Community Services Institute to Introduces Neurofeedback at Expo

SPRINGFIELD — Community Services Institute is slated to showcase its Neurofeedback program at the Western Massachusetts Business & Innovation Expo on Nov. 2 at the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield.

The Expo runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Over the past 30 years, researchers have discovered that it is possible to retrain or learn different brain wave patterns. This brain wave training is called Neurofeedback. The brain is taught to engage in the tasks of living with greater efficiency and ease. This leads to improvements in concentration, relaxation, and clarity. It is like physical exercise or physical therapy training for the brain.

People who benefit most are low motivation to engage in talk therapy and self-disclosure, those who have high stress exposure, and those with low motivation to use medications to ‘calm, focus, or contain impulse.’

During a Neurofeedback session, one sits in a comfortable chair in a quiet room. Sensors are placed on your scalp. Nothing goes into your brain; the sensors just read what your brain is doing. The computer feeds back your brain activity both visually and with sound. It is somewhat like a video game, engaging you in a task and then helping you learn how to change your own brain waves.

This training leads to:

• Improved psychological flexibility
• Better ability to relax and unwind
• Increased focus
• Reduced negative emotions
• Clearer thinking — less brain fog.

“As outreach therapists we work with an underserved population going out into the community to meet them where they are at in order to best meet their needs,” said Susan Rogers, Psy.D. LMHC, director of Clinical Services for CSI Springfield. “The work is hard but the rewards are great.”