Neurofeedback in Málaga: what it is and when it is suggested
This guide explains what neurofeedback is, what a session is like and in which situations we suggest it. Also what it is not: here it does not work as a treatment on its own, but as support for the psychological work.
Call 600 21 57 83What neurofeedback is (and what it is not)
Neurofeedback is non-invasive brain training. During the session, sensors placed on your head record the electrical activity of the brain. They only record: they do not send out any current and they do not introduce anything into the body. That activity is translated in real time into something you see on a screen, and that is the point of the training: the brain gets immediate information about what it is doing and, with practice, the idea is that it “learns” to stay calm.
What it is not matters just as much. It is not a therapy in itself and it does not replace the psychological work: the causes of anxiety or insomnia, each person’s history and what they have been through, are worked on in session. Nor does it do the work for you; it is training, and like any training it takes its sessions.
At PsicoDiversa we use it exactly like that: as a complement to psychotherapy, to make the psychological work easier when the level of activation is holding it back. Never as a treatment on its own.
The first 15-minute call to get to know each other is free and with no obligation.
When your head understands and your body is still on guard
There are times when the head runs ahead of the body. You understand what is happening to you, you may have been working on it in therapy for a while, and even so the body stays on guard: you go to bed exhausted and sleep does not come, you sit down to read and five minutes later you are somewhere else, you snap over something silly and then get angry with yourself for snapping.
A lack of willpower? Not exactly: a nervous system that has spent a long time on alert gets used to that state, and it struggles to come back to calm on its own. That is where a different kind of work can fit, one that does not go through words.
When we suggest it
We suggest it in specific cases, above all in three situations.
High anxiety
When activation is so high that everything costs twice as much: the body tense, the breathing short, the sense of alarm with no clear reason. With that background noise, even the work in session moves more slowly. The training aims at exactly that regulation.
Insomnia
You go to bed worn out and the body cannot find the switch. Turning over, the clock, working out in your head how many hours are left before you have to get up. The training works on that difficulty in switching off which, from repeating itself, has become a habit.
Difficulty concentrating
You start something and you are straight away on to something else. You read a paragraph three times and still nothing. It is not always tiredness or lack of interest: attention depends, among other things, on how the nervous system is regulated, and that regulation is what the sessions put to work.
The decision is not made blindly. In that first fifteen-minute call you tell us what you notice and since when, we point you in a direction and we decide the next step together: sometimes it will be looking at neurofeedback more closely, and sometimes starting somewhere else. And if you do not recognize yourself in any of the three situations and it still interests you, tell us anyway.
How it fits into a process
At PsicoDiversa neurofeedback does not work as a service on its own. The basis is psychotherapy: individual therapy as the pillar and, when getting out of isolation helps, group therapy as well. The training always comes in as support for that work. How the pieces are combined and which models are used is told calmly in how we work.
We say this for a very specific reason: if you are looking for somewhere nearby to do neurofeedback, what you are going to find here is a complement to psychotherapy, not a service booked separately. We would rather say it now than later.
And if what brings you here is about relationships, which is this center’s specialty, the approach is the same: therapy for emotional dependency stays at the center of the process, and neurofeedback is a support for when anxiety or sleep get in the way.
And if what weighs most right now is anxiety, we take our time over it on the blog: Anxiety in Málaga: living in paradise is stressful too.
Frequently asked questions
What happens in a neurofeedback session?
You sit in front of a screen with sensors placed on your head. Your only job is to be there and let the brain practice with what the screen gives back to it: there is nothing to study and nothing to get right, you cannot fail. The length and the frequency are settled once your case has been looked at.
Is it painful or invasive?
No. The sensors only read the activity, like a microphone that listens: they do not send out any current and they do not introduce anything into the body. That is why it is called non-invasive training. At most you will feel the sensors resting on your head while the session lasts.
Does neurofeedback replace psychotherapy?
No, and be wary of anyone who sells it to you that way. The training works on the regulation of the nervous system; the causes of what is happening to you, your history and your relationships, are worked on in therapy. At PsicoDiversa we use it as a complement: a piece that makes the psychological work easier.
Do I have to be in therapy to do neurofeedback?
Here it is offered inside a therapy process, because that is where it makes sense: the training makes the work you are already doing in therapy easier. If you have done therapy before, or you are in it right now (here or at another practice), tell us at the first contact and we will look at how to fit it in. And if what you are after is neurofeedback on its own, nothing else, we will tell you just as plainly.
How many sessions are needed and how much does it cost?
It depends on the case, and that is why we do not publish a standard figure here: it would be lying to you a little. Once we have seen your situation we suggest a plan with its frequency and we tell you the rates. Asking commits you to nothing.
Reading up on a technique is often the way of getting closer to something that has been weighing on you for a long time. If while reading this you have thought that it might fit your case, asking about it costs nothing.
Does it make sense in your case?
Tell us what you notice and since when. We answer honestly: sometimes the answer will be yes, and sometimes we will suggest starting somewhere else. The first call lasts fifteen minutes, is free and commits you to nothing.
You can also call us at 600 21 57 83.
Take the first step
Book a free 15-minute introductory call. We explain how we work and you decide, with no obligation.
Tell us what brings you here, in your own words, and choose how you would like us to reply.
Or if you prefer, book your call on WhatsApp or by phone.