Eating Disorder Articles

Neurofeedback: High Tech That Heals

From the Sunflower Newsletter, June, 2006

In the heart of the Sonoran Desert, on the far fringes of Tucson, beyond the reach of digital phone and cable TV, there's a small room at the end of a row of stalls in a former stable. The room is stuffed to the gills with computers, miles of cable and countless blinking LEDs. A young woman sits at one of the computers, playing a video game and sporting a Medusa head of wires and buttons. Welcome to Mirasol neurofeedback, a unique and highly effective therapy for the treatment of eating disorders.

Very simply put, neurofeedback (or eeg biofeedback) is the science of reconditioning and retraining brain wave patterns. Although still considered "new," this learning technique has been widely used since the 1960s for stress reduction and the treatment of epilepsy. Mirasol pioneered the use of neurofeedback in the treatment of eating disorders and is a center for research on the use of neurofeedback as an alternative to psychotropic medications.

"Eating disorders don't exist in a vacuum," explains Dr. Joe Horvat, Director of Neurofeedback and Research. "They often occur in conjunction with other conditions such OCD, anxiety, depression and sleep disorders. These collateral disorders are very easily and successfully treated with eeg, so we know we can apply the same techniques to the treatment of eating disorders."

All Mirasol clients now undergo brain mapping during their first few days of treatment. "The brain map pinpoints the area of the brain and the bandwidth of brain wave deviations," says Dr. Horvat. "We are conducting extensive research to determine whether these deviations can help us identify patterns that are associated with eating disorders."

During typical neurofeedback training, sensors are placed on the scalp and/or ear lobes. An eeg unit provides instantaneous audio and visual display of brain wave activity. This "feedback" allows the individual to influence and change brain activity. Through individualized neurofeedback training, the brain learns to increase or decrease certain frequencies in order to function most efficiently for the task at hand.

Brain waves occur at various frequencies and are measured in cycles per second (hertz). People with ADD, ADHD, chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia tend to have excessive slow waves in the executive or frontal brain.

The changes are temporary at first but become permanent over time. 40-plus sessions is considered optimal. To increase the availability of neurofeedback training, Dr. Horvat recently installed neurofeedback stations in all the rooms at Mirasol's adult residence.

"Some clients are very excited about having access to such high-tech treatment and plan to continue it when they return home," says Dr. Joe. "Others are resistant, mostly because it messes up their hair. I'm still shopping for 'goo-less' sensor paste," he chuckles.

Dr. William Eck demonstrates neurofeedback training with assistance from Mirasol Nutrition Program Manager Amanda Mellowspring. Dr. Eck directs eeg biofeedback training at Mirasol's teen residence.

For more information about eeg biofeedback, visit www.greatbrain.com, www.eegspectrum.com and the website of the International Society of Neuronal Regulation www.snr.org. See also A Symphony in the Brain: The Evolution of the New Brain Wave Biofeedback (2000), written by Jim Robbins and published by Atlantic Monthly Press.