Neurofeedback
Books & Research
Neurofeedback in the treatment of developmental trauma
by sebern fisher
This is Sebern Fisher’s book (mentioned on the main neurofeedback page). She gives an excellent overview of how developmental trauma impacts the brain and the ins and outs of how neurofeedback can help heal “the fear-driven brain.”
the body keeps the score
by bessel van der kolk
Many people in the trauma world consider this the “bible of trauma.” This book offers a really great overview of how trauma impacts our brains and bodies. The last section of the book is dedicated to promising treatments for the impact of trauma and traumatic stress. Neurofeedback is one of the treatments featured.
A Symphony in the Brain
By Jim robbins
This book is a bit older now (in its second edition) but provides a great overview of the neurofeedback field, including a great coverage of its history and some of the different types of neurofeedback.
There are a lot of peer-reviewed publications available relevant to neurofeedback. The list below is by no means exhaustive but instead includes some of Whitney’s favorites with a brief description of the content of the article.
“Practitioner Perspectives of Neurofeedback Therapy for Mental Health and Physiological Disorders” by Larson et al. (2010)
This research explored the experiences of neurofeedback providers and includes a great, easy-to-read summary table of what they found.
“A Randomized Controlled Study of Neurofeedback for Chronic PTSD” by van der Kolk et al. (2016)
This study was led by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, one of the most well-known and respected experts in the field of trauma. This study found neurofeedback to be effective in improving PTSD symptoms and capacity for affect regulation. What’s most impressive about this study is that the people that were in the study were considered “treatment resistant,” meaning they hadn’t improved after previous trauma treatment.
“EEG Neurofeedback for Anxiety Disorders and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders: A Blueprint for a Promising Brain-Based Therapy” by Micoulaud-Franchi et al. (2021)
This is a great review of some of the randomized control trials involving neurofeedback over the past 10 years.
“Plastic Modulation of PTSD resting-state networks by EEG neurofeedback” by Kluetsch et al. (2014)
While this article is a good bit more technical, it’s included here because it caused quite a stir in the neurofeedback and trauma world. Two of the main networks in the brain (that are often quite change resistant in talk therapy) showed signs of change after only one treatment of neurofeedback (as seen via pre- and post-neurofeedback brain scans).
“The ISNR Comprehensive Bibliography of Neurofeedback Research” by Hammond et al. (2016)
In 2016, the International Society for Neurofeedback Research compiled a bibliography of all neurofeedback research to date. Topics range a broad spectrum from neurofeedback in the treatment of ADHD to Parkinson’s. The full bibliography can be downloaded from the ISNR website.