Winter brings so many wonderful things, but for many people, the winter blues are all too real, and they can keep you from enjoying the season to its fullest.
Neurofeedback is an excellent way to improve your brain wave patterns and combat the mood changes common during the colder months.
At Integrative Medica in Salt Lake City, Utah, Dr. Jake Schmutz and his team offer personalized neurofeedback therapy, an approach that can provide immediate results and ongoing improvement.
The term winter blues often refers to changes in mood that occur during the fall and winter months and that improve when spring and summer roll back around. Many people also use the term when referring to seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
SAD is a type of depression with symptoms that come and go as the seasons change. While fall and winter are the most common times for symptoms to appear, some people experience symptoms in spring and summer and find their mood improving during the colder months.
Researchers believe that SAD develops from a combination of factors. Less sunlight in fall and winter can disrupt the body’s innate circadian rhythm and lead to decreased serotonin, a brain chemical that helps regulate mood. Melatonin can also be disrupted, affecting your sleep.
Symptoms of the winter blues include:
Always treat any thoughts of self-harm or suicide as a medical emergency.
Neurofeedback, also known as electroencephalogram (EEG) biofeedback, is a therapy that uses technology to deliver immediate feedback about your brain wave activity. Visual and auditory stimuli help you learn how to identify your thought patterns.
Once you’re aware of these thought patterns, you can take steps to change them. During therapy sessions, we attach electrodes to your head that connect to the neurofeedback device.
There’s no pain or discomfort during sessions. Your therapist provides music, on-screen visual stimuli, or even games for you to engage with. These stimuli shift your brain into more controlled and desirable patterns.
Because you can watch these changes occur, you can learn how to modify your thought patterns on your own to improve your brain activity. Think of it as training your brain.
During sessions, you learn how to redirect your thought patterns in healthier ways. Over time, this skill becomes more natural, helping you better manage the mental health changes brought on by seasonal shifts.
Neurofeedback is also known to improve conditions like ADHD, PTSD, anxiety, behavioral conditions, and age-related cognitive decline.
Many people are drawn to neurofeedback because it can provide lasting relief without drug therapy. Medication can lead to impressive improvements for many mental health conditions, but not everyone is a good candidate. Some people simply want to avoid medications.
Neurofeedback is also appealing because it offers a chance to work on thought patterns. How we think affects how we feel, so strengthening your skills in this regard is a powerful way to regulate your mood, even in the face of seasonal changes or challenging circumstances.
Most people see improvements after just one session. It takes time, however, to develop better thought patterns, so we recommend a series of sessions to take full advantage of neurofeedback therapy.
To further explore this exciting option with the team at Integrative Medica, call us or book your appointment online today.
