Why QEEG?

Health setbacks usually resolve with some rest and TLC -Tender Loving Care. But when they persist or become more extreme, we seek extra help to really find out what the problem is – a trip to the doctor, and X-ray, or visiting a mental health professional to address the stress. We know what to do about setbacks and issues we are having if we know exactly what is happening. 

We rely on specialised testing and scans to find out what’s happening in our bodies from the neck down. However, when it comes to difficulties with our behaviours, thoughts or emotions that likely originate in our brain, we have not been so scrutinous.

But how can we objectively examine our brain function? Is there an examination that can tell how well I can control my behaviours, pay attention, feel and regulate emotions, or process and remember information? QEEG (Quatitative Electroencephalography) offers a solution for just this.

Quanti-what now?’ I hear you say.

What is a QEEG -Quantitative Electroencephalography (QEEG)

QEEG is a specialised assessment of the functioning of the Brain. It utilises EEG which measures how fast (in waves per second) and how powerful (in millivolts) the activity of the Brain is. That’s right, your Brain is electric! Well in part at least.

By measuring these brain waves produced by electrical signalling in your brain cells and adding some complex mathematical equations, it’s possible to see how active, overactive or inactive parts of the brain are when compared to others your age and birth sex. Depending on where in the brain this activity is occurring, this may correlate or contribute to the challenges or strengths that you have.

What are the benefits of a QEEG

 So why might you want to have this information instead of the old age tradition of talking about my emotional, cognitive or behavioural challenges. Well, apart from getting an objective understanding of your brain, here is a list of just a few reasons you might want a QEEG assessment and brain based therapies:

·       Nothing seems to work! So often people chose to complete a QEEG to understand why they may not have responded to other therapies. It feels like nothing seems to get through and there is a physical block. A QEEG can give deeper insight into previous therapeutic barriers and inform therapies such as neurofeedback and photobiomodulation that may break down these barriers. It also helps to form a physiological basis for the challenges you face and identify an easier path to achieving your goals.

·       I’m not sure about Medication. Although doctors prescribing medications are highly trained to do so, the truth is there is no actual measurement of your brain before this is prescribed. You wouldn’t be prescribed medication to regulate blood pressure without first having this measured. There is utility for the QEEG in informing suitable medications based on your brain function. Furthermore, quite often, people are looking for an alternative to taking medications and a QEEG assess brain function to inform brain based therapies and neuromodulation with the same goal in mind.

·       I’m thinking about trying Neurofeedback or Photobiomodulation (PBM). Completing a QEEG is the gold standard prior to starting a neurofeedback program. By assessing your brain in comparison to normative database with your goals in mind, a completely personalised therapy program can be developed. This significantly reduces the ongoing need for tailoring of therapy parameters and identifies immediate areas of concern.

These are just a few examples of why QEEG might be the answer.

The bottom line is, your brain is in communication with every part of your body and being. It’s the CEO, the conductor, the control tower -  it’s what makes you ‘you.’ If you could understand your brain, what might that mean? How might you see yourself in all your greatness and struggles? Where could this direct you to go? What walls might this break down to let you into greener pastures?

In the words of the great poet William Blake:

‘If the doors of perception were clearly cleansed every thing would appear as it truly is – infinite.’

A QEEG might be the sponge you need to clean those doors, right here in our Tweed Heads psychology clinic.

Written by Paul Moorhead-Read, Counsellor and QEEG/Neurofeedback Practitioner at Brain Care - Tweed Heads, Gold Coast, Northern NSW.