FAQs about Embodied Neurofeedback in Richmond, VA
How is Embodied NeurofeedbackTM different from other neurofeedback approaches and at-home devices such as Myndlift?
Embodied Neurofeedback is a deeply personalized and integrative approach that goes far beyond the standard “hook you up and let the machine do the work” model of neurofeedback. Unlike other methods that might rely solely on passive engagement, somatic and interoceptive awareness techniques are actively incorporated into each session.
Embodied Neurofeedback also goes beyond brain training to include techniques like non-invasive Vagus Nerve stimulation. This works to develop a felt sense of safety in your nervous system—an essential foundation for deep and lasting change. Many other neurofeedback approaches overlook this critical step, which is why they may fall short of providing real, sustainable results.
Additionally, as a Board-Certified Neurofeedback provider, Dr. Naomi Iguchi has undergone extensive training in neuroanatomy and completed rigorous mentorship to ensure she can tailor neurofeedback to each person’s unique brainwave patterns and connectivity. Unfortunately, not everyone claiming to offer neurofeedback has this level of training, which can make a significant difference in outcomes.
Expensive at-home or DIY neurofeedback devices also fail to meet the mark. These tools often pulse electromagnetic waves into the brain (a process called neuromodulation) rather than offering true neurofeedback. At best, this is ineffective; at worst, it could be harmful. Real neurofeedback is a dynamic, responsive process that guides your brain to regulate itself naturally, without side effects. This requires close attunement to your specific needs, which can only be achieved by working directly with a qualified, experienced provider in the room with you.
With Embodied Neurofeedback, you’re not just another person plugged into a machine—you (and your brain) are an active participant in your healing journey, supported every step of the way.
How can Embodied NeurofeedbackTM help when other approaches haven’t worked?
The key is the brain’s remarkable ability to adapt and reorganize itself, known as neuroplasticity. For a long time, people thought the brain was like a finished puzzle by your mid-20s, but science now shows that’s far from the truth. While some approaches, like medications, can temporarily alter how the brain functions, they don’t address the root problem and may even disrupt the brain’s natural balance. Embodied neurofeedback, on the other hand, works by helping the brain learn to regulate itself.
Another critical piece of this process is creating a felt sense of safety in the nervous system, which is often overlooked in traditional approaches. By incorporating techniques like vagus nerve stimulation, Embodied Neurofeedback helps shift the nervous system out of survival mode. This sense of safety allows the brain and body to reset, fostering calm, resilience, and long-term change.
Which conditions can Embodied NeurofeedbackTM help with?
The brain and nervous system have a huge impact on behavior, emotions, processing speed, attention, sleep, frustration tolerance and more. Embodied Neurofeedback isn’t about “treating” specific conditions—it’s about training the brain to function more efficiently and calming the nervous system. By helping your brain and nervous system regulate themselves better, Embodied Neurofeedback can support a wide range of issues rooted in inefficient brain activity and/or nervous system dysregulation. These include anxiety, panic attacks, PTSD, depression, ADHD, sleep problems like insomnia, migraines, chronic pain, learning challenges, and developmental delays.
The key is this: neurofeedback strengthens your brain, much like exercise strengthens your body. It helps balance how your neurons fire, so your brain can do a better job managing the tasks it’s already designed for—whether that’s calming anxiety, improving focus, regulating sleep, or processing information more smoothly. By incorporating other techniques like vagus nerve stimulation, Embodied Neurofeedback also helps shift the nervous system out of survival mode into a deeply felt sense of safety.If your brain and nervous system can get stuck in patterns that create migraines or poor sleep, it can also learn new patterns that promote calm, clarity, and resilience. Embodied Neurofeedback doesn’t “treat” individual conditions, it trains your brain to perform at its best – which means it can manage your anxiety, mood, attention, pain or too-much-information all on it’s own, freeing up your time and energy for whatever matters most to you.
How does neurofeedback work?
Your brain is already constantly adapting to your experiences—this natural ability, called neuroplasticity, is how you learn and grow throughout life. Every experience, piece of knowledge, or sensory input you encounter shapes your brain, creating new neural connections, growing synapses, and adjusting patterns. Over time, these changes can either support well-being or reinforce patterns tied to anxiety, depression, or other struggles.
Neurofeedback takes advantage of this incredible adaptability. Through highly-focused training sessions, it teaches your brain to shift into healthier, more balanced states. Sensors placed on your scalp measure brainwave activity in real-time (don’t worry—nothing goes into your head!). A computer then analyzes this activity and provides immediate feedback using sounds or visuals, encouraging the brain to move toward patterns associated with calm, focus, and stability while reducing inefficient or disruptive patterns.
With repetition, your brain learns to sustain these healthier states on its own, leading to long-term changes in how you feel and function. Think of it as teaching your brain to use its natural ability to adapt—but this time, we’re guiding it toward contentment, peace, and resilience.
To understand the specific brainwave changes involved, check out this video where I explain it in more detail!
Are you putting anything into my brain?
No, nothing is being put into your brain. Neurofeedback works by simply measuring your brain’s activity. Sensors are placed on your scalp to detect your brainwaves, and that information is sent to a computer. The computer then gives you feedback—like sounds or visuals on a screen—based on your brain’s activity.
This feedback helps your brain learn to adjust its patterns naturally. It’s a completely non-invasive process, and your brain responds instantly, using its own incredible ability to adapt and grow.
Are there risks or side effects with neurofeedback?
Neurofeedback has been used safely for over 50 years, with no long-term negative effects identified. Because it works by guiding your brain to adjust its own patterns, the process is inherently gentle and non-invasive. However, as with any form of training, there can sometimes be short-term adjustments as your brain learns new patterns.
These short-term effects—such as feeling “off” or a temporary increase in symptoms—are similar to the soreness you might feel after starting a new workout at the gym. While this can be a positive sign that your brain is responding well to the training, it is also important to work with a provider who is Board-Certified in Neurofeedback. A board-certified provider has extensive training and experience in tailoring neurofeedback to your unique needs, ensuring that adjustments to your protocol are made safely and effectively if needed.
With careful guidance, any temporary discomfort is usually mild and resolves quickly, allowing your brain to continue on its path toward greater balance and resilience.
How quickly can I expect results, and do the benefits last?
Many clients notice changes within the first few sessions, such as feeling calmer, more alert, or sleeping better. For some, these effects are noticeable during or immediately after a session, while others might notice changes the next day or after several sessions. Most people begin to see results within 5 to 10 sessions.
Neurofeedback is a learning process, much like learning a language or riding a bike. It takes time and repetition for your brain to adopt new patterns, but once it does, the results are generally long-lasting.
Embodied Neurofeedback is unique in that it also works to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, creating a deep sense of safety. This sense of safety isn’t just important for overall well-being; it actually enhances the brain’s ability to learn and adapt during training. Much like a child in school who learns best when they feel safe, your brain becomes more open to change when it feels secure. This can accelerate progress and lead to deeper, longer-lasting results.
On average at NeuroFlow Wellness, people complete their training in about 30 sessions, though the range can vary from 20 to 50 sessions depending on individual needs and the complexity of the issues being addressed. Frequency of sessions, particularly in the early stages, can influence how quickly progress is made.
The good news is that Embodied Neurofeedback learning tends to stick. Once your brain and nervous system have established new, healthier patterns, they typically maintain those changes. While future, unexpected challenges—such as new trauma, extreme stress, or a brain injury—may require occasional “tune-ups,” these usually involve just a few sessions to help your brain re-stabilize and get back on track.
Unlike staying in shape at the gym, Embodied Neurofeedback learning doesn’t require ongoing effort once it has taken hold. Much like riding a bike, once your brain and nervous system know how to function in a better, more balanced way, they don’t forget.
Can I do Embodied NeurofeedbackTM while in mental health counseling?
Absolutely! Though it is not required to be in counseling during Embodied Neurofeedback training, many find it to be a great complement to psychotherapy. As your brain functions more efficiently and your nervous system feels safer and more connected around others, it can make emotional and behavioral challenges easier to work through during therapy. It is always encouraged to seek the best support tailored to your unique needs.
Can I do Embodied NeurofeedbackTM if I’m taking medication?
Absolutely! You can safely do Embodied Neurofeedback while taking medication. Many clients are on medications when they begin training, and this is generally not an issue.
However, it’s worth noting that some medications can slow progress. For example, benzodiazepines like Xanax, Valium, or Ativan, which are known to interfere with the brain’s ability to learn, may reduce the effectiveness of neurofeedback.
As training progresses, the changes in your brain’s activation and connectivity may alter how medications affect you. In fact, you may find your medication working better, or you may discover you no longer need as much of it to feel balanced. Over time, as your brain and nervous system become more adept at regulating themselves, many people are able to significantly reduce or even eliminate their need for medication altogether.
Any changes to medication should always be done gradually and under the guidance of your prescribing physician, but Embodied Neurofeedback is often a powerful step toward reducing reliance on medications and achieving lasting, natural regulation.
Can I do Embodied NeurofeedbackTM if I’m using marijuana, alcohol, or other substances?
Yes, it’s possible to train with neurofeedback while using substances. However, they can sometimes interfere with or slow the progress of your training. The impact depends on several factors, such as the type of substance, dosage, frequency of use, your age, and your overall clinical history.
To ensure you get the best results, it’s important to be open with your Embodied Neurofeedback provider about any substance use. This helps tailor your training to your unique situation and ensures the process is as effective as possible.
Why hasn’t my doctor told me about neurofeedback?
Despite being around for nearly half a century – with hundreds of independent peer-reviewed studies supporting its effectiveness – neurofeedback is only just becoming known in mainstream healthcare.
Why? Most doctors and other healthcare professionals receive no training on neurofeedback during their education, so it doesn’t become part of their standard treatment approach. It’s understandable that providers may hesitate to recommend something they don’t fully understand, especially when they’re already overworked and lack the time to research techniques or technologies that weren’t included in their schooling.
Another factor is the absence of a big industry—like the pharmaceutical industry—promoting neurofeedback to providers. Unlike other treatments often marketed directly to them with polished presentations or sales materials, neurofeedback lacks the funding of a billion-dollar industry driving awareness. Without this kind of outreach, many healthcare professionals remain unfamiliar with the technology and its wide-ranging applications.
On the other hand, licensed and trained neurofeedback providers who have spent decades studying and using neurofeedback to help people with a variety of brain-based challenges have seen first-hand its powerful and lasting effects on their clients’ lives.
How is Embodied NeurofeedbackTM different from “brain training” or mindfulness and meditation apps like Lumosity, Impulse, Calm, and Headspace?
While so-called “brain-training” apps like Lumosity or Impulse and calming or mindfulness apps like Headspace can all be beneficial for temporarily helping someone whose brain and nervous system are already generally well-regulated, they are not going to provide deep and lasting change.
These apps and programs also don’t provide the same level of targeted support as Embodied Neurofeedback. They engage your brain in stimulating or calming ways, but they don’t directly measure your brain’s specific activity or provide real-time feedback about how it’s functioning.
Embodied Neurofeedback uses advanced technology to measure your brain’s activity in real time, offering instantaneous feedback that your brain can use to adapt and change its behavior. This direct feedback helps your brain optimize its circuits for essential functions like managing emotions, focusing attention, calming the mind, and even improving cognitive tasks like reading, math or problem-solving.
Additionally, Embodied Neurofeedback goes a step further by actively engaging the nervous system, helping create a deep sense of genuine safety in the body. This calm, regulated state supports the brain in making deeper, more lasting changes. Think of it like a child learning in a safe classroom environment—their brain is far more open to absorbing new information and adapting effectively when they feel secure.
The combination of precise brain feedback and nervous system regulation makes Embodied Neurofeedback uniquely powerful for fostering both immediate improvements and long-term transformation.
Will I need to purchase special equipment, products, or other services for Embodied NeurofeedbackTM to work – or to maintain my results in the future?
No, you won’t need to purchase any additional equipment, products, or services for Embodied Neurofeedback to be effective or to maintain your results. At NeuroFlow Wellness, we’re committed to providing everything you need within your package. If we introduce new modalities or services that could benefit your unique situation, they’ll be included as part of your program—there are no hidden costs or surprise add-ons.
Embodied Neurofeedback is designed to provide lasting benefits. Over time, many clients experience reduced reliance on costly resources like doctor visits, psychotherapy, tutors, supplements and medications. They also find that their money, time and energy are freed up as they can give up the never-ending search for band-aid fixes, whether it’s that new-and-improved pillow to help with sleep, the latest supplement promising to boost your mood, a trendy gadget claiming to improve focus, or yet another self-help book that just sits on your nightstand. This makes Embodied Neurofeedback a low-cost option when you consider its long-term impact on your health and well-being.
Our philosophy is simple: when your brain and nervous system are functioning optimally, your entire life can change for the better—and that’s priceless.
How long are Embodied NeurofeedbackTM sessions and how often do I need to schedule them?
Embodied Neurofeedback is designed specifically with your busy life in mind. Embodied Neurofeedback sessions typically last about 60 minutes, including time for assessment, setup, training, and review – some sessions can even be shortened if you need to get in and out quickly. The actual neurofeedback training portion is usually 20 to 30 minutes, depending on your individual needs and goals.
In the beginning, sessions are typically scheduled 1 to 2 times per week to build momentum and allow your brain to start integrating the changes. Consistency is key during this early phase to encourage lasting results.
As you progress and your brain becomes more regulated, sessions are tapered off gradually to give your brain the opportunity to hold onto these new, healthier patterns independently. Most clients complete their training over the course of about 30 sessions, but the total number depends on your specific goals, the complexity of your concerns, and how your brain responds to the training.
We’ll work to develop a schedule that fits your lifestyle and maximizes your success.
Do I need to do anything outside of the sessions?
The short answer is: No, outside “homework” is not necessary to experience results. There are between-session techniques available to you that will boost your progress – they are super time-efficient and can be done in about 5-10 minutes a day outside of your sessions.
If you choose to use them, we build this up very slowly and at your pace. Keep in mind, as you start to feel more relaxed, energized, and focused, it’ll actually feel easier and easier to fit this in. Your brain and nervous system will be on the path to healing, which will free up both your time and energy.
Plus, with the built-in reminders and support, it won’t add more stress or overwhelm to your plate – it’s all designed to make the process as smooth as possible.
What if I have to miss a session because I’m traveling, have a huge deadline, my child is sick…?
Life happens, and it’s understandable that sometimes you have to skip a session.
The good news is, if you miss one, it’s not the end of the world. Your brain and nervous system will pick up right where they left off.
Think of it like a kid first learning to ride a bike. If they skip a few days of practice, they might feel a little wobbly at first when they hop back on, but they’ll quickly get back on track.
While it’s true that more frequent sessions will help you see faster results, even with a few breaks, your brain is still learning and adapting. Consistency helps, but perfection isn’t necessary.