Add Treatment Center

Our goal is to offer to the community a brain-based, state-of-the-art, non-drug treatment to help those struggling with symptoms of physical and mental disorders. With the explosion in brain research over the past 15 years, the brain has taught us many new and improved ways to optimize health and happiness. However, the rate at which these new insights are emerging actually outpace the rate at which clinicians are being educated. In the six to nine years it takes for a high school graduate to become a practicing clinician, so many new discoveries are made that, upon graduation, their education is already dated. Now that we can more directly measure brain activity through such means as neuroimaging, we are improving our ability to evaluate how well various treatments actually work. This has guided the development of much more effective, powerful, and less toxic treatments, such as neurofeedback.

To illustrate the depth to which brain research could impact our health care delivery system, consider the fact that the prevailing model for how the mind and body are related have roots as far back as Plato around the year 400 BC. Our belief that the mind and body are separate can easily be traced back almost 2,500 years. This flawed belief reached its fullest expression in the 17th Century writings of the philosopher, René Descartes who solidified the notion by stating it was self-evident that the mind and body (dualism) are separate. Since that time, medicine and psychology have struggled with the intrinsic limitations of so limited a view. However, dualism has continued to serve as the theoretical foundation for the belief that mental disorders were best treated by mental health professionals, while physical disorders were the exclusive domain of those with a medical education. The respective fields of medicine and mental health, along with hundreds of thousands of people, have suffered tremendously as a result of the wall that was constructed by this false belief. Today, many experts with knowledge derived from recent studies on brain and behavior, have stated unequivocally, that the overwhelming preponderance of evidence indicates that we should abandon this longstanding theory. However, they have hit a wall of entrenched interests. Those in the physical medicine camp either question or simply reject scientific evidence indicating that nurture has a more dramatic impact on functional impairments than was previously thought; for example, one’s psychological disposition, social factors and perceptions. While genetics certainly play an important role, studies show that that the human brain has an inherent dynamic plasticity that, under the right circumstances, is extremely resilient. It turns out that our brain is “hard-wired” to be highly interactive and responsive to external events. In spite of the dramatic consistency of these findings, experts have warned that it could take one to two generations for this knowledge to actually impact our frontline clinicians. Although in many ways self-defeating, the division between mind and body is tied to many legal, ethical, professional, regulatory, and financial interests that we are not likely to see it replaced in our lifetime.

However, all that being said, neurofeedback, by its very nature, blends information from mental and physical sources; therefore it can positively treat both physical and mental disorders. Many have said that neurofeedback was ahead of its time. Indeed it was, because, although it was discovered in the late 1960’s, current advances in brain research have helped us understand the theoretical basis for how neurofeedback can be so effective, while, at the same time, being totally safe.

To understand the safety and effectiveness of neurofeedback, one must first appreciate how evolution sculpted the human brain. Evolution nurtured and fine-tuned our sensitivity to environmental signals as our earliest ancestors went about their daily existence. The genetic code of those brains that did a poor job of detecting and responding to environmental signals did not survive to be passed on to future generations. This bit of history is important because during an actual neurofeedback training session, we tap into this same “hard wired” adaptive process. However, rather than use a signal from the environment, we use the signal (brainwaves or “EEG”) that comes directly from the patient’s brain. Even then, we use a portion of that signal that was derived after thoroughly evaluating the unique characteristics of that patient’s brain. A skilled and experienced clinician intelligently chooses the portion of the brainwave signal that scientific investigation has shown it will promote brain health (stability, communication, activity, etc.). Thanks to advances in computers, this signal is then “fed back” to the patient within ¼ second (250 milliseconds) from the time it was first generated by the patient’s brain using visual and auditory feedback in the form of a video game interface. This “feedback” cycle is known to behavioral psychologists as “operant conditioning” and acts as a self-correcting information loop guiding the brain to more normal EEG patterns. The patient comes away from a session of neurofeedback training having learned something new from this experience and, with very little effort, naturally incorporates this new ability into his or her repertoire. Here are some examples of what neurofeedback training can do: an unstable seizure prone brain becomes more stable, a slow-to-respond AD/HD brain learns to process a bit faster and thereby better regulates focus and attention, a diffusely fast and anxious brain learns to slow down and with it shows an increase in EEG frequencies that are produced only when a person is relaxed, or the disconnected brain of an autistic child develops stronger regional network connections in their brain – all leading to a more normal functional capacity, a life with fewer physical and mental impairments, and, typically, a reduction or elimination in the use of medications. Neurofeedback training teaches the brain to manage itself better; then, after neurofeedback training, to have a better ability to self-regulate and function at more optimal levels. Once trained, the patient typically does not require additional or ongoing treatment.

Treatment should begin only after a doctor who is certified in neurofeedback, completes the initial evaluation. In the first meeting, the doctor carefully gathers relevant history and background information and engages the patient in a neuropsychological assessment. In accordance with the developing standards of care, our center then asks the patient do a totally painless and non-invasive neuroimaging technique called quantitative EEG (qEEG) – or brainmapping. This is accomplished by placing sensors on specific locations on the head and observing, then recording, their EEG. The recording is sent via a secure and confidential internet connection to our analysis service where a neurologist reviews the recording and furnishes a report. In addition, we are provided with a quantitative analysis, comparing our patient to an age-matched “normative” database. This shows us how our patient’s brain is different from others. Some individual uniqueness is expected, but good clinicians are trained to identify key abnormalities that correlate with areas of poor functioning. The interpretation of the qEEG data along with the convergence of clinical data is the key ingredient that will likely yield a successful outcome. These combine to facilitate the development of a treatment plan that integrates the information gathered during the patient’s evaluation along with any pertinent testing, placed alongside the qEEG results. The treatment plan that emerges effectively identifies the proper placement of the sensors, the optimal frequency to use, and which neurofeedback modality to train. You will get the best results possible in doing neurofeedback if the doctor who directs the treatment is certified by the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance (BCIA) in neurofeedback and specializes in offering this therapy. It certainly helps if the provider has many years of experience and is known in the community for having trained many patients who have had positive results.

One of the first things we do at our center is gather information and, most importantly, listen to what the patient tells us about his or her problem, how they struggle; and we learn as much as is necessary about the problem that is keeping the patient from living a happy and fulfilled life. Then, just as important, we listen to the patient’s brain, and allow these sources of information to guide the development of a treatment plan. We freely acknowledge that, even though the Center is run by doctors with many years of education, we don’t have all the answers. However, unlike most doctors, we don’t want to guess what is right for our patients. We have found that when we listen to both the patient and the signals from his or her brain, we then have a much better chance to personalize the training specifically to the needs of the patient. This also explains why, for over 30 years, patients have come from all over the world to our treatment center in Torrance, California and, when they leave, they are able to live happier and more vibrant lives. Every major city has centers just like the ADD Treatment Center and the Neurofeedback Center of Los Angeles and more will emerge in the future. This has to happen, because personalized medicine is the only meaningful solution that will put an end to the horrific conditions we find within today’s health care establishment.

As we grow we invite you to learn more about us and how neurofeedback might help you or someone you love. Please visit our website: and learn more about neurofeedback and how it can help you. It is our intention that the Treatment Center and Neurofeedback Center of Los Angeles will continue to educate therapists who want to consider becoming neurofeedback providers as well treat patients who can benefit from this treatment. The information we provide comes from over 30 years of experience and having trained several thousand patients. Although many still consider neurofeedback an “alternative” therapy, it never was alternative – it was founded on solid research that began almost 50 years ago and was developed by some of the world’s top researchers. Sure you can take Ritalin™ or Vyvanse™ and “treat” AD/HD. You will likely feel better*, for a few hours; or, you can do neurofeedback and get even better results that last a lifetime.

*Never go off or change any medication without first checking with the prescribing physician