Frequently Asked Questions

Here at Brain Training Australia™, we use a specific type of NeurOptinmal® Neurofeedback which is an advanced form of Brain Training Technology.  It is a safe, natural, non-invasive, drug-free, effective method grounded in decades of evidence-based clinical research that allows the brain to restore healthy mental processes and achieve life changing results. Neurofeedback measures and analyses the electricity generated by the Central Nervous System and then uses this analyses to provide specific interactive brain training exercises.  Neurofeedback uses real-time displays of brain activity through the use of electroencephalography (EEG), to teach self-regulation of brain function. It provides information to your brain which allows it to reorganize itself. When your brain does this, you usually feel better in your life with easier access to more optimal functioning physically and emotionally. Neurofeedback Brain Training is quite a specialised field of neuroscience, so we have compiled this helpful FAQ section on our website to inform you and help you with any questions you may have.

Alongside the wide range of issues identified on the Issues We Treat section of this website, below is a some other common issues that Neurofeedback can help with.  The stress of modern living, information overload, trauma, or other influences can impact our ability to process efficiently which results in the loss of performance and suffering arises. Our emotional regulation, processing ability and integration of life experiences becomes inefficient, and results in loss of awareness and performance in the world. Consequently problematic behaviours, ill health, and dependencies arise. So in addition to the Issues We Treat such issues or problems also include:

Difficulty Concentrating Fatigue Poor / Reduced Coping Strategies Diminished personal power Impaired mind body coordination Cognitive instability Poor impulse control Learning difficulty Personality instability Loss of clarity Difficulty with decision making Cognitive decline Sleep disturbance

Emotional Difficulty Reduced Awareness Cognitive noise Loss of sense of self Impaired eye hand coordination Reactivity Difficulty maintaining focus Reduced physical health Lack of adaptability Poor response times Rigid Beliefs Reduced problem solving capacity Impaired immune system

No.  You do not require a Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP) to access our services at Brain Training Australia. Mental Health Care Plans are provided by your GP, allowing access to a Registered Psychologist for Psychological Support (ie talk therapy only).  Mental health Care Plans in Australia do not cover sessions with a Neurofeedback Practitioner.  You do not require a MHCP to access Neurofeedback Brain Training, you just contact us and book in with us directly.

No. At Brain Training Australia™ Clinic we do not diagnose.  Or medicate.  We train.  Neurofeedback Brain Training is used a tool for brain training and optimization, not as a means of diagnosis, treatment or as medical intervention.  Your brain is in complete charge of any and all adjustments it chooses to make in each session. The system which we use at Brain Training Australia™ Clinic does not do anything to your brain. It does not stimulate it in any way, and there is no electrical current going into your brain.  It simply brings to the brain’s attention what it is already doing – acting like a mirror, reflecting information back to the brain and central nervous system. This allows the brain to recognize patterns of stress and make adjustments to release that pattern/stress.

Your dedicated Neurofeedback Practitioner will run the session for you.  You are seated in a nice comfortable and relaxing reclining armchair.  Your session will start off with a short 10 minute consultation with your Neurofeedback Practitioner, who will then proceed to connect you to the EEG system.  This involves the Neurofeedback Practitioner placing sensors at various places on your scalp so that we can read your brain activity.

Neurofeedback works through auditory perception interruptions, so once your dedicated Neurofeedback Practitioner has you hooked up to the EEG system, you will be asked to listen to some nice relaxation music (for auditory perception interruption purposes).  As you listen to the music, you will hear little interruptions or glitches (similar to static) and this is the brain generated feedback at work.  The interruptions are not pre-set in the music, instead they are live feedback from your own brainwaves which are obtained via the EEG system, to which you are hooked up to.  Every time you hear an interruption in the music, you’ll know your brain has just adjusted itself so the music keeps playing. Over a few sessions, this static will become less pronounced – this is normal and the feedback loop will still be happening, even if you can’t hear it. Most people find the sessions enjoyable - you can just relax and enjoy them. There is absolutely nothing you have to do.  Focusing on problem issues too intently during the session can be counterproductive – the more you can relax and let go, the easier it is for your brain to make the adjustments it needs.  You can lie back or not, and have your eyes open or closed. Some may feel sensations in their body or head, like tingling or warmth, or they may feel nothing. These sensations are not an indication of progress and it is not important whether you are aware of sensations or not, as it is not related to the effectiveness of the session.

One of the features of Neurofeedback is that it is very safe because the person is able to change at their own rate without any forcing of the process. In addition, everyone is starting from a different place with a different history and they are coming for different reasons. Some achieve their desired outcome in ten sessions. Most require between ten and twenty sessions, with some requiring more. Remember, you do not need to do ten or twenty sessions to experience benefits as this will be evident within the first few sessions. Neurofeedback is not a quick fix; it is a program that allows your brain and central nervous system to release old habits and re-train itself in a healthier form which takes time and commitment on your part in the form of regular sessions.  The total number of sessions required differs from person to person and we will monitor your specific needs.  Your dedicated Neurofeedback Practitioner will be able to recommend your Brain Training Program specific to you, depending on your presentation at Session 1.

Neurofeedback is Brain Training and, like any training, it is repetition that gets the skills in place and then establishes resiliency and long lasting outcomes. Thus it becomes important to carry the improvements across from one session to the next. Most people achieve this with one session per week at the beginning, with a decrease in frequency towards the end of training. If you wish for a faster and easier outcome then two sessions per week are optimal. However, it is important to say that we have had many clients who have achieved very good outcomes with fortnightly sessions or less. This includes fly in fly out mining workers who are training a few days in a row once every three weeks or less. In addition, we have clients who are on the move and will do daily or twice daily sessions for a week or so with the benefits flowing on over time post Neurofeedback training. In short, any frequency of training is better than none and we can work out an individual program to suit your lifestyle and budget.

International Clinical Studies based on over three million hours of experience with the specific Neurofeedback systems that we use, we can make some predictions.  Clinical studies have been conducted on the effectiveness of Neurofeedback across a large variety of presentations, so the good thing is you do not have to take it on faith and trust that it will help you — you will know pretty quickly when it is helping you.  Your dedicated Neurofeedback Practitioner can talk you through these studies to put your mind at ease if you like. If you see any changes at all, even if it not yet what you are looking for, or even if it is something you don’t want or expect, it is always helpful and important to share with us because it tells us that your brain is responding to the information which the Neurofeedback is providing.

We cannot guarantee your personal response to Neurofeedback Brain Training, or its outcome, however based on International Clinical Studies using over three millions hours of the exact same technology that we use, we can make some predictions.  While the majority of clients enjoy notable changes to their presentation in the first couple of sessions, each person’s journey and their results will vary – because your brain determines the changes and adjustments it makes, not the system.  Some people experience dramatic shifts and growth very quickly, while others are slower in how they change. It’s possible you will perceive little or no effect, even though subtle changes may be occurring at a deeper level and outside your conscious awareness.  Progress can be variable – it often doesn’t follow a straight path forward. This is normal. It can go up and down, but we do like to see a general trend in the desired direction. Even though we may show you graphs in the first sessions so you can appreciate the work your brain is doing, in the end it is always how you are coping and progressing in your life that is most important. Becoming self-aware is the best way to determine your progress.

Rest assured, that at Brain Training Australia™ Clinic, we have carefully chosen and invested in the most advanced Neurofeedback Technology available on the market today as it allows for limited side effects.  Any effects felt during a session or soon after are a response by your central nervous system to the challenge of training. Although the sessions may feel relaxing, your brain is actually working very hard. Neurofeedback is like going to a gym for the brain. Once you start training, old patterns are stirred up and challenged, which may cause some discomfort for a short time, until the brain and central nervous system learn to release and rebalance naturally and with ease.  For example, you may experience any of the following symptoms: tiredness, sleep disruption the night of your session, headache (due to dehydration), sleeping during the session, awareness of discomfort in the body often associated with old injuries or yawning after your session. These effects, if they occur, are temporary and usually disappear in the hours following the session and generally stop appearing after a few sessions as the central nervous system becomes stronger, more flexible and more resilient. Please feel free to contact your dedicated Neurofeedback Practitioner to discuss anything that concerns you along the way.  Neurofeedback is merely providing information that your brain uses to do its own organising, so even if symptoms do increase and are stirred up for a short time, it is a question of comfort while the brain adjusts itself, not safety.

Many clients feel the positive effects of Neurofeedback from their very first session, as the changes can be felt between sessions and before the full change has ‘settled in.’ Very often the change people experience with Neurofeedback is remarkably effortless and seamless. The challenge with this is to notice the changes that are happening.  The process is so simple and easy that as changes occur, you may even be tempted to attribute these improvements to something else you are doing. When clients have been used to an effort/reward system of growth and healing, they often find it hard to accept that it really can be this easy. As clients transition to optimal brain functionality, it is often that they don’t remember accurately what it was like when they came in at the Initial Consultation.  This is why after every session we track your progress, and every 10 sessions we measure your overall progress since your first session.  This process of seamless change is why it is important to monitor any changes, no matter how subtle, in the areas in which you hope to see improvement occurring.  But not all change is seamless, and some people may have feelings that are less comfortable, such as feeling more open, vulnerable, raw, reactive or tearful. Sometimes it is not that they feel more of these emotions, but instead are becoming more aware of their feelings. As you progress through your Brain Training Program, you may still be experiencing the same symptoms, but are they less frequent and of a lesser intensity. You may find you can cope better with the symptoms now, that your reactiveness level is lowered and you are less stressed and anxious even though the symptoms persist? Another effect is that some of the people in your environment (family members, workmates, friends) can be challenged by the changes in you, as you become clearer around your needs. There can be bodily shifts too. As your brain becomes more finely tuned, the negative effects of some of our bad habits become harder to ignore, like drinking too much or not getting enough sleep. Your tolerance for alcohol may reduce, so the same amount of alcohol will feel like more, so please adjust accordingly. This is relevant for all artificial stimulants – e.g. coffee, sugar etc.

If you are on medication for a disorder, there may be come a time when you need less medication. This can show by seeing side effects from the medication, or more surprisingly, by the sudden reappearance of the symptoms for which you are taking medication.  Of course, all medication decisions will be handled by your physician, so please let him/her know about your Neurofeedback Brain Training and any medication affects you are having. Please make sure you continue to follow your physician’s advice and treatment for your medical issues.

No. At Brain Training Australia™, we use a non-invasive advanced form of Neurofeedback which does not stimulate the brain in any way and there is no electrical current going into the brain. We have carefully and selectively invested in the most advanced form of Neurofeedback available on the market today, which allows for a gentle, painless and non-invasive method of restoring cortical balance within the central nervous system.

No. We only use Neurofeedback at Brain Training Australia.  Your brain or cortical activity is measured using an EEG and this provides real-time information as to how the brain is performing i.e if it is in stress response or producing some form of turbulence. When a stress response, or turbulence occurs, you hear glitches, or static in the music.  The process works through your brain detecting these glitches or static.  There is no special music - it's just regular enjoyable relaxation music, and a live feed of your brain activity into the music.

No, definitely not.  Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is nontraditional form of psychotherapy originally developed to reprocess memories and treat the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, phobias, depression, eating disorders, schizophrenia, sexual dysfunction, and stress caused by chronic disease. Neurofeedback is a very different modality using very specific and advanced technology, as an EEG measures brain activity and provides real time monitoring of brain signaling patterns to correct neuronal miscommunications.

No, definitely not.  Electric Shock Therapy or Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a procedure which involves stimulating the brain and inducing a seizure on the patient which can only be administered by a medical practitioner (usually a psychiatrist) and an anaesthetist in a hospital environment. The advanced Neurofeedback technology which we use at Brain Training Australia do not stimulate the brain, and there is no electrical current going into the brain.  Instead, it is a natural way of training the brain through the process of Neuroplasticity.

Neuroplasticity is the ability of the brain to reorganise itself and to create new neural networks, in other words, create different ways of thinking.  The average human brain has 100 million neurons and each neuron has as many as 7000 synaptic connections to other neurons.  While the method employed at Brain Training Australia is Neurofeedback, the process by which the changes occur is through Neuroplasticity. What is happening when we put the EEG Sensors on the scalp, is that the system is measuring the summation of cortical, or electrical activity in the brain.  The auditory interruptions or feedback provided is picking up on an existing stress response, inefficiency or instability in the brain.  These changes are made through the processes of neuroplasticity.  We don't want to tell the brain what to do or to stimulate it in any way, and there is no preconceived notion of how your brain should be performing. Instead we want the brain to form its own pathways and it does so naturally, gently and safely through neuroplasticity.

Neurofeedback is a highly effective way to regulate brain function and it is very rare that clients do not progress or not experience changes.  However, if you find your training is not progressing as desired after 6 sessions, we can look at whatever external factors (intrinsic constraints or stressors) may be interrupting your progress. These may include things like a baby in the house, starting a new job, difficulties with different personalities at work – and we may implement other strategies to assist. This is when adding counselling to your program may be useful for which we accommodate at no additional cost.

Before The Session: Avoid stimulants such as tea, coffee and sugars immediately before your session along with alcohol & illicit drugs. We also recommend you avoid eating a large meal an hour or so prior otherwise you may be energetically lethargic during the session. Besides this there really is nothing else you need to do other than come along to gain the benefits of Neurofeedback training. During The Session: With Neurofeedback there is simply no need to control your thoughts, emotions, concentrate, think of anything in particular, or do anything else to make it work better. By the time you have consciously registered the interruption in the music your brain has already responded to it. So there is nothing you need do or can do during the session that will improve outcomes, other than be as you usually are. You can simply recline and enjoy the peacefulness of the session. This is why training with Neurofeedback results in such powerful and long lasting outcomes: The whole brain and mind is involved - not just the conscious mind. After The Session: It is fine to return to your normal activities where you will notice the improvements. It is recommended, if you can, to avoid inappropriately stressful environments immediately after your session so that you can allow the training benefits to progress and continue to develop.

All Practitioners at Brain Training Australia are professionally Certified Neurofeedback Practitioners.  Many members of the team have additional qualifications in Psychology, Counselling, Psychotherapy and other relevant natural therapies and accredited with their relevant professional bodies.

Complimentary Session (FREE for 15 mins)

This appointment includes:

Start your Brain Training Program here. Discuss your needs with a Certified Neurofeedback Brain Trainer. Learn if non-linear Neurofeedback Brain Training is the right modality to help you achieve your goals. Conducted in-house, limited to 15 minutes and there is no charge.

Standard Appointment ($150 for 60 mins)

(Discounted packages available discover more at your complimentary assessment).

This appointment includes:

Work with your Neurofeedback Brain Trainer to establish your starting point based on cognitive and emotional well-being assessments. Includes 60 minute appointment with 33 minutes Neurofeedback Brain Training and 27 minutes talk time with your Certified Neurofeedback Brain Trainer. Progress Retest after 10 sessions to measure to assess change and development achieved. Discounted packages available upon request, enquire with your Practitioner at your Complimentary Session.

No, unfortunately not.  Neurofeedback Practitioners are not registered or claimable under Medicare or for the purposes of using the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) Health Card. To be able to make a claim from Medicare you require a Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP) from your GP which only gives you access to a Registered Psychologist for Psychological Support.

As changes become more stable, they will become your new norm and will remain with you through your lifetime.  It’s like learning how to read or swim - once you know how, you can’t not know, although you may get rusty.  However, your brain is living tissue and can get thrown off by stress, chemicals, hormonally changes, an anesthetic, head injury or other challenge. If this happens to you, a few booster sessions will help your brain return to its good place.

We have Clinic locations in Perth, Brisbane and Melbourne. We invite you to book a NEW CLIENT: DISCOVERY CALL (By Phone, 15 Mins-no cost), in advance of making your first appointment, so we can help align you with the best practitioner to support your needs. PERTH: WEMBLEY: Our head office location 10B/151 Herdsman Parade, Wembley, Western Australia.   (Occupational Therapy & Neurofeedback) GREENWOOD: We also have an Associate Clinic Location at 291 Warwick Rd, Greenwood WA 6024 (Acupuncture & Neurofeedback) GWELUP, STIRLING: We have another Associate home-based practice in Gewlup, Stirling  (Counselling & Neurofeedback) We also have locations in Brisbane and Melbourne. (both provide Psychology & Neurofeedback services) To access our services, send us a message through our website or book your Discovery Call (by phone, 15 mins, no cost)

Welcome to our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section. To learn more about NeurOptimal® Neurofeedback Brain Training in Australia, watch our video information series.  Discover how Neurofeedback can help you, how it works and what to expect before you come for your first appointment.  Neurofeedback is a very relaxing experience, and no effort is required on your part; you can simply relax, read a book, snooze or draw and let the Neurofeedback technology do the work for you. It’s an experience to look forward to, not to be daunted by. We are passionate about educating and empowering our clients and believe being informed is the first positive step you can take on your Neurofeedback journey. So, we have put together this video information series to help you become familiar with the technology and the process so you can enjoy Neurofeedback from your first session.

• • Brain Training Australia - Introduction to Brain Training
  • Brain Training Australia - how many sessions?
  • Brain Training Australia - what do I need to do in a Neurofeedback session?
  • Brain Training Australia - what can I do to improve my results?
  • Brain Training Australia- are there any side effects?
  • Brain Training Australia - how will I know if Neurofeedback can help me?

We accept NDIS, DVA, Medicare & Private Health to cover part of, if not all of the cost of your Brain Training Program. We discuss your access options in your first appointment so that we can help put a plan in place specifically for you.

We look forward to hear from you soon and supporting you on your journey of calm, clarity, growth and transformation. Let's get started by booking online now