Contents
The brain training that teaches how to manage anxiety
Psychology
Neurofeedback is a brain activity feedback technique that teaches how to regulate our brain waves and better manage emotions
The impact of the pandemic on mental health It will be important in the long term and will occur at a global level, as predicted by the WHO, which not only focuses its consequences on the transmission of the virus, the fear of contagion or the psychological impact of confinements, but also focuses on the ravages derived from unemployment and socioeconomic difficulties.
But in addition, the effects of social isolation and the loss of experiential routines on daily functions such as attention, memory or executive functions are already appreciated in consultation, according to neurologist Dr. Juan A. Cruz Velarde, from the Institute of Clinical Neurobiology. , who assures that the lack of social interactions has influenced the destabilization of patients already affected with problems of anxiety y depression. Thus, the expert affirms that there has been an increase in pathologies associated with these problems such as tension headaches, insomnia or neck pain due to muscle tension.
There have also been many sleep disturbances, as well as an increase in obsessive disorders such as the obsession with hygiene or hypochondria, according to the director of the Neuroscenter Clinic, Sydney Pinoy, who acknowledges that symptoms and disorders that were latent but are now coming to light are being seen. “The uncertainty about the future It is something that is affecting a lot those who feel more stress or are more prone to anxiety, “he reveals.
In fact, the expert affirms that the majority of those who come to his consultation for suffering anxiety o depression consider that the coronavirus has been a circumstance aggravating.
All of this has led to a growing need for work the mind to face unfavorable situations like the ones we are experiencing. And this is where neurofeedback comes in, the brain training technique both experts work with.
How neurofeedback works
As defined by the director of Neuroscenter, the neurofeedback is a brain activity feedback technique that teaches how to regulate brain waves. “We first record the brain waves through sensors located on the scalp (electroencephalogram or EEG). These are then interpreted to find out which areas of the brain are malfunctioning by comparing them with their normal function. During the training A computer provides audiovisual cues (in the form of an exercise or video game) for the activation or deactivation of specific brain regions. If the brain follows the exercise well, the game keep going. But if erroneous processes are detected, it stops. In this way the brain learns what to do to reduce the brain waves that cause stress or difficulty and to increase the activity of those that function optimally, “he explains.
According to the expert, therefore, what is achieved with this technique is that the brain manages to consolidate what it has learned thanks to the repetition and stay in that same state of balance after treatment to improve your stress management. “Learning processes work through automation, so when we learn or repeat non-functional processes, they become entrenched within our customs. Neurofeedback enables the brain unlearn to relearn new more functional neural circuits that do not affect emotional or physical well-being, “he explains.
Currently, there are protocols developed -with empirical evidence- to address its symptoms in cases of sleep pattern alteration, anxiety, depression and OCD, among others. It also facilitates the process of integrating emotions lived within the psychotherapeutic approach in consultation.
But also, as Dr. Cruz Velarde points out, carrying out activities that promote neural connection and the creation of new functional routes between different brain areas is the key to delay and protect against cognitive aging. The reduction of stress and the enhancement of the trophic function of the parasympathetic system in combination with different techniques such as meditation or neurofeedback can be very interesting for patients.
Promote neuroplasticity
The techniques of brain training They seek to activate neural circuits and cognitive functions based on the deficiencies detected. “It can be done through directed exercises in neuropsychology and also through neurofeedback to optimize the connections between brain areas in a personalized way,” explains Dr. Cruz Velarde.
In general, everything that makes our brain exercise and promotes its neuroplasticity benefits general health. The meditation, the mindfulness, the language learning or new instruments as well as the neurofeedback are some of the techniques that, according to Pinoy, allow training the brain. ‘Meditation and mindfulness have important cognitive and psychological benefits. For example, they improve memory, increase concentration capacity and creativity, and delay the deterioration associated with aging, and there are even studies that affirm that they improve the immune system, “he points out.
To work on mindfulness there is an effective exercise that consists of reading while timing the moments in which we are fully attentive to what we read. When we lose focus because of a thought, we stop the timer and write it down and then start over. “Over time, we will see that our capacity for attention and concentration increases,” reveals Pinoy.
For its part, neurofeedback is a technique that allows us to focus on what we want to improve and train, so that it is more precise and faster than meditation or mindfulness and than any other brain training.
The benefits of training the brain
By doing brain training, new neural pathways are created, so, as Sydney Pinoy explains, we go creating new brain habits that are translated into changes in the way of facing reality. “Thus, after training, the person will have more resources and more capacity for channeling and adaptation, which will translate into less stress, for example,” he clarifies.
Neurofeedback increases a person’s capacity for ‘insight’, that is, it increases the capacity through which we can become aware of a situation in order to understand it. This allows, for example, that psychotherapy is carried out in better conditions.
“I like to say that neurofeedback is like those Christmas snowballs that you shake, and then wait for the snow to fall and put it back in its place,” says Pinoy, who reveals that the brain acts in the same way, because throughout our lives we have to shake it to promote their plasticity, thereby creating new neural networks (synapses), which will later translate into our behaviors.
How, how much and when to train the brain
If we talk about meditation The ideal is to practice it for at least 20 minutes a day, according to experts. Regarding the mindfulness you can try to practice it as much as possible. «Being aware of our environment and our life is important for our psychological and physical well-being. The results will be established over time, depending on the physiology and psychology of the person, ”says Pinoy.
In the case of neurofeedback, training is carried out by performing one or two 30-minute sessions a week. According to the expert, there is empirical evidence of initial changes from 20 neurofeedback sessions in a casuistry of 80%, but, as he clarifies, it must be taken into account that each case is always different, so we move in margins of between 20 and 180 sessions. “These are rough numbers, there are cases of people who improve after a few sessions and others who begin to notice their effects after 20 sessions,” he concludes.