A familiar feeling?
Signs you might recognize.
- Brain fog or slowed thinking that lingers after the injury
- Headaches that will not fully settle
- Sensitivity to light or noise
- Trouble sleeping since the injury
- Mood swings, irritability, or feeling not like yourself
- Dizziness or feeling off balance
- Trouble concentrating or remembering since the hit
Most concussions heal on their own within a few weeks. But for some people the fog, the headaches, the short fuse, the sense of being one step removed from your own life do not lift on schedule. When symptoms drag on past the expected recovery, it is worth taking a closer look at what the brain is doing.
Neurofeedback for concussion is a drug-free approach to those lingering symptoms, used after a concussion has been medically evaluated. At Source Neurofeedback in Clarksville, TN, we start by mapping what your brain is doing, then train it gently toward steadier patterns as part of your recovery. In a session you relax in a chair with a few sensors on your scalp while the feedback, through sound or video, rewards steadier patterns. Nothing is sent into your brain. We work with veterans, active-duty service members, and military families from nearby Fort Campbell, and we are glad to coordinate with your military or VA medical team.
A concussion is a brain injury, and a fresh one is a medical matter, not a training one. Right after a head injury, or if symptoms are getting worse, get medical care first. Go to the ER or call 911 for a severe or worsening headache, repeated vomiting, a seizure, slurred speech, weakness or numbness, confusion, one pupil larger than the other, clear fluid from the nose or ears, or trouble staying awake. Neurofeedback is for lingering symptoms once you have been evaluated, not for acute injury, and a qEEG brain map does not diagnose a concussion.
Where a qEEG brain map fits after a concussion
A knock to the head can leave the brain’s rhythms unsettled for a while, even after the initial injury has begun to heal. That is part of why thinking can feel slow and foggy, and why sleep, mood, and focus can all take a hit at once.
A qEEG brain map records your brain’s electrical activity. It does not diagnose a concussion or measure how bad an injury was. What it can show is where activity looks unusually fast or slow, which helps us decide where to focus training as you recover. The 2021 VA/DoD guideline for mild traumatic brain injury suggests against using EEG to diagnose mild TBI or to direct the care of symptoms attributed to it.
How neurofeedback for concussion recovery works
Neurofeedback is brain training, not brain stimulation. The sensors only read your brainwave activity, the way a stethoscope listens to a heartbeat. When your brain drifts toward a steadier, more regulated pattern, the system rewards it in real time.
The goal is to give a recovering brain some practice at settling, so lingering symptoms may have a little more room to ease for some people. The Living Concussion Guidelines, a Canadian clinical guideline for concussion care, say there is not yet enough evidence for a recommendation to be made on biofeedback methods, including neurofeedback.
What training looks like at Source
Everything starts with a qEEG brain map. It is painless and takes about an hour. We record your 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 your own patterns on the screen, and we build a training plan around your symptoms and your recovery, at a pace that does not overdo it.
After that, the sessions themselves are simple. You relax in a chair while the feedback guides your brain toward steadier patterns.
Is neurofeedback right for you?
Neurofeedback fits in as one part of recovery, alongside your doctor’s guidance and the rest and rehab a concussion needs. Lingering symptoms after a concussion often overlap with brain fog, trouble sleeping, and the kind of stress and mood changes that can follow a frightening event, and sometimes steadying one helps the others.
Book a qEEG brain map. At a separate visit, Dr. Cindy Morrey walks you through the results in plain language and talks with you about where you are in your recovery.
A little more clarity
Your questions.
Answered directly.
Can neurofeedback help after a concussion?
For lingering symptoms that stick around after a concussion has been medically evaluated, some of our clients tell us they feel clearer and more settled after training, though how much it helps varies from person to person. Neurofeedback is a drug-free way to help the brain practice steadier patterns as part of recovery. We start with a brain map and coordinate with your medical care.
I just hit my head. Should I book a session?
Not first. A fresh head injury is a medical matter. Please get evaluated by a doctor, urgent care, or the ER, especially if symptoms are getting worse. Neurofeedback is for lingering symptoms later in recovery, once you have been checked out, not for an acute injury.
How does this work with my concussion care?
Alongside it, not instead of it. Neurofeedback is a non-drug approach that can sit next to the care from your doctor, neurologist, physical therapist, or concussion clinic. We are glad to coordinate, and we will defer to your medical team.
Is neurofeedback FDA approved as a treatment for concussion or TBI?
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 your 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. If a session ever aggravates symptoms, we adjust or stop.
When is a head injury an emergency?
Get emergency care or call 911 for a severe or worsening headache, repeated vomiting, a seizure, slurred speech, weakness or numbness, confusion or unusual behavior, one pupil larger than the other, clear fluid from the nose or ears, or trouble staying awake. When in doubt about any head injury, get it checked right away.