Adolescent Substance Abuse Articles

Neurofeedback Gains Popularity as Treatment for Adolescent Substance Abuse

By Staff Writer

After being used for decades in the treatment of anxiety disorders, depression, ADHD, learning disabilities and other disorders, neurofeedback is becoming recognized as an effective adjunct to adolescent substance abuse treatment.

What Is Neurofeedback?

Neurofeedback, also called EEG biofeedback, is a computer-based technology that teaches the brain to function more efficiently by arousing or calming the nervous system. Using a computer and sensors that detect brain waves, patients learn how to control the brain’s electrical patterns by responding to images on a screen or sounds that reflect the electrical activity in their brain (similar to playing a video game).

As patients focus their attention on the screen and work to control their emotions, they receive feedback indicating when their brain waves are in the desired zone. After repeating the process a number of times, the brain waves become conditioned to stay within a certain range, eliminating the need for ongoing neurofeedback sessions.

What Is the History Behind Neurofeedback?

The following is a brief overview of the history of neurofeedback:

• 1960: Joe Kamiya, Ph.D., at the University of Chicago and Elmer Greene at The Menninger Clinic used EEG biofeedback as a tool to encourage deep relaxation.
• 1971: Barry Sterman, Ph.D., at UCLA first used EEG biofeedback in human trials to eliminate seizures in epileptics. 
• 1973-1998: Joel Lubar, Ph.D., from the University of Tennessee researches the use of neurofeedback to treat ADHD and learning disabilities.
• 1989: Eugene Penniston completed research on 20 alcoholics with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
• 2005: Scott, Othmer, Kaiser replicate findings in the Cry Help study of 121 subjects with polydrug abuse.

What Does Neurofeedback Treat?

In addition to treating adolescent substance abuse, neurofeedback has successfully been used to treat:

• Anxiety Disorders
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Depression
• Headaches
• Autism
• Stroke Recovery
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Hypertension & Stress
• Learning Disabilities
• Anger Management
• Bipolar Disorder

What Are the Benefits of Neurofeedback for Teen Substance Abuse?

The changes in brain waves produced by neurofeedback training can improve a patient’s symptoms within minutes or hours. After just a few sessions, patients often report:

• Improved ability to focus and pay attention
• Decreased impulsivity
• Better ability to cope
• Less anxiety
• Improved ability to maintain sobriety

Neurofeedback is a highly beneficial treatment for adolescent substance abuse because:

• It is non-invasive and has no negative side effects (no chemical or electrical impulses enter the body at any time).
• It is based on learning (more practice results in more lasting changes).
• It is patient-guided (the patient decides which training they’d like repeated).
• It creates lasting change (studies show few patients return for the same problem).

What Does the Research Say About Using Neurofeedback to Treat Addiction?

Decades of research at such institutions as UCLA, The University of Tennessee and NASA support the use of neurofeedback in treatment for addiction and a variety of other disorders. EEG biofeedback meets the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry criteria for clinical guidelines established for the treatment of addiction, ADHD, seizure disorders, anxiety, depression and learning disabilities.

Studies support the use of neurofeedback as an adjunctive therapy in a residential substance abuse treatment program. Patients receiving neurofeedback:

• Spend more time in treatment
• Are less dependent on medication
• Are better able to manage emotional symptoms, such as anxiety, depression and impulsivity
• Are more likely to have maintained abstinence one year after completion of treatment. According to a 2005 study published in the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, patients recovering from drug and alcohol addictions have an 80 percent abstinence rate after completing neurofeedback training.

Where Can I Find Teen Drug Treatment Programs that Offer Neurofeedback?

As a cutting-edge addiction treatment, only a handful of programs currently offer neurofeedback for adolescents. Phoenix Outdoor, a wilderness rehab program in North Carolina, is one of the first and only wilderness therapy programs in the country to offer neurofeedback to treat teen substance abuse.

Neurofeedback is empowering for teens who have lost control of their lives because of drug or alcohol abuse. As part of a comprehensive treatment program, neurofeedback can put teens in the best possible position to stop using drugs or alcohol and pursue their life’s goals.