What to Expect from Our Programs

Most people who come to Neurotherapy of Colorado Springs have not tried neurotherapy before. Perhaps a family member or a friend referred you to our practice, or you came across the science of neurotherapy while browsing the internet, but you’re wondering what the process looks like.

close-up-human-hand-holding-blue-puzzle-piece-with-brain-cogwheel-drawing-scaled

Welcome! This page will walk you through our services. We will give you an idea of how our services work together to make up a personalized brain health program. But before we dive into the therapies and technologies, we want to remind you that our goal is to help you. We’re a patient-centered practice that cares about each individual who comes through our doors.

  • We listen
  • We educate
  • We guide
  • We encourage

Healing the brain is a process that takes time. Nobody’s path is identical. But with the right program, you’ll be well on your way toward a better quality of life.

beautiful-young-women-looking-clipboard

Step #1: Initial Consultation

During this appointment, you will receive an in-depth explanation of what we do and how it may apply to your specific set of needs. We value each and every one of our clients, and this means you’ll get to speak directly with the president, director, and CEO of the business, Chris Edwards. We will cover your background, our approach, experience, and expectations.

We will take the time to listen to your story, explain our process and philosophy, and explain how this would look for you individually moving forward. We can also send you additional resources so that you feel comfortable with neurotherapy’s scope.

Step #2: qEEG Testing

We begin every client journey with testing and analysis. With the right data, our team can know precisely which therapies and services you need.

The Quantitative Electroencephalogram, or qEEG (often referred to as “brain mapping”), measures the electrical activity in the brain. Think of qEEG as an EKG for the brain. It’s non-invasive and does not hurt. During this test, we look for significant electrical anomalies in the brain and note where those anomalies occur. Based on our training and expertise, we consider whether these electrical anomalies could be contributing to your symptoms.

If you decide to move forward, we will use the qEEG data together with information gained during the intake process to create a Neurotherapy protocol.

Custom Link specialist-neurologist-doctor-taking-notes-laptop-asking-patient-s-symptoms-adjusting-high-tech-eeg-headset-doctor-researcher-controlling-eeg-headset-analyzing-brain-functions-health-status

Step #3: Intake

The intake process consists of three appointments and includes a symptom inventory, behavioral foundations, and HeartMath HRV assessment.

brain-equipment

Symptom Inventory

This is a detailed and comprehensive breakdown of all your symptoms that may be connected to the anomalies revealed in the qEEG. This appointment is important for:

  • setting clear goals
  • generating an effective treatment protocol
  • ensuring all your goals are being met

When it comes to symptoms, we take time to hear your story and your reasons for visiting. We may ask clarifying questions to determine how long you’ve had symptoms, how they impact your daily life, and if there were any instigating events that will help us understand your situation.

life-style

Behavioral Foundations

Next, we will review your lifestyle, behaviors, and habits. Many patients are surprised to learn that small adjustments can lead to significant results. Lifestyle areas may include sleep, thought patterns, substance use, diet, exercise, and more. Because we’re focused on your brain health, we make sure that these conversations are professional and non-judgemental.

This session will give you an idea of behavioral adjustments you need to make outside of your appointments in order to improve your success during treatment and hold on to your gains after treatment.

nevervous-system

HeartMath HRV Assessment

This test involves a 5-minute evaluation of heart rate variability and autonomic nervous system responses, which tells us more information about you. The brain doesn’t operate alone. All of the systems in your body are in constant communication with one another. In fact, your heart communicates more data to your brain than your brain does to your heart, and is essentially helping the brain gauge how the body is doing. The data from this test gives us information about the autonomic nervous system and helps us address multiple layers and systems in the body.

Step #4: Begin Treatment

cancer-patient-hospital-high-angle

Neurofeedback

Most of your appointments with us will be for neurofeedback. This protocol involves putting 1-7 small sensors or disc electrodes on your head, which are then plugged into hospital-grade equipment. Again, this therapy is completely painless.

The equipment receives and then feeds your electrical activity into a computer program that allows us to pick out hertz ranges specific to the anomalies in your qEEG. With this more detailed look at the activity going on in your brain, in real time, we can precisely target the ranges that are most out of alignment. The program then acts as a “mirror” for your brain by giving you positive feedback when you are increasing or decreasing certain brainwave frequencies.

Neurofeedback provides a fun way of retraining your brainwaves by using simple games that are a direct representation of your brainwave state in real time. When you reach the goal of the game, you know that your brainwaves are regulating. You’re essentially playing video games with your brain as the controller. Through lots of repetition, as with learning any new skill, your brain will deeply engrain these new neural pathways that are in alignment with your treatment goals.

Many people think of neurofeedback as the same thing as neurotherapy, but neurotherapy is a large umbrella under which neurofeedback and all of the other services we provide, sit. This is just the beginning!

brain-energy

Brain Health Lifestyle Adjustments

During neurofeedback, our team members will give you recommendations to implement at home. These may include lifestyle changes or brain exercises. For example, more consistent sleep may improve the electrical activity in the brain. A low-sugar diet may also help your brain heal faster. To take full advantage of these sessions, your progress relies on how you incorporate these adjustments into your daily life.

You may also choose to pursue comprehensive health coaching with our therapist, Briana Cruz, CN, CHN.

design-thinking

Additional HeartMath Mentoring

In future HeartMath sessions, we help you hone your heart-brain connection. While the first session is helpful for setting a baseline for autonomic nervous system function, we want you to learn the skills and techniques necessary for optimal regulation. Over time, you’ll gain more control of your autonomic nervous system, leading to better focus and emotional stability.

health-and-care

We Explore Additional Services Depending on Your Needs and Goals

We’ve outlined the neurotherapy services that all of our patients go through as part of their program. However, many services are optional, and we recommend them based on your specific situation. Effective neurotherapy is a personalized wellness journey.

Vielight

Vielight is a company that has researched and developed an incredibly advanced technology of photobiomodulation. Photobiomodulation introduces photons or light frequencies to the brain, which has been shown to improve mitochondrial functioning, bringing oxygen, nutrients, and energy to the brain. In doing so, we support the creation of new neural pathways. Many clients choose to rent and even buy Vielight devices for at-home use because of the many benefits they experience when using the device in-office.

Neurotherapy of Colorado Springs is a certified Vielight partner.

Alpha-Stim

Alpha-Stim is an FDA-approved neuromodulation device for the treatment of anxiety, insomnia, and depression.

It is a device you can take home and use daily to provide quick relief of many symptoms. Alpha-Stim works through Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation (CES), which is a form of non-invasive brain stimulation that applies rhythmic, low-amplitude current to the brain via ear clip electrodes. Research suggests that Alpha-Stim CES modulates large-scale brain network activity patterns in two synergistic ways:

  1. By stimulating cranial nerves, including the vagus nerve
  2. By directly modulating cortical oscillations in the temporal lobe, which is part of the default mode network.

Ultimately, these two ways of stimulating the brain normalize the pathological signaling in the default mode network, providing rapid, effective, and lasting symptom relief without the side effects of medication.

young-chemist-man-working-laboratory-with-female-microbiologist-quality-inspection
life-coaching

Life Coaching

In conjunction with neurofeedback, coaching helps bridge the gap between where you are now and where you’re trying to go. Develop the thoughts, beliefs, and habits of the person you want to become.

Coaching is not focused on the past and what brought you to where you are now. Instead, through the assistance and support of your coach, you identify what is holding you back from becoming the person you are meant to become while also creating practical tools & techniques to overcome these obstacles.

mental-coaching

Mental Health Counseling

Electrical anomalies in the brain are often the result of multiple issues such as trauma, traumatic brain injury, genetics, and inflammation. Oftentimes, these layers commingle and produce a tangled web of behavioral compensatory responses, cognitive distortions, emotional issues, and unhealthy habits.

Because we aim to help the person, not just the electrical signals in the brain, we use traditional mental health counseling to help untangle this web. Through conversations with our practitioners, you’ll develop a framework to understand what happened in the past and how it affects your current responses to stress, triggers, relationships, and environment. By offering a variety of therapeutic interventions, we can address your specific needs.

health-coaching

Health Coaching

Patients also undergo health coaching, which builds upon the behavioral and body function assessments from before. We understand the deep interconnection between the digestive system and the brain. It is known that many of our neurotransmitters are produced in the gut.

Your brain cannot have the necessary energy and building blocks for new neural pathways if nutrition is left out of the equation. It’s like asking your muscles to get stronger when you don’t fuel yourself properly. Optimizing nutrition is an integral piece to the success of neurotherapy. It also provides you with long-term practices that help you maintain the progress made during the course of treatment.

What Results Can I Expect from Neurotherapy?

Because every person is different, we cannot promise specific results or outcomes. However, we’ve seen thousands of patients complete our programs and experience significant improvements in focus, mood, creativity, self-esteem, and relationships. Click here to read testimonials from our valued patients.

It’s important to know that neurotherapy is not a quick-fix solution. While you may notice a change after your first few neurofeedback sessions, truly retraining the brain takes time. Because we look at electrical activity, trauma, nutrition, and other body systems, we expect patients to commit to our comprehensive programs in order to see the best results. Neurotherapy is worth it, and our team is here to guide you every step of the way.

Patients have experienced improvements in the following areas:

  • Greater focus at school or work
  • Improved relationships with others
  • Higher resilience to life’s challenges
  • Enhanced performance in career, academics, and sports
  • Greater ability to maintain a “flow state”
  • Lower anxiety
  • Better sleep
  • Reduced reliance on medication
  • Faster healing with brain-related symptoms
  • Greater understanding of their own health and wellness
  • More energy for the things they love

Curious about what Neurotherapy of Colorado Springs can do for you? Schedule a consultation.

healthcare-medical-concept-doctor-with-patient-hospital-doctor-working-office-listening-patient-she-is-explaining-her-symptoms-healtcare-assistance