Training with NeurOptimal® is actually a learning task. You get results because your brain is actively learning, even if you are not doing the learning consciously. So much like reading, once your brain knows how to read, it can’t “not know”. Your brain doesn’t forget. It may get rusty, but the effects of learning remain throughout your lifetime.
However, your brain is living tissue and you can— and will— get “knocked off” by stress, by chemicals, by alcohol, by an anesthetic, by the difficult daily lives we all seem to live. The wonderful thing is, a few booster sessions will get you back to where you were. We see a trained brain quickly utilizing the information NeurOptimal® is offering. It’s as if the brain says “I know what to do with this!” and it goes through all the steps it went through in the weeks of initial training, but very rapidly. So you quickly get back into your good place.
It’s very nice to know if you are going through a more difficult time, you can quickly do a session or two to recover your optimal flow and functioning.
How Many NeurOptimal® Sessions Will I Need?
“How long will it take?” is a question many of my clients ask (second only to “What results can I expect”?). There is no standard answer to this question because everyone’s central nervous system is unique. While we cannot predict what your brain will do with the information it
receives from our neurofeedback training, we can offer a few guidelines.
The Six Session “Rule”
We often tell clients to expect SOMETHING to shift within six sessions. Often, it is much quicker than that. Early on, clients commonly report feeling better rested, having an improved outlook and engaging more effectively with colleagues or loved ones. Changes you experience may or may not be related to the goals you came in with, but generally speaking, any kind of shift is a positive indication that the NeurOptimal® brain training is working as designed.
Our experience has also shown us that most individuals may experience SOMETHING, but may not know what it is they feel, other than something is different. We often tell them that people around them (family and friends) may notice the change before they do. The changes through neurofeedback happen at a glacier speed. When clients go on to train between 9 to 15 sessions, the changes will become more pronounced and most clients will be able to explicitly describe what is that is different.
Specifically, clients describe feeling clearer, calmer, lighter or brighter for a few hours after the session – a feeling that typically will last through the week, from one neurofeedback training session to the next (weekly sessions being the most common). Eventually, this new centered way of being becomes their “new normal”, part of their fabric, and their way of being.
The “New Normal” Threshold
How much neurofeedback training does it take to get to your “new normal”? As NeurOptimal® has improved and evolved, reaching a new, improved baseline for individuals has become quicker and quicker. We used to say at least 20 sessions were necessary to help with issues bothering you in the “here and now”; 30 plus sessions for “deeper” problems that originated earlier in life. Now we are now finding significant results occur in much less time. Today, it is possible you could be feeling much better in fewer than 10 neurofeedback training sessions.
In the end, the more brain training you do, the more the positive effects will stay with you. Much like learning a language or a physical skill like rollerblading, “practice makes perfect”. The more sessions you undergo, the better your brain fitness.
You can stop whenever you feel ready and return for booster sessions to tune up and strengthen what your brain has already learned. You will never lose what you have, even if it your brain’s optimal operation becomes a little rusty. In fact, many clients continue brain training on a monthly or bi-monthly basis to maintain their brain fitness for a lifetime. NeurOptimal® is non-invasive and naturopathic, so it may be used as long as you like. Similar to the benefits of exercise for the body, neurofeedback can be an important tool for brain health, as it keeps the central nervous system in tip-top shape.