Post Traumatic Stress Disorder—The Neurofeedback Remedy

Othmer, Siegfried; Othmer, Susan F.

doi:10.5298/1081-5937-37.1.24

Cited by 45Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ResearchEEG and Brain-Computer InterfacesTraumatic Brain Injury Research

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder—The Neurofeedback Remedy

Othmer, Siegfried, Othmer, Susan F.·2009·Biofeedback

DOI 10.5298/1081-5937-37.1.24

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Abstract

The application of neurofeedback to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in returning veterans is described herein and is illustrated with two case histories. Initially, frequency-based electroencephalogram training was employed to promote functional recovery, in the manner of the traditional sensorimotor rhythm/beta approach. An optimization procedure was employed in which the reinforcement frequency is tailored to the client on the basis of symptom response, with particular regard for the regulation of arousal. Low frequencies, down to .01 Hz, have been found especially useful in the remediation of post-traumatic stress disorder. This training was complemented with traditional alpha-theta work as pioneered at the Menninger Foundation and by Peniston. The objective here is experiential, because prior traumas typically are revisited in a nonforced, nontraumatic manner. The benign witnessing of traumas consolidates the experience of safety for which the prior training laid the groundwork. Collectively, this approach has been found to be much better tolerated than traditional exposure therapies. In addition, it is helpful in the shedding of substance dependencies that are common in treatment-resistant PTSD

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Authors: Othmer, S., & Othmer, S. F.
Affiliations: The EEG Institute, Los Angeles, CA
ORCID: Othmer, Siegfried
Venue: Biofeedback
Publisher: Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback
Published: 2009
Volume: 37
Issue: 1
Pages: 24-31
ISSN: 1081-5937 (ISSN-L)
2158-348X
DOI: 10.5298/1081-5937-37.1.24
OpenAlex: W2038491483
Cited by: 44
References: 6
Citations by year: 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 3 · 2012: 2
FWCI: 1.42
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Locations: Biofeedback (publishedVersion)
Topics: Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › EEG and Brain-Computer Interfaces
Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Traumatic Brain Injury Research
Keywords: post-traumatic stress disorder, neurofeedback, returning veterans, sensorimotor rhythm, beta oscillations, arousal regulation, trauma reprocessing, substance dependence, treatment-resistant PTSD

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Post Traumatic Stress Disorder—The Neurofeedback Remedy

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