Not for Profit offers Neuro-Relaxation Technique Free to Veterans with PTSD or Traumatic Brain Injury
The Center for Brain Wellness, a subsidiary of Dunham Counseling in Naperville, IL is collaborating with the not-for-profit No Soldier Left Behind http://nslbinc.org to offer Brainwave Optimization® to veterans who qualify free of charge. Veterans experiencing Post-Traumatic Stress who have used Brainwave Optimization have reported improved sleep, stress reduction, enhanced relaxation, optimal performance and positive outlook.
Brainwave Optimization is an effective neuro-relaxation technology that translates electrical patterns in the brain into proprietary musical notes that are then used to allow the brain to acoustically mirror its own activity, recalibrating or balancing brainwave activity. Results reported reflect a reordering of discernible trauma patterns in the brain. The technology has also been used in cases of addiction, anger, anxiety and depression.
The technology, piloted by Brain State Technologies, Inc. is based on HIRREM (High resolution, relational, resonance based electroencephalic mirroring) a noninvasive, brain feedback technology to facilitate relaxation, auto-calibration, and self-optimization of neural oscillations by using auditory tones to reflect brain frequencies in near real time. The technology has shown promise in a number of University-based studies and is currently being researched by a multi-disciplinary team at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
The first step in the HIRREM process is to obtain an assessment of the brain electrical pattern. An assessment is done by making very brief recordings of the brainwaves at six or more locations on the scalp, with the recipient at rest and while carrying out a task. This provides a map of frequencies and amplitudes with the brain at rest, and under load, while interacting with the environment, allowing identification of imbalances.
HIRREM protocols are done with the recipient sitting in a comfortable chair. Sensors are placed on the scalp at specific locations, depending on the protocol, allowing the computer to observe the brainwaves, and to identify a dominant frequency at a particular moment. This frequency is assigned an auditory tone, which is played back via ear buds in nearly real time. It appears that the brain quickly recognizes that the tones reflect what is going on in the brain at the time. By giving the brain a chance to listen to itself via this acoustic stimulation, it will, on its own, tend to self-optimize, usually resulting in electrical shifts towards improved balance and quieting. There is no cognitive activity required by the recipient, no operant conditioning, no learner in the loop, no requirement to re-live a traumatic event, and no attempt to force the brain into a specific pattern.
"I am very excited to be able to work with veterans suffering from PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury at no cost to them," saysJeffrey Lucas, LCPC, CADC and Certified Brainwave Technologist, who has a counseling practice in west suburban Naperville and St. Charles, Illinois. "A recent small pilot study by Wake Forest School of Medicine showed that 89% of participants reported significant improvement of PTSD symptoms after completing a course of HIRREM. If we can provide relief to those who have sacrificed for us, I believe we should."
For more information on Brainwave Optimization and the free offering by the Center for Brain Wellness, visit http://chicagobrainwellness.com or contact Dunham Counseling at 630-664-7251.