This series of posts will document our journey to introduce neurofeedback in Tulsa at Recovery in Oklahoma. I’ll try to keep things updated as they happen but can’t promise I won’t get behind in the story. In fact, we’re already several steps in as I write this first post so without further delay, here’s our story. I’ll provide a little more history in an eventual “prequel” post.
Planting Seeds
I first thought about the possibility of neurofeedback when I read something by Bessel van der Kolk. He mentioned the effectiveness of using the technique to treat those suffering from trauma. I didn’t give it much thought because it sounded difficult, expensive, and a little beyond my abilities.
Then around a year ago, I started hearing radio advertisements for a local neurofeedback provider. Around the same time, I took over the lease on an office in Tulsa where a private provider of neurofeedback was subletting a couple of offices. Those seeds having been planted, I started doing a little research into the science and equipment required for neurofeedback.
The Catalyst
In October 2017, the state’s budget crisis hit too close to home and I knew we needed to find a way to continue providing services without such dependence on the state Medicaid program. I had read about successful neurofeedback practices thriving without any type of state funding, so decided to find out more.
The information available on the web is overwhelming. Luckily I knew and trusted the integrity of the person doing neurofeedback in our Tulsa office so I turned to her for direction. She was using Brainmaster equipment and recommended Stress Therapy Solutions for training. While most of their trainings were held in Ohio, there was one coming up in December just south of Ft. Worth Texas.
We decided to take the plunge and invested the money into a four-day, 36-hour intensive training with Dr. Wes Center at Brain & Behavior Associates in Burleson, TX. The amount of information was incredible and I’m still not sure how much we retained but we received valuable guidance and resources to continue our journey.
The Whirlwind
Since the beginning of December when we made the decision to pursue neurofeedback, we’ve completed the initial training. We developed a name NeuroFit for our neurofeedback program in Tulsa, We’ve invested in a Brainmaster 24-channel neurofeedback amplifier and an amazing software package to help interpret and guide our practice. We’ve made individual applications to the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance (BCIA) to become certified neurotherapists. We’ve purchased the additional items needed to set up a neurofeedback station in our Tulsa office. And finally, we’ve made arrangements for Dr. Center to provide mentoring as part of our certification requirements.
It seems a little surreal that we’ve gone from the decision-making stage to this level of involvement and investment in two short weeks. If everything goes as planned, we’ll be conducting qEEG assessments and doing neurofeedback, or at least practicing neurofeedback, before the end of the year. We are not the first provider to provide neurofeedback in Tulsa but he hope to be the best. Stay tuned for more…