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Research on Neurofeedback for Addictions
Eugene Peniston, with his collaborator Paul Kulkosky, did their first study in 1989, with a small group of hard-core VA alcoholics. The results were hard to believe, and Steve Fahrion and others took it upon themselves to verify them by calling relatives of the 10 addicts. They did confirm what Peniston and Kulkosky found: after thirteen months, 8 of the 10 were sober. They have since followed these same 10 clients for 10 years and 7 remain abstinent (one has died). They also found that the clients treated with hand-warming and neurofeedback showed lower levels of beta-endorphin, a neuropeptide that indexes stress. A follow-up study in 1990 found that a number of personality variables improved in the neurofeedback group relative to a control group. These included scales from the MMPI, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Millon (MCMI).
In 1992 Fahrion and colleagues studied one client intensively during alpha-theta neurofeedback. This man was an alcoholic - sober for 18 months but experiencing stress-related craving for alcohol and fears of relapse. They found that after neurofeedback the client showed markedly lower response to stress. Both during relaxed states and during stress, the client was much more relaxed after neurofeedback than he had been before. The patient, his wife, and colleagues reported that he functioned in a much more relaxed way and was no longer experiencing a craving for alcohol.
William Scott's and David Kaiser's study was mentioned earlier. They studied 43 controls and 48 experimental subjects in a residential inpatient treatment setting. This facility, CRI-Help, based its treatment on the "Minnesota model, a 12-step oriented program supported by group, family, and individual counseling." In addition, the experimental group received 40 to 50 neurofeedback sessions. The experimenters began with 10 to 20 sessions of SMR-beta training aimed at increasing cognitive control before beginning alpha-theta work. As mentioned before, this was because of the high initial theta found in stimulant and cocaine abusers. The SMR frequency is found in the motor cortex and signifies a state of physical stillness and mental concentration. Beta (just slightly higher in frequency) may measure a state of somewhat greater cognitive focus.
Like Peniston, Scott and Kaiser used the MMPI to track progress, and found that the experimental group showed much more personality change than the controls. Follow-up at 24 months showed that the differences between the groups were even greater.
The Scott-Kaiser study was initiated by the Chairman of the Board of CRI-Help. He stated, "It must be recognized that we are dealing here not only with typical research subjects but rather with the most difficult type of addict currently in rehabilitation. Most were assigned to CRI-Help by the courts or their care was otherwise mandated. To have observed this kind of improvement over what we consider to be a model, state-of-the-art program already is simply remarkable." He concluded that when these results are confirmed in other studies "they will change the standard of care in the field."
Such confirmations already exist. In the Kansas prison system, at least as hard-core a group of addicts as those in Los Angeles, Steve Fahrion has gotten excellent results using essentially the original alpha-theta protocol. His clients were over 500 criminals who were also addicts (about equal numbers of alcoholics, marijuana and cocaine users). The alpha-theta group was significantly less likely to fail than the controls. This was especially clear among those who had the worst record initially and among African-Americans particularly.
Two large studies in Texas are also very impressive in demonstrating the effectiveness of alpha-theta neurofeedback. One was done within the state corrections system by Alphonso Bermea, and three-year follow-up data was strongly indicative of success using the neurofeedback treatment. The second is a study with addicted street people (95% are crack cocaine addicts). Sixty-nine (69) people have completed treatment and have been followed for from six months to one and one-half years. Success is defined very stringently, through four criteria, all of which must be met:
- Not on drugs (verified though random UA)
- Not homeless
- Not unemployed (at work or in school)
- Not arrested.
Note that when they enter treatment none of these men were employed or had a home. All were on drugs or alcohol and most had lengthy police records. The results have been overwhelming positive. Preliminary results show that 83% of clients are successful in meeting all four criteria. The project received a $3 million grant from the Houston Endowment to fund it for three more years.
Popular Addiction | Addictions Neurofeedback Pages
Addiction EEG •
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Neurofeedback in the treatment of addictions •
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Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse •
Signs of Alcoholism •
Neurofeedback Addiction Research •
Major warning sign of alcoholism •
Myths about Alcoholism •
Asking for help is only the beginning
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