NeurOptimal® Brain Training session frequency ranges widely, from a minimum of once per week, up to a maximum of once per day. At Neuro Horizons, we recommend one to three sessions per week, for a minimum of three months, depending on your needs, desires and budget. Committing to training fairly frequently (at least twice per week) during the first few weeks is recommended as this helps to build brain training momentum and yield quicker results. However, individuals who have been in a prolonged hypervigilant state may benefit from a slower training frequency to begin with, e.g. once per week or every 10 days, to help their central nervous system adapt. Rapidly transitioning from a hypervigilant to a relaxed state can feel unfamiliar and trigger a fight-or-flight response. It should be noted that more training is not necessarily better - we each have unique needs and sensitivities and some find that training more than three times per week, particularly at the start, can feel quite tiring and therefore may inhibit progress. Training with NeurOptimal® is very much a client driven process and therefore best to decide training frequency once begun.

The number of sessions required can vary depending on individual needs, goals and external constraints. Some individuals may notice improvements after just a few sessions, while others may require more sessions to achieve desired results. We recommend a minimum of 10 sessions as a baseline for training your brain, at a rate of one to three sessions per week (depending on your preference). Twice per week is recommended at least for the first two weeks of training to help kickstart the process and build brain training momentum. On average, a course of NeurOptimal® may consist of 20+ sessions for longer lasting improvements, depending on the severity and number of issues being suffered. For some this will be enough to experience the positive change needed, but for others this may be just the start of a transformative journey to optimal brain health, particularly for those who have endured lifelong struggles since childhood. It is important to note that each person's response is unique, and the frequency of sessions can be tailored to meet specific needs. Fortunately, you can stop training at any time and always pick it up again later if you so choose. Any training you have done in the past will always serve you well should you do more sessions in the future — no session is ever wasted. You brain will remember the training, so future sessions will add to the learning and act as a good way to get back on track when life’s challenges push you off balance.

1 - You will be asked to fill out some quick questionnaires noting down issues bothering you in terms of intensity/frequency/duration, which you can check periodically and use as measurable tracking tools, say every 10 sessions. 2 - You will also hopefully notice positive change in yourself, such as sleeping more deeply, more energy during the day, feeling more positive and less emotionally reactive, or suffering less of a noticeable condition e.g. experiencing fewer headaches (of a shorter duration) than before brain training. 3 - Also, people around you in your day to day life, such as family, friends, colleagues, teachers, may notice positive changes, maybe even before you do! So, in a similar way to other approaches, like talk therapy, the results of the NeurOptimal training process should be apparent in how you or your loved one feels and whether noticeable symptoms have reduced in intensity, duration or frequency.

In order to mentally cope at times of intense stress or trauma, the Central Nervous System (CNS) learns a number of neuromuscular/perceptual/cognitive behaviours in response to the human survival mechanism activated in our deep unconscious brain. These negative behaviours were "effective" for surviving at the time (of a past trauma event or stressful period) though not necessarily optimal. Unconsciously, the person will repeatedly recreate those (often painful) behavioural sequences even many years since the stressful cause which created them has passed. NeurOptimal gives the CNS timely access to information in the present that can reveal the inherent limitations of those previously learned and incarnated behavioural repertoires, and this information can provide a doorway to new possibilities of living and hence healing.

Yes, some studies show that neurofeedback can improve hyperactivity, attention, focus and behaviour in children with ADHD. Symptoms associated with emotional difficulties, such as anxiety and depression also improve. More specifically, NeurOptimal Dynamical Neurofeedback improves emotional resilience and the flexibility to shift between activities more easily, such as, from a relaxed, playful state to a focussed learning or performing state, or to a sleeping state as required. Users notice feeling more in control of their actions and emotions, and following instructions and staying on task seem a little less challenging. Given the complexity of ADHD and its varying presentations, NeurOptimal results differ among users.

Trauma takes away a person’s sense of safety and stability at a deep, core level and activates a more primitive part of the brain that primarily responds to basic signals about fear and safety. Psychotherapy, or traditional talk-therapy, is a valuable tool in helping us manage our thoughts and appeals to our sense of reasoning and language on a conscious level, but it can struggle to speak to the deeper parts of the brain that experience and store the memories of trauma. NeurOptimal® is one of the new promising, evidence-based approaches that can help address the deeper, underlying biological changes that result from trauma and PTSD - many users report a significant reduction in symptoms and often experience a full recovery from trauma, even when suffered for many years! Using BOTH NeurOptimal® and psychotherapy together It is important to note that psychotherapy is encouraged and works very well alongside NeurOptimal® in order to help process potentially uncomfortable trauma memories and physical sensations which may be brought up to the 'conscious' surface as part of the NeurOptimal® training process. This could be a potentially frightening experience for those with repressed trauma memories they are newly becoming aware of. Psychotherapy can provide invaluable support through this potentially bumpy process, resulting in greater/faster progress overall. At Neuro Horizons, we are happy to help coach you through the changes coming up and give you confidence in the process. However, we are not qualified to provide psychotherapy, and advise you to continue with any existing talk-therapy sessions to help you through the powerful training process with NeurOptimal®. The use, or not, of talk-therapy alongside NeurOptimal®, is however a choice specific to each individual, and is not a requirement of NeurOptimal® training. Further reading: “The Body Keeps the Score” by Psychiatrist and Trauma Specialist, Dr Bessel Van der Kolk

NeurOptimal is a whole-brain training approach that helps to process and release stuck trauma in the body by engaging the central nervous system's natural ability to self-correct and re-regulate itself, thereby improving overall brain function and reducing the emotional and physical symptoms associated with trauma. In contrast, Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy treatment aimed at alleviating stress related to specific trauma memories. Both NeurOptimal and EMDR effectively release unprocessed trauma and help reframe the emotional perspective of painful past memories. However, many prefer NeurOptimal because its sessions are typically relaxing and do not require users to consciously revisit and discuss past traumatic events, as is necessary with EMDR, which can sometimes trigger a trauma response and be a distressing experience.

No - this is one of the greatest benefits of training with NeurOptimal®. NeurOptimal® works WITHOUT THE NEED TO TALK ABOUT ANYTHING because it speaks directly to your unconscious brain, without any intervention required on a conscious level. This means it Is a particularly useful tool for young children or those with repressed trauma. (Repressed trauma experiences are those which our brain blocks out without our conscious awareness, in order to protect us from feeling overwhelmed by an intense flood of emotions. Although we may be unaware of the memories on a conscious level, we still sadly suffer symptoms if left unprocessed).

Yes, it is important to be aware of the following factors: BASIC SELF-CARE: comprising a healthy diet with limited sugar and alcohol intake, regular exercise, and good sleep hygiene, will all support brain training with NeurOptimal and optimise progress. HIGHLY STRESSFUL ENVIRONMENTS, such as a highly pressured school or work environment can slow brain training progress, particularly if this is present from the beginning of training because intensely activating the brain's stress response can conflict with the momentum needed for the natural flow of self-regulation. However, over time, the training itself should gradually build the individual's resilience and ability to manage greater levels of stress ...within reasonable limits! RELATIONSHIP ISSUES: positive dynamics within the family, or relationship with a spouse, are likely to have an impact, due to our primal need for healthy human connections. Children and teenagers are directly impacted (unconsciously) by the emotional well-being of parents and siblings, who can unknowingly inhibit positive change. It is therefore recommended that family members also train with NeurOptimal to maximise progress for both the individual and their relationships. IDENTITY CONSTRAINTS, such as, struggling to let go of a 'labelled' mental health condition like anxiety or depression, or chronic shyness, which has become an ingrained part of life for many years and how others, or you, see yourself. Or, a child with ADHD tendencies may be treated the same by teachers or family members despite the positive changes taking place, making it harder for the child to alter their identity in environments which have become established around that particular identity.

Many people come to neurofeedback because they are looking for specific changes in one or two areas. NeurOptimal trains the brain as a whole, so if you are only looking for only a narrow set of results, it can be easy to miss all the other shifts and changes that occur across other areas. Change is happening from the first moment training begins, however some shifts may be more noticeable than others. Like any other training, the sessions are cumulative and the most significant changes are seen after accumulated sessions.

No. Since this is a training system that does not introduce a chemical into the body, there are no chemically-induced side effects, and it does not involve any direct manipulation of brain activity or the use of electrical currents. Typically, clients experience NeurOptimal® neurofeedback as pleasurable. NeurOptimal® is NOT entraining or pushing the brain to make changes. The pauses in music simply alert the brain to ‘see’ its own behaviour triggering the natural self-correction process to take place as the brain sees fit. In a similar way to other healing processes, such as yoga, you may find symptoms fluctuate particularly nearer the start of training, which is a positive sign that the self-correction process has begun. Trapped emotions need to be released which may feel temporarily uncomfortable to begin with and may exacerbate symptoms temporarily, but this is normally a short-lived stage which often precedes a positive transformative shift.

No! Unless there is a severe underlying medical condition present, every brain of any age is capable of engaging its miraculous innate power of self-correction and optimisation (neuroplasticity). We have witnessed first-hand how people incredibly traumatised and suffering from multiple mental health and psychosomatic conditions can heal and thrive after training with NeurOptimal, and successfully discontinue medications. Neurodivergent issues and their often associated emotional instabilities are also known to improve. There have also been numerous reports of greater recovery speed and quality for those suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury, results of which are often beyond medical professionals' expectations.

This is incredibly rare! If, after a significant number of sessions appropriate for the individual's unique set of issues, no improvements have been made, there could be an underlying medical condition which should be investigated by a medical professional.

Yes, in fact it is encouraged! Motherhood is an incredible gift but life's changes come with turbulence, both physical and mental. NeurOptimal® sessions during pregnancy and postnatally may greatly benefit mother and baby. By helping to regulate the central nervous system, the mother's body will be more ready to welcome the baby into the world. The resilience and calm training brings will help a mother heal and bounce back from sleep deprivation, overcome a traumatic birth experience, and reduce the risk of developing postnatal depression. Also, recent scientific studies suggest that high levels of stress in the womb can affect a baby's temperament and neurobehavioral development and increase the risk of developing depression and irritability. So, the unborn baby may benefit from expectant mothers training too! Therefore, for multiple reasons, training with NeurOptimal® during pregnancy may be a greatly beneficial tool.