A QEEG brain map (or ‘Q’ for short) enables us to see your unique pattern of mental strengths and weaknesses – areas of the brain where there is too little or too much activity, and areas that are not coordinating their activity the best they could.
We use QEEGs for our initial assessment, to design your neurofeedback training programme, and to track your progress over your sessions. It involves nothing more than wearing a sensor cap so we can listen to what your brain is doing.
Once we can see the reason for your struggles on a brain level, we can create a neurofeedback training programme to help resolve it.
During your QEEG assessment, we gather and edit the data, process your maps and review it with you on the spot; no need to wait a week for an outside lab to process the data and make training recommendations.
Every six sessions we gather a fresh QEEG to keep the therapist in the loop, allowing progress tracking and updates to your training as you progress. It’s how we make your sessions truly personalised and dynamic.
Being able to process our brain maps on the spot has advantages. We use software analysis tools, but software cannot make human judgements or put the map in context of you and your goals. As with most fields, there is an art to it that only comes with experience.
Most people find their QEEG fascinating. There are seldom any surprises in the brain map; it is a measure how you feel and function, and presumably you already know how you feel. Still, most find real comfort and validation in getting a measure on those feelings or challenges, and relief that they can be shifted.
Note: First getting to know you and your brain is what takes the most time, so the initial assessment is the only QEEG we charge for. All tracking and follow-up maps are included with your sessions.
QEEG LORETA Z-SCORE NEUROMETRIC BRAIN MAPPING
Originally designed for brain research, we use QEEG LoRETA Z-Score Neurometric Brain Mapping. It’s a mouthful that describes itself.
EEG (ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPH)
An EEG uses surface sensors to detect the brain’s electrical patterns (known as brainwaves).Common brain imaging techniques such as MRIs, CAT scans and x-rays are built to measure brain structure. An EEG measures brain activity and function; how you are feeling, moment to moment.
We use the EEG to see any areas where your brain is ‘stuck’ in one state or another – those underlying, habitual feelings that get in your way. That ‘background noise’ that distracts or makes you uncomfortable periodically (or constantly). These are our targets for training.
Getting an EEG is non-invasive and painless. Much like a heart monitor which only records your heart rate, the sensors only record the electrical activity of the brain. It is not invasive in any way.
QEEG (QUANTITATIVE ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPH)
The QEEG brain map neurometric readings give us vital information to help identify areas of over or under-activity to train, and to precisely chart your progress.
By seeing which areas have abnormal activity, we can predict what type of symptoms you may be experiencing as a result. For example, if specific brain areas involved in attention are functioning poorly and you have difficulty paying attention, we know exactly where to train to help you regulate more efficiently.
A QEEG can identify not only brainwaves, their amplitude, location and whether these patterns are typical or anomalous, but also coherence (quality of communication between regions), phase (thinking speed), and network integration. These are all crucial patterns involved in optimal mental functioning.
LORETA (LOW RESOLUTION BRAIN ELECTROMAGNETIC TOMOGRAPHY)
Using a 19 sensor cap and source-correlation software, LoRETA allows us to image (and ultimately train) brainwave patterns in deep brain structures.
Being able train these deeper structures in the brain is a major leap forward in brain mapping, and enables 3D neurofeedback. The ability to train entire brain networks as a unit significantly reduces the number of sessions required to see results.
Z-SCORE NEUROMETRICS
We compare these surface and deep brainwave readings to a research reference database, called a Z-score (Neuroguide, FDA research standard).
The Z-score is the measure of how near or far from a comfortable, stable, or efficient position different areas of your brain are.
And that is QEEG LoRETA Z-Score Neurometric Brain Mapping.
IS BRAIN MAPPING RELIABLE?
Brain mapping is a means to measure brain function. It has become a primary tool in neuroscience.
QEEGs are used in research centres all over the world to study ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, depression and bipolar disorder, PTSD, anxiety disorders, learning disabilities, and emotional conditions of every sort. It is a recognised diagnostic tool for some medical conditions in Germany and the USA.
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