MHCCF Meeting - Neurofeedback for the Remediation of Trauma

MEETING AGENDA:

8:30-9 a.m. - Registration and Sign-in

9 a.m. - Announcements and Introductions

9:30 - 10:30 a.m. - Speaker

SPEAKER:  Gulnora Hundley, PhD, LMHC

TOPIC: Neurofeedback for the Remediation of Trauma

DESCRIPTION:  This presentation will offer participants information related to the utilization of Neurofeedback training as an alternative technique in the treatment of PTSD. What makes the resolution of traumas so problematic is the fact that trauma appears to be physiologically encoded in a variety of body systems. Trauma does not merely reside in historical memory. This means that verbal or cognitively-based means of addressing the traumatic memory do not reach what may be the core issues that sustain the trauma experience. The inability of verbal therapeutic techniques to touch these core issues means that trauma work is often itself re-traumatizing. It has even become axiomatic within the field that the resolution of traumas can only occur via such a painful route. In recent years, a number of techniques have surfaced which give promise of addressing the physiological aspects of traumatic memories. Neurofeedback is one of them. Neurofeedback is a gentle technique that appraises where the brain is at the moment, and guides it gradually to a different functional state. This can serve three roles successively, all relevant to the trauma experience. In the first instance, it can take the person struggling with a recent traumatic event to “safe harbor” in the moment. Over the longer term, repeated trainings can re-stabilize the physiology, so that sleep is restored, cognitive function recovered, anxiety and depression remediated. Finally, Neurofeedback can be used to bring the person to internal focus, where the trauma event can be re-visualized non-traumatically and hence re-scripted. Neurofeedback does not abort the natural grieving process. It is not an analgesic for the trauma experience. Rather, it supports the physiology during the natural grieving process so that the person does not get stuck in dysfunctional states. Ultimately it facilitates a natural healing process. The technique is heavily instrumentation-based. The advantage is that it is non-language based, and it makes minimal cognitive demand on the person. Even pre-verbal children can be successfully treated. On the other hand, the technique does require some specialized training in its administration. The presentation will be concluded by a demonstration of actual Neurofeedback training.

OBJECTIVES:

1. Provide participants with a brief overview of the historical development of Neurofeedback and describe the variables of brain electrical functioning such as frequency, amplitude, symmetry and coherence.
2. Demonstrate a correlation between symptoms of trauma and dysfunctional brain activities.
3. Review the Nerofeedback training outcomes for clients with trauma.

SPEAKER BIO: