Advanced Biofeedback Center

Depression

Assessment of condition

Overview

The affective disorder  known as "depression" has been viewed in many different ways for thousands of years. Ancient Greek physicians spoke about "bad humors" that circulated in the brain. Some physicians today conceive of depression as a "chemical imbalance." As a clinical practice that focuses more on your abilities to cope with every day stressors, Advanced Biofeedback Center clinicians conceive of depression as a behavioral response. By changing your ideas ("cognitions") about the stressors, your behavioral responses can change, often in the correct direction. There has been some research to suggest that patients suffering from depression may actually have an electrical imbalance in the brain. Those who change the balance of Alpha wave activity between the right and left hemispheres actually report elevated mood!

Sensors

Non-invasive, comfortable, gold-plated, skin surface EEG sensors are typically utilized.

Where sensors are placed

EEG sensors will be placed on your ear and/or ear lobes and on your scalp.

Behavioral intervention

Learning and behavioral change

There are many aspects of biofeedback that contribute to your improvement. Even prior to beginning training, you have already developed an expectation that you will be successful in achieving more voluntary control over your mind and body than you had ever considered before. Your positive expectations "set the stage" for your positive outcome.

As training progresses, you begin to recognize that you can make tangible changes in the "power" of brain wave activity in one side of the brain in contrast to the other side of the brain. Specifically, you will likely change your Alpha wave activity to correct the "electrical imbalance" that contributed to your depressed mood.

It is important to note, however, that none of us lives in a vacuum. We interact daily with others, at home, at work, and in the community. Certain situations are objectively stressful, anxiety-provoking, and depressing! Therefore, you would be doing yourself a disservice if you thought that biofeedback alone will solve all of your problems. (This is analogous to thinking that by taking a pill all of our problems will disappear!) Although the Alpha Asymmetry neurofeedback approach may help your mood, it will not be sufficient to solve all of your problems! For such issues, you would do well to engage in some productive problem solving, counseling, and/or psychotherapy with your psychologist and/or biofeedback therapist.

Number of sessions

The number of sessions required to elevate your mood can vary. It is dependent upon the nature and severity of your depressed mood as well as the psychosocial stressors that may have triggered your depression initially.

Change in behavior

Goals

The eventual goal would be a substantial, tangible elevation of your mood as well as significant, persistent changes in behavior that decrease the likelihood of suffering from depression again.