Alpha-Theta
training has been a mainstay of neurofeedback treatment since its earliest
days. It grew out of a tradition within neurofeedback that investigated
meditation and altered states with the objective of monitoring and enhancing
those states. One clinical application of it was with Vietnam veterans
with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and alcohol addiction. It is
considered a deep-state training much like hypnosis in that it can resolve
entrenched trauma and dislodge dysfunctional patterns of behaviour. In
preparation for the training, basic biofeedback training in diaphragmatic
breathing and hand warming as well as stabilizing neurofeedback protocols are
used. In addition to its clinical applications, Alpha-Theta protocols are
used in peak-performance training.
In
Alpha-Theta training the intention is to induce a hypnogogic state, which is a
state commonly experienced between waking and sleep. During our waking
hours beta (b)
brainwaves predominate; they are associated with an external orientation and
active thinking as well as hypervigilance and anxiety. When we close our
eyes with the intention to go to sleep, alpha (a) brainwaves predominate.
We feel calm and relaxed and thoughts and images flow. As we become more
relaxed and we increasingly let go of control, we go into a theta (θ) brainwave
state. We are more internally oriented, memories and image emerge
unbidden and our mind seems to drift off on its own. Very soon we may be
asleep and delta (d) brainwaves predominate.
Alpha-Theta
training is much like other neurofeedback protocols. Typically, a
single active electrode is placed at the back of the head, and reference and
ground electrodes are placed on the ear lobes. During the training, the
client’s eyes are closed. The feedback is auditory. Before
beginning the training, the therapist identifies the sounds associated with
three brainwaves–delta, theta and alpha– and the crossover in which theta is
greater than alpha, which is associated with the hypnogogic state. The
sound associated with the delta state is a sign that the client is going to
sleep or has moved. Delta is inhibited by a sound such as “uh-oh.”
Alpha is indicated by a high melodic tone and theta by a lower melodic
tone. The crossover state is indicated by the same lower melodic
tone as theta but it becomes louder the more predominate theta is over
alpha.
Most
people find this training very relaxing and enjoyable. Often they have
vivid memories of things long forgotten. An example would be recalling
the smell of baking bread in their grandmother’s wood stove, perhaps
visualizing what the kitchen looked like and the mood they felt. Clients
may also see connections between issues in their life that had not occurred to
them previously. A client might see that an issue they have in their
personal relationships is similar to an issue that they have at work.
However,
sometimes the memories that emerge are not so pleasant. For someone who
has experienced severe trauma, they may have vivid flashback-type
memories. This can result in an abreaction, which is a cathartic release
of emotion. This can be healing or, without the proper guidance,
retraumatizing. This is the main risk of this procedure and why it should
only be done with a therapist equipped to deal with it.
Typically,
after the training, the client is debriefed. The therapist might ask
about what the experience was like for the client and anything that it might
have brought to mind. Clients often report that afterwards things look
sharper and sounds clearer. They feel more energetic and as if blockages
had been removed. Memories seem more accessible and may emerge more
easily. Most commonly, clients report more vivid dreaming, even lucid
dreaming in which they are aware that they are dreaming and can control what
occurs within their dreams. For those who have unpleasant dreams, they
feel more detached and less emotionally affected by the dreams than they
thought possible. For instance, whereas they might have previously awoken
from a nightmare drenched in sweat and in full-flight panic, they may have an
unpleasant dream but not awaken or wake up only briefly and without great
anxiety an not drenched in sweat.
When
Alpha-Theta is used in peak performance training people feel that they have
opened up a channel to resources within them that had previously been
unavailable to them. Musicians and dancers are more creative and perform
better as a result of this type of training (see Gruzelier, J., Egner, T.,
& Vernon, D. (2006). Validating the efficacy of neurofeedback for
optimising performance. Progress in brain research, 159,
421-431.) and athletes more “in the zone.”
