Books and Articles on Biofeedback

A Symphony in the Brain by Jim Robbins

Jim Robbins is a science journalist and the book is an account of his exploration of the field of EEG biofeedback. He covers some success stories, the history of the field, and his meetings with some of the leading practitioners in the field.

The book is a balanced account - he does talk to sceptics and critics, and points out the shortage of research backing up some of the clinical claims. However he makes a good case that the lack of research is due more to scientific turf battles and a drug-dependent medical establishment than any fault of neurofeedback.

There are sections on the major applications of neurofeedback including ADD / ADHD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), emotional disorders and epilepsy.

Healing Without Freud or Prozac by David Servan-Schreiber

David Servan-Schreiber is a psychiatrist. His book address stress, anxiety and depression sufferers who would like to be able to heal without recourse to drugs and wanting something more than talk therapy. The book describes several methods that Dr Servan-Schreiber has successfully employed with his own patients.

There are a couple of chapters on Heart Rate Variability or Heart Rate Coherence training. Dr Servan-Schreiber describes individual case-histories as well as research.

The rest of the book is unrelated to biofeedback but may still be of interest. He covers such methods as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprogamming (EMDR) and nutrition.

Change Your Brain Change Your Life by Daniel Amen

Daniel Amen describes himself as a neuropsychiatrist. He has carried out numerous brain-imaging studies in an attempt to discover the brain states underlying common problems such as ADD, depression, drug addiction, anxiety, OCD, emotional volatility and violence.

The book describes in very accessible terms what can go wrong in some of the brain's attentional control and emotional control systems.

There is much practical advice for sufferers on how to optimise brain functioning, including nutritional strategies and cognitive and behavioural techniques. He also discusses appropriate medications. Biofeedback and neurofeedback get a mention but aren't a major theme of the book.

The Executive Brain: Frontal Lobes and the Civilized Mind by Elkhonon Goldberg

Goldberg is an experienced researcher and clinician in neurology. Accessible but rigorous, the book describes how the frontal lobes enable us to engage in complex mental processes, how they control our judgement, and our social and ethical behaviour.

Using several fascinating case narratives, Goldberg shows how vulnerable the frontal lobes are to injury and how devastating the effects of frontal lobe damage can be.

The book doesn't discuss biofeedback but the brain systems described are of fundamental importance in neurofeedback.

Getting Rid of Ritalin by Dr Robert Hill & Dr Eduardo Castro

Ritalin is the drug most commonly used to treat ADD and ADHD. It helps some (not all) but has known side-effects. Moreover it does not offer a cure but only controls symptoms - for as long as the medication is taken.

Doctors Hill and Castro began using EEG biofeedback with children with ADD with very encouraging results.

This book is certainly not exclusively about ADD. The authors cover what is known on the neurophyiological roots of ADD. The book offers a practical and holistic approach to managing ADD, including nutritional and behavioural strategies.