Brainwave Recursive Therapy
Ilona Brownson
Brain working recursive therapy (BWRT) is a short-term therapy designed to quickly and permanently change the way your brain reacts to certain stressors. The aim is to reduce or end to the anxiety, habit, or phobia the stressor usually led to.
Created by established British clinical hypnotherapist Terence Watts, BWRT could be classified as one of the new types of brain training therapies, such as EMDR and clinical hypnotherapy. (In fact many therapists who offer it are also trained hypnotherapists).
But hypnotherapy puts you into a deeply relaxed state so your unconscious becomes accessible. BWRT doesn't hypnotise or aim to relax you, it induces a mental 'freeze state' (distracting you temporarily from conscious thought) to reprogram your 'Reptilian brain' patterns.
You briefly tell the therapist what it is you want to work on. You will then be asked to close your eyes and the therapist will talk you through different visualising and sensing processes, and you simply follow their voice and instructions as best you can.
You might, for example, be asked to picture the situation that upset you, the way you would have liked the situation to go, your self in an ideal future, or different parts of your brain lighting up, amongst other things. (It might sound and indeed feel strange, but there is an exact order and speed to all of it that gets below conscious thought).
The Drake Institute now offers remote treatment for ADHD, autism, and other brain-based disorders. With the help of our trained clinicians, you can get the help you need from the comfort of your home.
Neurofeedback is a type of biofeedback, sometimes referred to as EEG biofeedback. . While biofeedback measures and records certain physical functions (e.g., hand temperature, muscle tension, heart rate variability, etc.), neurofeedback measures and records brainwave activity..
This is done through brainwave measurements with instantaneous feedback provided to the patient. To understand how neurofeedback works to balance these brainwaves, we must first understand which brainwaves are responsible for which functions.
The high-frequency or fast waves are beta waves. They occur during moments of concentration and task engagement. For instance, beta waves are most likely present when students focus on academic work or an adult is performing job duties
The slower waves consist of delta and theta. Theta waves are slower than alpha waves and occur when awake but not focusing on anything in particular. Theta waves are also associated with daydreaming. They increase as we are falling asleep. The slowest waves are delta waves. They occur predominantly when we are in deep sleep.
Insomnia is a common and distressing issue in the U.S. In fact, it is estimated that nearly 25% of Americans experience some amount of insomnia every year. When left untreated, insomnia can lead to persistent drowsiness, problems with concentration and focus, and memory loss. [i]
The human brain needs to rest just as much as the body does. Insomnia is essentially the inability of the brain to rest properly and restore itself.. When that happens, multiple symptoms can occur as a result.
There is no single cause that can be attributed to all cases of insomnia. Instead, insomnia is usually a symptom of a more significant ailment, either psychological or physical. These conditions might include:
It can be easy to discount how important sleep is, but insomnia is indeed a serious condition that can have devastating effects on a person. The constant fatigue related to the inability to sleep well can lead to impaired thinking, slower reflexes, and poor memory recall.
Once brain mapping is complete, neurofeedback therapy sessions may begin. During treatment, patients are shown a visual representation of their brainwave activity on a computer screen in front of them.
At the Drake Institute, we use NeuroField technology for neurostimulation that utilizes a very low-intensity pulse electromagnetic field generator (pEMF), transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), and transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS).
Neurofeedback therapy for insomnia is non-drug and non-invasive. Indeed, treatment is more akin to sessions at the gym with a personal trainer: The trainer takes an initial assessment of your current state and develops a training protocol to address your specific needs. Then, they will help you learn and practice techniques that you can eventually do on your own.
Neurofeedback therapy for insomnia is an incredibly safe treatment protocol. Treatment is non-invasive and non-pharmaceutical, and instead, focuses on the self-regulation of more balanced brainwave frequencies to achieve symptom relief.
At the Drake Institute, our goal is to help our patients live the highest quality of life possible. If you or someone you know is suffering from insomnia or other sleep conditions, give us a call today at 800-700-4233 or fill out the free consultation form below.
"The treatment involves doing different protocols, you start to notice a difference after a couple weeks. The Drake Institute, and their treatment method is the way of the future! It absolutely was an answer to our prayers."
Supporters of neurofeedback say that it can be used for autistic people and people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), seizures, cerebral palsy, acquired brain injury, anxiety, depression, behaviour disorders, addiction and birth trauma.
In the 1960s Dr Joseph Kamiya from the University of Chicago successfully trained people to control their brainwaves. Around the same time, Barry Sterman at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) found that neurofeedback could help patients with epilepsy.
Brain cells produce electrical pulses that communicate with each other. This produces brainwaves. These brainwaves show how much brain activity is happening when we think, feel and behave in different ways.
In neurofeedback therapy, an electroencephalographic (EEG) machine monitors your brainwave patterns. These patterns show up on a computer screen as lines, graphs or even simple games. You can consciously control your brainwave activity to make the lines or graphs move.
The person is asked to make the line, graph or object move with their brain. As desirable brain activity increases, the video game moves faster or the ball rises. Undesirable brain activity slows the ball down.
Our content is regularly reviewed for quality and currency. The last review of this article was by Dr Rebecca Sutherland, speech pathologist and Lecturer, The University of Sydney. Scientific Advisory Board review was provided by Professor Jacqueline Roberts.
Kevin Power graduated from the Irish College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 1990 with a Licentiate in T.C.M. He also holds a diploma in Jungian psychology and a diploma in graphic design/art. In 1993 he trained in the U.S. with Chinese physicians, and was chief resident physician in an acupuncture clinic in San Francisco. While there, he worked with Professor Yueru Wu, studying Chinese herbal medicine. He has also studied and practised shamanism and traditional healing techniques with the Foundation for Shamanic Strudies in the U.K. and with Kahuna practitioners in the U.S. This, along with his art and Jungian studies, reflects his interest in symbolic imagery and its healing power. He has been a guest lecturer at the American College of T.C.M. in San Francisco, at alternative health seminars in England, and at Waterford Regional Hospital. A native of Abbeyside, Dungarvan, he, along with his wife, Orla Casey, established Dungarvan Alternative Health Clinic, where he works full time as an acupuncturist and T.C.M. practitioner
Orla is a qualified Hypnotherapist, Aromatherapist and Massage Therapist. She is also Manager and Co-Owner of the Clinic. Her interest in Holistic Medicine and Therapy began in the early 1990s after realising in her own life the connection between stress and dis-ease in the body. She qualified in Holistic Massage and Aromatherapy in 1994 and 1995 respectively and went on to open her first clinic in main street along with her husband Kevin in August, 1996 and three years later restored the building in Pookeen Lane which is now home to the alternative health clinic. Her interest in dealing with stress and tension in the body continued over the years where she also studied emotional freedom technique (tapping) under Dr Alaister Bredee and BWRT (brainwave recursive therapy) under Terence Watts. In 2014 she achieved an Advance Diploma in Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy under Dr Joe Keaney of the Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy in Tuckey Street, Cork.
When the viability of our existence has been subjected to threat, our behaviour adapts. We become primed for hypervigilance, sensitive to triggers, and our physiology responds accordingly. A heightened sense of awareness now confers safety, and we can even become addicted to this.
Our ability to emotionally self-nurture becomes impaired, and we begin to worry about the future, ruminate about the past. We become subtly detached from the moment and its meaning. This is the beginning of mental health issues.
There are distinct brain areas regulating pain, physical sensations and our self-awareness, and we can train these with neurofeedback. We can also train brain areas with strong connections to sub-cortical structures that regulate our autonomic nervous system, including the amygdala and our reticular activating (or limbic) system. Our brain is ultimately in charge of trauma response, and with neurofeedback we can assess vulnerability to its various submodalities, and address these with training. This is evidence-based and effective.
Having prepared the brain to be appropriately detached, and having sufficient capacity to rationally process events, we can also reduce excess auditory sensitivity and hypervigilance. A calmer mind can engage in complementary psychotherapy more productively.
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