A familiar feeling?
Signs you might recognize.
- Starting tasks and leaving a trail of unfinished ones
- Losing the thread partway through reading or conversations
- Being pulled away by every notification, noise, or stray thought
- Trouble sitting still, fidgeting, or feeling restless
- Forgetting appointments, deadlines, or where you put things
- Struggling to get started on boring but important tasks
- A child who cannot seem to settle or stay on task at school
Focus is not just a matter of trying harder. If your attention scatters the moment things get boring, if you start five things and finish none, if your kid cannot seem to stay in their seat, the problem is not effort or character. It is often a matter of how the brain’s attention systems are tuned.
At Source Neurofeedback in Clarksville, TN, we start with a painless qEEG brain map that shows how the attention networks are actually working. Dr. Cindy Morrey walks you through it in plain language, and we build a training plan around what we find. In a session you relax in a chair while sensors read brainwave activity, and the feedback rewards steadier brainwave patterns. Nothing is sent into the brain.
How a qEEG brain map fits with attention and focus
Sustained attention depends on the brain holding a steady, engaged state while quieting distraction. When that balance tips, the mind wanders, or it locks onto the wrong thing, and getting started feels impossible.
A qEEG brain map records the brain’s electrical activity. What it can show is where activity looks unusually fast or slow, which helps us decide where to focus training.
What training looks like at Source
Everything starts with a qEEG brain map. It is painless and takes about an hour. We record the brain’s electrical activity and turn it into a color-coded picture of where things look overactive or underactive.
Then Dr. Cindy Morrey sits down with you and goes through the results in plain language. You see the patterns on the screen, and we build a training plan around the specific situation, whether that is an adult trying to get through a workday or a child trying to stay on task at school.
After that, the sessions themselves are simple. You relax in a chair while the feedback guides the brain toward steadier patterns. Most people find the sessions calming in their own right.
What the research shows for attention
Attention is the most heavily studied use of neurofeedback. The largest review, published in JAMA Psychiatry in 2024 by the European ADHD Guidelines Group (Westwood and colleagues), included 38 randomised trials covering 2,472 children and adults, and in the trials where the people rating symptoms were probably blinded to who had trained, neurofeedback did not meaningfully improve ADHD symptoms. The gains that do show up tend to come from parents rating their own children and fade when a blinded rater looks instead. The American Academy of Pediatrics’ 2019 ADHD guideline lists EEG biofeedback among non-medication treatments with either too little evidence to recommend them or little or no benefit.
The brain map is a separate question from that research. It shows how the attention networks are behaving, which is information worth having whether or not you train afterward. Attention trouble also often overlaps with emotional regulation, anxiety, and sleep, and we talk through that overlap with you.
Is neurofeedback right for you or your child?
Adults and children both come to us for attention trouble. If you are weighing this for a child, our page on neurofeedback for children speaks to what parents ask most. Book a brain map, and we will go through what it shows in plain language.
A little more clarity
Your questions.
Answered directly.
Can neurofeedback help with ADHD or attention problems?
A qEEG brain map shows how your attention networks are actually working. We review those patterns with you in plain language and build a training plan around what we find. Neurofeedback is not a treatment for ADHD and is not a substitute for care from your prescriber.
Does this work for children?
Attention is one of the more common reasons families come in. Neurofeedback is non-invasive and painless, which makes it manageable for many kids, and we tailor the sessions to the child. We are glad to coordinate with your pediatrician, therapist, or school supports.
How does this work with ADHD medication or therapy?
Alongside them. Neurofeedback is a non-drug training approach that can usually be done alongside the care you already use. We will never tell you to stop an ADHD medication, and we are glad to coordinate with your prescriber, coach, or therapist.
Is neurofeedback FDA approved as a treatment for ADHD?
Neurofeedback is a procedure, not a drug, so it is not something the FDA approves. The EEG equipment used in biofeedback is regulated as a Class II medical device and is cleared for uses such as relaxation training. Neurofeedback is not FDA approved as a treatment for any specific condition, and it is not a cure.
Is neurofeedback safe?
Neurofeedback is non-invasive: we record the brain's activity through sensors placed on the scalp, and nothing is sent into the brain. It is generally well tolerated. Some people notice temporary tiredness, mild headache, or restlessness after a session, usually early in training. Tell us about anything you notice and we will adjust the protocol.
Can a brain map diagnose ADHD?
No. A qEEG brain map shows patterns of electrical activity, not a diagnosis. A real ADHD diagnosis comes from a qualified clinician who looks at your full history and rules out other causes, because sleep problems, anxiety, thyroid issues, and more can all look like attention trouble. We use the map to guide training, and we work alongside your medical care.