Years ago, there were people in society who were thought to be cursed by witches or under the influence of evil spirits. These people had any of the psychological disorders that still exist today. At that time, it was thought that these people should be reintegrated into society or get rid of the evil that captured them, and various procedures were performed by a priest. These practices had religious (magical) content. As time passed, the way diseases manifested in individuals and the methods applied differed. Treatment methods based on scientific basis have developed and diversified. Today, individuals who need psychological support are provided with treatment services by mental health professionals. We call all the methods that have been used for this purpose for centuries as 'Psychotherapy'. And we briefly define it as 'Spiritual Treatment'.
Psychotherapy covers the entire spectrum of psychological treatment methods and has numerous strategies. The reason why psychotherapy has a flexible structure that can benefit from different methods and strategies is that it is an endeavor performed by people and whose main object is humans. Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud answered the question "How many types of therapy are there?" as follows: "As many therapists as there are." (Güzel, 2009).
The number of therapy techniques that exist today is still unknown, but it is estimated to be around 400. One of these therapy techniques is 'Neurotherapy', which has developed rapidly especially in recent years.
What is Neurotherapy?
Neurotherapy is a psychotherapy technique that argues that by obtaining information about one's own biological state, one can produce the vital energy necessary to treat oneself without the need for external resources. Unlike other therapy techniques, it focuses on the causes of diseases, not the symptoms. According to neurotherapy, the basis of all diseases is based on brain waves and electrical activities between neurons. And people can direct their disease by controlling these neuronal activities.
History of Neurotherapy
20. At the beginning of the century, brain and nerve functions were related to electrical activity. It has been found that they are closely related to This development led to the initiation of studies on imaging electrical activity in the brain by German psychiatrist Hans Berger. In 1924, the imaging device called EEG, which is widely used in neurotherapy applications today, was discovered by Berger (Bora, Yeni; 2012). About 40 years after this development, an article about alpha brain wave experiments written by Joe Kamiya was published in Psychology Today. In this article, it has been claimed that alpha waves have the ability to alleviate stress and stress-related conditions if controlled by individuals. With this article, the 'neurofeedback' application, which forms the basis of neurotherapy, began to be adopted and used.
3. How is Neurofeedback Applied?
The human body is created to be capable of adapting to changing conditions. It can renew itself according to external stimuli and has the ability to adapt to changing conditions. For example, when we are cold, the hypothalamus protects our vital organs and central nervous system from the cold by accelerating blood flow and increasing body temperature. The reason why our muscles tremble, our teeth chatter, the rate of weight retention is higher in winter months and our fat mass increases is to 'maintain balance'. The mechanisms our body has to maintain vital balance did not develop in a day. It has been acquired by our organism over time through learning. Neurofeedback applications basically involve the acquisition of new adaptation pathways that will provide balance as a result of repeated applications.
Human beings are not aware of the mechanisms they use to establish vital balance (homeostasis) while living their lives and the functioning of these mechanisms. Even in the smallest task in daily life, information is transmitted between the stimuli around us and our brain. For example, when we want to reach an object, we need to check the object's location, size, direction, distance, etc. Stimuli are sensed by our sensory organs and transmitted to the brain through nerves. The brain creates an appropriate response to the information it receives and transmits it to the sensory organs through the nerves. This event puts our hand on the object. It is repeated many times in a period of perhaps 1-2 seconds until it is taken away. Because when we start to extend our hand to reach the object, the position of our hand relative to the object changes every centisecond and new information is transmitted to the brain again. This process is called the feedback loop.
Neurofeedback is a process by which a person can obtain information about his or her own neurological condition. An individual who is unaware of his physiological functions, especially those controlled by the autonomic nervous system, can monitor instant changes in his physiological state thanks to neurofeedback devices. Physiological changes detected by sensors (electrodes) placed on people's scalps are transferred to a computer. Electrical patterns coming from the brain are measured by electrodes and reflected on the screen. In this way, the individual obtains information about changes that he is not aware of under normal conditions, with the help of both visual and auditory signals. In this process, no electrical current or stimulating substance is given to the brain.
The root of our thoughts, emotions and behaviors lies in the communication between neurons in our brains. Brain waves are produced by synchronized electrical pulses of masses of neurons communicating with each other. The waves in our brain change depending on what we do and feel. When slow brain waves dominate, we may feel tired, sluggish, or dreamlike. When we are enthusiastic or overstimulated, high frequency waves dominate. Brain wave speed is measured in 'Hertz'. They are divided into bands defining slow, medium and fast waves according to the number of cycles per second. Although the number of brain waves is still debated, it is accepted that there are 4 basic brain waves. These are Delta, Alpha, Theta, and Beta waves.
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Delta is the “unconscious” state of deep sleep. While these waves are oscillating, learning does not occur. The body renews itself, grows and rests.
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Alpha is a process between sleep and wakefulness. Your attention should be intense but your body should be relaxed. We can say that alpha waves are released in the mild hypnosis state we feel when we go to bed to sleep. Edited what we learned during Alpha r, we feel good and calm.
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Theta is the state in which the attention in the alpha state cannot be concentrated and we experience deep hypnosis. Theta is not a sleep state. It is the wave affected by our fears, past memories and anxiety. The frequencies of this wave are examined in cases of emotional stress or brain pathologies.
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Beta waves are released when attention is directed to cognitive tasks and the outside world. It predominates in the normal state of wakefulness. Beta is a 'fast' activity that occurs when we are engaged in problem-solving, judgment, decision-making or focused mental activity.
Hyper-vigilance in some brain regions, anxiety disorders, sleep problems, It is associated with nightmares, impulsive behavior, anger / aggression, agitation and chronic nerve pain. Inadequate stimulation in some brain regions leads to forms of depression, attention deficit, chronic pain and insomnia.
Brain waves give us information associated with emotional and neurological conditions. For example, it is normal for the delta wave to be released in babies while they are awake, but we do not expect it to be seen in adults while they are awake. Or we can say that attention is distracted when theta waves are high.
Since the early times when brain waves were discovered, various methods have been used to change these waves. Methods such as meditation and yoga have emerged to increase alpha waves for people to feel calmer and fitter. Neurofeedback method used in neurotherapy is a treatment technique in which brain waves are monitored and changed.
During neurofeedback, the individual, who can watch his own brain waves in the form of animations on the monitor, is shown how his brain waves are now and how they should be under normal conditions. During the 30-minute sessions, the individual is expected to gain control in order to adapt his brain waves to the desired state. For example, it must reduce theta waves or increase beta waves. When the individual directs his brain waves correctly, a positive reinforcement is given (stimulus, sound, image, reward, etc.). This process is based on trial-and-error strategies and directional control is gained over time.
4.Situations Where Neurotherapy Method is Used
Neurofeedback applications based on neurotherapy are used in a wide range of diseases. Epilepsy, stress management, muscle tension, palpitations, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, panic attacks, depression, anxiety, tics, restless legs syndrome, mild mental retardation, migraine and other headaches are common areas where neurotherapy applications are used.
In a study conducted by Rozelle and Budzynski in 1995, neurotherapy was applied for 6 months to a 55-year-old male patient who had had a CVA (stroke) one year ago. At the end of the process, there was a significant improvement in speech fluency, word finding, balance and coordination, attention and concentration. Additionally, depression, anxiety, and tinnitus are greatly reduced. This research has shown that neurotherapy can also be used in the treatment of serious and difficult-to-treat diseases such as stroke.
Neurotherapy is a method that can be used by anyone who has the ability to control brain activities. It cannot be applied only to babies as an age group.
5. Other Points to Consider About Neurotherapy
Neurotherapy applications are performed by psychologists, psychiatrists and neurologists. However, as with every psychotherapy technique, in order to apply neurotherapy, it is necessary to receive the necessary training and reach an ethically sufficient level.
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