Whether the stressors are environmental, biological, or emotional, the brain responds in an effort to deal with it. This is a survival strategy that allows us to avoid dangers in our environment. But when the stress response is prolonged beyond its evolved ability, damage to function and structure ensue. Recent epidemiology findings and studies show that 50% of individuals in the US reported that stress negatively impacted their lives, and the WHO dubbed it the “Health Epidemic of the 21st Century”.   

Anxiety is not just the feeling of being worried or stressed. Usually, once a stressful situation passes, so does the anxious state that it produces. However, in cases where the stressor is prolonged or extreme, it can leave the individual with chronic feelings of worry and foreboding. This is one of the main characteristics of Generalized Anxiety Disorder as classified by the internationally recognized Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).

Depression is not just the feeling of sadness, sorrow, grief, or despair. When negative emotion is prolonged with an intensity that renders the individual incapacitated and unable to function in their personal or professional lives, it is considered to be clinically relevant and labelled as Major Depression Disorder, as defined by the DSM-5.

The study of brain waves (electorencephalogram/EEG) has had decades of research, and shown that there are unique features of brain wave activity that have a high diagnostic value for predicting anxiety and depression. Since anxiety and depression are both the common downstream effects of stress, the most well-known hallmark of the occurrence of either one, is in the presentation of what is referred to as “frontal Alpha asymmetry”. A specific ratio of Alpha and Beta brain waves between the left side and the right side of the frontal lobe, have been firmly associated with reports of anxiety and depression. There are also other EEG features of anxiety, such as excess of fast activity in central and midline regions of the brain such as the anterior and posterior cingulate cortices (ACC & PCC) that have shown to be fairly consistent. 

Unlike the invasive influence of psychiatric medication, neurofeedback uses visual and auditory digital signals to reinforce the occurrence of specific brain activity. This is done through a process known as operant conditioning, where the individual's brain is involved in learning patterns of neural activity that are associated with more regulated, resilient, and healthy emotional function. This type of conditioning is intrinsic to the the evolution of the brain and results in longevity of results long after the completion of the training. 

Beyond just mere symptom management, neurofeedback targets the very core of a pathology by influencing the activity of specific sites and networks of the brain. Neurofeedback serves as a reminder of how the brain is a powerful asset in the way we experience our lives. This emergence of knowledge about the brain is driven by the advent of modern science and offers tangible hope both for those who suffer from its dysfunction as much as those who wish to explore the limits of human performance. The cutting-edge technology that brings neurofeedback into direct interaction with the brain presages a revolution not only to the domain of public health but to the very relationship that individuals have to their own bodies, minds, and fates.

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Stress and the Brain

The role of sleep has been shown to have a dramatic influence on a wide range of health markers, such as cardiovascular and metabolic function. Most importantly it is not as important whether a sleep disorder is the cause of, or the outcome of something