A Pilot Study of Neurofeedback for Chronic PTSD

• Published in: Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback 2016-09, Vol.41 (3), p.251-261
• Main Authors: Gapen, Mark, van der Kolk, Bessel A., Hamlin, Ed, Hirshberg, Laurence, Suvak, Michael, Spinazzola, Joseph
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Biofeedback; Biofeedback training; Brain research; Chronic Disease - therapy; Electroencephalography; Female; Health Psychology; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Neurofeedback - physiology; Pilot Projects; Post traumatic stress disorder; Psychology; Psychotherapy and Counseling; Public Health; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - therapy; Treatment Outcome
• ISSN: 1090-0586; 1573-3270
• DOI: 10.1007/s10484-015-9326-5

EEG Biofeedback (also known as neurofeedback) has been in use as a clinical intervention for well over 30 years; however, it has made very little impact on clinical care. One reason for this has been the difficulty in designing research to measure clinical change in the real world. While substantial evidence exists for its efficacy in treating attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, relatively little evidence exists for its utility in other disorders including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The current study represents a “proof-of-concept” pilot for the use of neurofeedback with multiply-traumatized individuals with treatment-resistant PTSD. Participants completed 40 sessions of neurofeedback training two times per week with sensors randomly assigned (by the study coordinator, who was not blind to condition) to sensor placements of either T4-P4 or T3-T4. We found that neurofeedback significantly reduced PTSD symptoms (Davidson Trauma Scale scores averaged 69.14 at baseline to 49.26 at termination), and preceded gains in affect regulation (Inventory of Altered Self-Capacities-Affect Dysregulation scores averaged 23.63 at baseline to 17.20 at termination). We discuss a roadmap for future research.