Eeg Neurotheraphy In The Treatment Of Alcoholism Aan Addictions

Introduction

Alcoholism is a disease that afflicts at least 12 million Americans. It leads to approximately 250,000 premature deaths a year, disrupts the lives of some 45 million family members members and fees an estimated $120 billion a year in healthcare bills, home harm and lost time and productivity.

Over alcohol dependence , a major breakthrough in the remedy of alcoholism and chemical dependency has been consistently demonstrated by a number of researchers, like (but not restricted to) Saxby and Peniston (1995 ), Anderson (1994 ), Sonder and Sonder (1994 ), White (1994 ), Cowan (1993 ), Patterson (1993 ), Peniston, Marrinan, Deming and Kulkosky (1993 ), Schneider, Elbert, Heimann, Welker, Stetter, Mattes, Birbaumer and Mann (1993 ), Byers (1992 ), Fahrion, Walters, Coyne and Allen (1992 ), and Peniston and Kulkosky (1990, 1989).

The essence of this remedy includes a non-invasive, non-pharmacological outpatient plan combining EEG brain wave biofeedback (called neurotherapy), extremely precise imagery of brain structures, neurotransmitters and brain wave patterns, constructive customized visualizations, cognitive re-scripting and intensive cognitive-behavior therapy. This system, commonly referred to as the Peniston Protocol, is administered 3-5 days per week over a 7-12 week period for a total of 35-40 sessions.

Success Prices and Cost-Effectiveness

In sharp contrast to classic inpatient, outpatient and 12-step treatment applications, which yield maximum good results rates of 30-40%, the long-term (3 year) abstinence rates for serious alcoholic s getting the Peniston Protocol consistently attain 80%. Additionally, alcohol dependence , measurable and sturdy personality modifications have regularly accompanied these startling final results.

Additional, these dramatic outcomes appear to be deliverable at a quite affordable cost (e.g., $four,000 - $six,000 total), specifically in comparison to the really higher cost of regular inpatient remedy programs (e.g., $two,500 - $9,000 per week, based on complexity of diagnosis and no matter if or not detoxification is incorporated).

Background and Rationale

As it functions, the brain produces minute electrical signals on its surface known as brain waves. Brain waves regularly modify as the brain handles the business enterprise of dealing with itself and its environment. For more than fifty years, this electroencephalographic (EEG) activity has been applied for neuroanalysis (e.g., diagnosis of brain disease or injury). With the advent of rapidly computers, researchers are now in a position to quantitatively analyze the frequency and amplitude of brain waves (QEEG) to kind complex topographic "maps" of the EEG's energy and frequency distribution for much more precise and successful diagnoses. They identified that abnormal behavior normally corresponded to abnormal brain wave patterns and distributions.

Conclusive research indicates that certain kinds of abnormal brain functioning can be corrected by finding out to operantly condition the brain's electrical activity. This conditioning is achieved by visual and/or audio feedback of the moment-to-moment activity of the EEG. This visual/audio EEG feedback is utilised by the patient to discover to raise or lower the power and/or percentage of selected brain wave frequencies This conditioning or coaching is referred to as neurotherapy.

Neurotherapy is proving to be medically successful for the reason that it facilitates constructive neurochemical, personality and behavioral changes in reasonably brief periods of time (weeks vs. months or even years). Moreover, it is price- successful mainly because it avoids the higher expenses linked with surgery, drugs or extended- term inpatient or outpatient therapy.

It is also widely accepted among researchers and clinicians that patterns of surface EEG activity reflect the activity of deeper brain structures and patterns of brain neurochemistry. For instance, those brain neurotransmitters, opioids, neurohormones and neuropeptides connected with reward and internal feelings of nicely-being are influenced straight (and therefore fluctuate broadly) according to adjustments in cortical EEG patterns. Equally important, alcohol cravings and uncontrollable alcohol ingestion are now strongly associated with each deficiencies and/or abnormalities in certain brain neurochemicals (e.g., serotonin opioid peptides such as beta endorphin and enkephalin norepinephrine dopamine and GABA) and poorly developed low frequency EEG rhythms (e.g., alpha and theta) (Blum, 1991).

Consequently, as Peniston and many other researchers have shown, the normalization of alpha and theta EEG rhythms by way of neurotherapy produces the exact same normalization of brain chemistry that is produced by either alcohol ingestion or the external manipulation of the excitatory and inhibitory processes that manage these vital neurochemicals. In other words, the enhanced feelings of reward and internal well-getting that take place from alcohol ingestion or other external influences of brain neurochemistry are also made by the normalization of alpha and theta rhythms by way of neurotherapy.

As a result, the complex interrelationships among these variables seem to be both at the root and the remedy for extreme alcohol cravings and uncontrollable alcohol ingestion. Additionally, these interrelationships and the normalization of the deficient factors within them by means of neurotherapy absolutely contribute to an understanding as to why the Peniston Protocol produces such impressive benefits with this hard clinical population.

Breakdown of the Peniston Protocol

While there is some variation among clinicians, the following is a step- by-step breakdown of the most commonly utilised clinical procedures within the Peniston Protocol:

( 1) Intake interview, evaluation and character/behavioral pre-testing (e.g., MMPI II, MCMI II, Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Hopelessness Scale and/or Sixteen Character Factor Questionnaire).

( 2) Brief pre-treatment QEEG topographic brain map.

( three) 5 preliminary non-EEG biofeedback sessions (e.g. temperature, EMG, and/or skin conductance).

( 4) Twenty-five to thirty alpha/theta neurotherapy sessions.

( five) Brief post-treatment QEEG topographic brain map.

( six) Discharge interview, evaluation and personality/behavioral post-testing (e.g., MMPI II, MCMI II, Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Hopelessness Scale and/or Sixteen Character Element Questionnaire).

Character/Behavioral Improvements

In addition to long-term (three year) abstinence rates of 80%, the Peniston Protocol has consistently made the following really healthy personality alterations:

( 1) Important decreases in scales labeled schizoid, avoidant, passive- aggressive, schizotypal, borderline, paranoid, anxiety, somatoform, dysthymia, alcohol abuse, psychotic considering, depression, psychotic depression, hypochondriasis, hysteria, schizophrenia, social introversion and psychotic delusion.

( two) Important increases in warmth, abstract pondering, stability, conscientiousness, boldness, imaginativeness and self-handle.

Therefore, the Peniston Protocol consistently produces good alterations in what several think about to be "challenging wired" elements of personality. These dramatic character modifications enhance the patient's ability to cope without having substance abuse, drastically lowering the likelihood of relapse.

Summary and Conclusion

Alcoholism is a debilitating and highly-priced disease that has responded poorly to conventional inpatient, outpatient and 12-step therapy programs (e.g., maximum 30-40% sustained abstinence). Researchers Eugene Peniston and Paul Kulkosky, along with several other individuals over the previous eight years, have consistently demonstrated that serious alcoholic s treated with EEG neurotherapy, imagery/visualization and cognitive-behavior therapy (e.g., the Peniston Protocol) show startling lengthy-term (three year) abstinence rates of 80%. Furthermore, alcohol dependence are regularly accompanied by dramatic, healthier character/behavioral changes that clearly contribute to reductions in the likelihood of relapse.

The neurotherapeutic changes in alpha/theta EEG rhythms achieved by these individuals with the Peniston Protocol generate low, sustained levels of the opioid peptide beta-endorphin, reflecting lower sustained levels of arousal and stress. Moreover, the normalization of low frequency cortical EEG rhythms (e.g., alpha & theta) apparently also make normalization of quite a few other brain neurochemicals whose imbalances are extremely connected with severe alcohol cravings and uncontrolled alcohol ingestion.

In addition to its extremely higher success rate for this difficult clinical population, the Peniston Protocol appears to be quite cost-effective in comparison to conventional inpatient and outpatient remedy programs.

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