The biggest issue with most mental health professionals is that they are shooting arrows in the dark, not really knowing what is going on inside your brain and blindly treating symptoms. Not to mention, most people do not understand themselves well and often share symptoms that are different than what they are really experiencing. 

Mental health issues are in your brain. Imagine being able to see what is really going on inside your brain. Do you really have anxiety? depression? OCD? social issues? Unresolved trauma? Or do you merely have an imbalance in your brain waves that outwardly looks like anxiety but when we look at your brain we realize you have mood regulation issues because you have too many brain waves in a certain part of your brain. 

WHAT IS BRAIN MAPPING?

Quantitative EEG (QEEG), or “brain mapping” is a way of assessing the operation and functionality of one’s brain. This non-invasive tool can be helpful in assessing anxiety, depression, thinking patterns, stress, impulsivity, and cognitive flexibility (or the lack thereof), as well as many other issues. A QEEG can show if brain activity is healthy, or if there are areas where there is too much activity or not enough activity that are getting in the way of one living the life they desire. 

HOW CAN QEEG HELP?

 It can be helpful in many ways, including: 

• Identifying cognitive and psychiatric problems
• Showing how your brain wave patterns can be improved
• Predicting medication response, such as how you are likely to respond to antidepressant medication
• Providing valuable information in creating a personalized treatment plan (which may include biofeedback techniques such as neurofeedback) to help balance your brain
• Tracking your progress with different therapies and treatments
• Providing objective information used to create your personalized neurofeedback program or other therapies to strengthen your brain and mental health.

qEEG gives us additional information about how your brain functions and can be used for baseline information as well as to track progress with treatment. We can use the information from qEEG as a guide to determine the most effective solutions to help you change your brain and improve your memory, boost focus and attention, reduce depression, minimize anxiety, and enhance overall performance.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

A qEEG brain mapping session is a simple, painless process that takes less than an hour. The exam is generally conducted after your first initial intake appointment. You sit comfortably the entire time. First, a sensor cap is placed on your head. It looks very similar to a swimming cap, but with sensors and wires attached to it. The sensors detect brain wave activity and allow our brain specialist to record how the neurons in your brain function and communicate with one another. 

Setting up the sensors takes about twenty minutes. Once everything is tested for connectivity, you sit quietly for ten minutes with your eyes open, and another ten minutes with your eyes closed. Meanwhile, the sensors record your typical brainwave patterns. This information establishes a baseline for the neural activity inside your brain and helps our therapist to identify any significant differences from healthy averages. You may feel tired when the session is complete, but you can safely drive and go about your day.

After gathering the information from your brain mapping session, a therapist reviews the data to determine the next steps in your treatment. Analyzing a single 20-minute qEEG session often takes several hours. The advantage to you and to your therapist is that a quality brain map allows you to receive individualized treatment that is relative to your mental health.