LEARNING CENTER
Neurofeedback for Trauma & PTSD
Trauma can leave the brain stuck in survival mode. Here is a careful, honest look at the research on neurofeedback for post-traumatic stress, including veterans and complex trauma, with links to every study.
How Neurofeedback Addresses Trauma
Helping a Brain on High Alert Stand Down
After trauma, the brain's threat system can stay switched on long after the danger has passed. Many people with PTSD show reduced calming alpha activity and a fear center, the amygdala, that stays tightly linked to alarm and memory circuits. Neurofeedback reads brain activity in real time and rewards the brain, through a game, video or sound, when it settles into a calmer, more regulated pattern. With practice, regulation gets easier, without having to retell the trauma.
The most-researched approaches are:
- Alpha training: rebuilds the calming rhythm often reduced in PTSD.
- Right temporal-parietal training: used in the van der Kolk studies to ease hyperarousal and improve emotional control.
- Alpha-theta training: a deeply relaxed state used in some veteran programs.
Results are encouraging, especially for complex trauma, but most trials are small. We share both the promising and the cautious findings below.
Training happens in a familiar, safe space: your own home.