entire brain and body. In light of this, it is my belief that using neurofeedback as a purely symptom remediation approach does not provide an adequate understanding for the application of this powerful and deeply useful technology.

The fourth and final unit offers extensive information on the Attuned Neurofeedback (ANF) approach. The book is organized in this order in the belief that ANF will be most comprehensible and accessible through a basic understanding of each of the topics explored before it. This unit chronicles the theoretical foundation of ANF and its direct application as a whole-person, relational approach to neurofeedback training. It includes information on the assessment and application of neurofeedback training as it reflects the individual nature of each human brain. Central to this approach is the Arousal Model of neurofeedback training developed by Susan and Sigfried Othmer. ANF also highlights the importance of integrating changes from neurofeedback training into each client’s sense of self and their daily functioning, an important job of the neurofeedback provider.

In my years of mentoring and teaching I have seen how challenging it can be to gain an integrated understanding of what neurofeedback is and how it works to support the body’s self-regulation on every level. In a basic way, this book aims to make the process of neurofeedback transparent and understandable for any reader who finds this book of interest. In a more specific way it has been written to assist those who are interested in becoming a neurofeedback provider as they organize their educational goals and perspectives. And for those who are already engaged in the practice of neurofeedback to attain deeper levels of integration. For those who are already providers this information may offer something of a review and also a way of engaging with new perspectives on the practice of neurofeedback.

Please note that the book’s units can be read in any order. My aim is that you will read, reread, and reference the material in whatever order keeps you interested, engaged, and perhaps as I am, endlessly awed and inspired. That said, I believe the first three units of the book lead naturally to an awareness of how the specifics of the Attuned Neurofeedback approach increase validity and efficacy in enhancing outcomes and avoiding negative responses from neurofeedback training. As you read and explore, you will begin to cross reference the units yourself as you develop your own integrated understanding of what neurofeedback is and how it interfaces with you and your body.

Lastly, In my years of being a neurofeedback provider and educator, I have encountered many neurofeedback providers who practice in an attuned manner that do not specifically label themselves in this way. The designator Attuned Neurofeedback is not being used here to suggest any claim to exclusivity by those who choose to formally identify their neurofeedback or biofeedback work in this way. Instead, it is intended to shine a spotlight on the importance of including this essential perspective when using any of the proliferating brain training modalities available.

Outcomes from the use of any clinical or over the counter neurofeedback system can be enhanced and used more safely through the understanding shared here. The technology of neurofeedback can be life altering for many people. That said, when used without an understanding of its interface with the larger nervous system, or a clear way to track the diverse effects a person may experience, its usefulness may be limited or may create effects that were not intended.

Finally, as I write this introduction I’m aware of how privileged I am in having been immersed in the field of neurofeedback for 25 years. My belief is that in sharing with you who are reading this book what I have learned through my experience as a recipient of neurofeedback and as a provider and mentor for others, we will together be advancing a crucial understanding of our own physical, psychological, and social nature in ways that can positively affect our individual and collective lives. I believe that increasing our understanding and options for self-regulation at this fraught time in our world’s history is more important than ever.

I hope that you will also find this exploration time well-spent and filled with possibilities.