What’s the #1 burning question about your child’s behavior that keeps you up at night?

243: Reducing Emotional Reactivity with Neurofeedback: A Path to Better Attention and Calm

Discover how neurofeedback can help reduce emotional reactivity and improve attention in children, offering effective solutions for managing emotional challenges and enhancing focus.

Oftentimes, when children are overwhelmed, their emotional reactivity can manifest in various ways, making it challenging for them to navigate their feelings and behaviors. This heightened state of emotional response often leads to outbursts, shutdowns, or other dysregulated behaviors that can leave both children and their parents feeling frustrated and helpless. 

Neurofeedback training offers a way to train the brain to reduce emotional reactivity, even for those with a history of emotional challenges. And today, we’ll explore how this approach can improve not just emotional responses but also attention.

Understanding Emotional Reactivity and Dysregulation

Understanding emotional reactivity begins with recognizing the concept of dysregulation in the nervous system. Our nervous system responds to environmental stimuli, leading to two types of behaviors: under-stimulation, characterized by issues like difficulty focusing or sluggishness, and over-stimulation, reflected in heightened reactivity. Negative emotions can overwhelm the brain regions involved in emotional processing, including the amygdala and prefrontal cortex. This interplay affects emotion regulation processes, often leading to challenges in self-regulation.

Signs of an over-responsive nervous system include extreme reactions, such as angry outbursts or sensitivity to clothing textures. For instance, a child might react explosively to a simple request, indicating that their emotional responses are linked to nervous system dysregulation. That is why understanding and addressing these signs is crucial for helping children manage their emotional responses effectively. 

By recognizing these behaviors as clues about nervous system functioning, we can better understand that children who seem emotionally reactive often do not intend to behave this way. In line with this understanding, parents and caregivers can implement strategies like neurofeedback to train the brain to respond more calmly. This approach not only helps reduce emotional reactivity but also fosters improved focus and attention, allowing children to navigate their environments with greater ease.

Impact of Emotional Reactivity on Parenting

Empowering children to understand their nervous system responses can lead to healthier coping mechanisms and a more balanced emotional state. A crucial first step in this process is evaluating the home environment, as it plays a significant role in shaping how children respond to emotional stimuli.

Based on my observations, it’s essential to recognize that when parents regulate their own emotions, children are more likely to mirror that behavior. When dealing with an emotionally reactive child, it’s crucial for parents to take a step back and reflect on their own emotional state. This doesn’t imply being a bad parent; rather, it’s a common issue that many face. By recognizing our own reactions, we can improve our children's experiences.

Emotional reactivity triggers a sympathetic nervous system response, leading to heightened stress and difficulties in attention, learning, and behavior. When children are in a hyper-activated state, they may become easily startled or overwhelmed, which can reinforce negative behavioral patterns. Understanding that children aren’t reacting intentionally but are responding to their nervous system can be an enlightening realization for parents.

It’s important for parents to grasp that when their child is in a highly reactive state, they may not be able to hear or process information effectively. This affects their ability to learn and can lead to patterns of unhealthy behavior. Both children and adults can develop either healthy or unhealthy coping strategies in response to stress.

For more guidance on navigating these challenges, I recommend listening to my CALMS Dysregulated Kid Parenting Protocol episode which offers foundational strategies to help parents support their children effectively: https://drroseann.com/podcast/how-to-handle-a-meltdown/ 

Neurofeedback as a Solution for Emotional Reactivity

What I want to highlight is neurofeedback because it plays a crucial role in addressing dysregulation. First, we need to calm the nervous system and move out of that heightened state, as both parents and children respond better when less reactive. Neurofeedback is one of my favorite tools for achieving this. While I also appreciate the benefits of magnesium and PEMF, neurofeedback is especially valuable for long-term issues that haven't improved.

Neurofeedback session focuses on helping the brain transition from a dysregulated, highly reactive state, which is characterized by excessive brain communication and overactivity in emotional centers, to a healthier state through measurement and reinforcement. My approach involves conducting a brain map for individuals who often travel from afar, followed by remote neurofeedback sessions. Participants then engage in a six-month Brain Behavior Reset Program, which includes personalized support from my team and me.

Through brain mapping, we can identify specific issues; for example, a recent case involved a teenager initially thought to have ADHD, but it turned out to be OCD. This revelation allowed us to create a customized protocol tailored to his needs. The neurofeedback treatment process involves using EEG technology while participants watch movies, providing visual or auditory feedback as reinforcement. This method, grounded in based neurofeedback principles, has proven effective for those with complex, layered issues, enabling the brain to produce healthier brain wave patterns quickly. Additionally, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) can complement this approach by helping us observe changes in brain activity related to emotional processing and regulation, particularly in individuals dealing with challenges like posttraumatic stress disorder.

Typically, participants undergo two to three sessions per week, amounting to about 40 sessions in total. Consistency in these sessions is crucial for lasting change, similar to maintaining a fitness routine. I’ve seen many success stories over the years, including individuals who experienced severe dysregulation and have learned to experience positive emotions as they develop healthier coping mechanisms.

Indeed, neurofeedback is a highly effective tool, supported by extensive research, but success often hinges on completing the recommended number of training sessions and addressing underlying behaviors. It's essential to combine neurofeedback with behavioral changes for optimal results, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive approach to treatment.

Not sure where to start? We'll help you find the right solution tailored to your needs. Visit https://drroseann.com/help/ today and take our FREE Brain and Behavior Solutions Matcher.

Discover science-backed mental health solutions and gain valuable insights from Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge by exploring the resources available at www.drroseann.com.

For more resources, check out the following:

➡️ Join our FREE Natural Parenting Community to receive science-backed resources for your child and family. Join here.

➡️ Get help from Dr. Roseann and her team. Apply here. 

➡️ “Is it ADHD or something else?” Take the quiz. 

Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge: Revolutionizing Children’s Mental Health

 
Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge’s podcast, It’s Gonna be OK!™: Science-Backed Solutions for Children’s Behavior and Mental Health, is in the top 2% globally. The podcast empowers parents with natural, science-backed solutions to improve children’s self-regulation and calm their brains. Each episode delivers expert advice and practical strategies, making it indispensable for parents of neurodivergent children or those with behavioral or mental health challenges.

Dr. Roseann, founder of The Global Institute of Children’s Mental Health and Dr. Roseann, LLC, created the Neurotastic™ Brain Formulas and BrainBehaviorReset® method. With her extensive experience, she provides families with hope and effective strategies to manage conditions like ADHD, anxiety, OCD, and PANS/PANDAS. 

Forbes has called her “A thought leader in children’s mental health,” highlighting her revolutionary impact on mental health education and treatment. Through her podcast and innovative methods, Dr. Roseann continues to transform how we approach, treat and understand children’s mental health.

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