What is neurofeedback & PNEI?
Neurofeedback helps the brain to cope better with stress, stimuli, and changes. At Brain-Fit, we combine NeurOptimal® neurofeedback with PNEI for a comprehensive approach focused on more calm, focus, recovery, and resilience.
- Real-time feedback for the brain's self-regulation
- Attention to the brain, nervous system, hormones, immune system and lifestyle
- Often chosen for stress, burnout, sleep problems, ADHD, concussion (PCS) and Post-COVID
Neurofeedback detects sudden instability in brain activity and informs the brain about it, by means of a brief interruption in sound. This interruption causes your brain to be jolted awake. This allows you to make the brain ‘aware’ of the activity it was engaged in and enables it to choose a different path.
This happens again and again until your brain has optimally corrected itself. You'll notice this through, among other things, sleeping better, being less stressed, experiencing less anxiety, and being able to focus better. This allows you to experience the joy of an easier life, despite the challenges that come your way daily.
You can compare this process to an aeroplane going off course due to turbulence. This costs a lot of energy. Through corrections by the pilot, the aeroplane gets back on the right course and the aircraft can fly peacefully to its destination again. Read more.
PNEI (Psycho-Neuro-Endocrino-Immunology) is the science that deals with the relationships and connections between behaviour, the brain, the nervous system, the immune system, and hormones.
Neurotransmitters, important chemical communication streams in your body, are central to the theory. The poor or non-functioning of one or more systems (often the case with chronic complaints) can have a disruptive effect on the other systems.
From a PNEI perspective, by completing the Neuro-4 Profile test, we examine whether your brain (which ultimately controls all systems) is receiving the correct fuel and if neurotransmitters can function properly.
Neurofeedback & PNEI in brief
At Brain-Fit, we use NeurOptimal® neurofeedback and PNEI to support the brain and body in recovery, balance and resilience.
- Neurofeedback gives the brain real-time information about its own activity.
- When there is instability in brain activity, the sound is briefly interrupted.
- The short break helps the brain to recalibrate itself.
- The training is non-invasive: nothing is added to or imposed upon the brain.
- NeurOptimal® works without diagnostic protocols, but trains the brain's self-learning ability.
- PNEI investigates the collaboration between the brain, nervous system, hormones, immune system, and behaviour.
- With the Neuro-4 profile test, we gain a better understanding of resilience, stress load, and potential imbalances.
- The combination of neurofeedback and PNEI makes Brain-Fit's approach broader than just brain training.
- Many clients choose Brain-Fit for stress, burnout, sleep problems, concentration problems, anxiety complaints, Post-concussion syndrome en Post-COVID.
Would you like to experience what neurofeedback and PNEI can do for your recovery, peace of mind, and resilience? Schedule an intake appointment with Brain-Fit.
NeurOptimal® Dynamic Neurofeedback®
Dynamic Neurofeedback® technology was developed by Zengar® and is unique to NeurOptimal®.
NeurOptimal® Dynamic Neurofeedback uses the brain's natural, dynamic learning processes. The brain receives precisely the information it needs to do the work itself. You can compare it to holding up a mirror to the brain, enabling it to perceive itself and make adjustments independently.
In this way, the brain is supported in a gentle, reliable and powerful manner to function as optimally as possible. Instead of a practitioner determining what the brain should do and which goals must be achieved during a session, NeurOptimal® supports the brain's innate capacities for self-regulation, resilience and flexibility.
NeurOptimal®‘s Dynamic Neurofeedback® technology is based on co-developer Valdeane W. Brown, Ph.D.’s insight into the non-local, 'holographic' way the brain functions as a rich and interconnected neural network. This is, of course, a heavily simplified representation.
This vision distinguishes NeurOptimal® on a number of key points from other neurofeedback systems.
Brain dynamics: the brain regulates its own processes
The brain is a non-linear, dynamic system. It continuously perceives information and constantly adapts within a dynamic interplay of stimuli, changes and equilibrium.
The brain is naturally geared towards general, but not absolute, self-regulation based on the information it receives. Therefore, NeurOptimal® gives the brain the information it needs to do its job itself. The system does not tell the brain what to do, as is often the case with linear neurofeedback.
This is one of the reasons why NeurOptimal® is so safe. The brain is not steered in the direction of a goal predetermined by someone else.
Variability of brain processes
Many neurofeedback systems try to train the brain to produce more or indeed less of certain brain activity. In doing so, norms are often used that are based on population averages.
However, the brain shows a high degree of variability in its processes. Simply put, this means that there are no fixed, absolute values for the amount of brain activity required to perform a given function.
Brain activity differs from person to person and can also change from moment to moment. This is influenced by, among other things:
* the activity someone is engaged in;
* the time of day;
* the blood sugar level;
* the amount of rest and sleep;
* general health;
* genetic factors;
* other physical and mental conditions.
In linear neurofeedback, training goals are often set by an expert based on a diagnosis, an assessment, a measurement that may have been carried out weeks earlier, or symptoms a person has experienced during the week.
We believe that this method of training does not fully align with the natural learning processes of the body and the brain. After all, the current state of the brain is constantly changing.
Functional alignment
NeurOptimal® therefore uses functional alignment. In this way, NeurOptimal® gives the brain essential information about its own functioning. This is the ‘mirror’ that is held up to the brain.
Within various time and frequency domains, there is a dynamic variation that is unique to every individual. NeurOptimal® follows the brain precisely where it is at that moment, from millisecond to millisecond. As a result, the brain is given the opportunity to reorganise itself.
This can lead to noticeable changes in various areas of daily life.
By contrast, a linear neurofeedback system is less able to align with the actual functioning of the brain and may potentially cause undesirable side effects. This is because the brain's ideal, constantly changing processes cannot be accurately determined on the basis of a diagnosis, examination or previous measurement alone.
Results
Based on these principles, NeurOptimal® Dynamic Neurofeedback® does not attempt to bring the brain back to a supposed average or ideal level based on other people. The brain is therefore not compared to a database to determine how it should function.
Instead, NeurOptimal® gives your central nervous system precise information about its own activity. This allows the brain to develop the most appropriate strategies for organisation and self-regulation on a moment-by-moment basis.
Perfectly simple.
Completely safe.
Perfect yourself.
Would you like to experience what neurofeedback and PNEI can do for your recovery, peace of mind, and resilience? Schedule an intake appointment with Brain-Fit.
