AResearch and limits
How to read the evidence, rather than be told what it says.
Research on neurofeedback is uneven. Some areas have been studied a great deal, others hardly at all; study quality varies; findings are not consistent. This page does not resolve that for you, because it cannot honestly be resolved in a paragraph on a clinic website.
BFive things to hold on to
What makes this literature hard to read.
A single study is not a finding
Individual studies vary in size, design and quality. What matters is whether a result holds up when other groups try to reproduce it. A provider quoting one paper is quoting one paper.
Ask what was compared with what
Comparison against no treatment tells you less than comparison against a credible control. Where participants and assessors know who received what, expectation can influence reported results.
Watch what was measured
A change in a recording is not the same as a change in daily life. Questionnaires, teacher reports, task scores and recordings can move independently of each other.
Different applications, different evidence
Neurofeedback is not one thing. Protocols, populations and goals differ, and evidence in one area says little about another. Generalising across them is where overstatement usually creeps in.
Reviews before headlines
Systematic reviews assess a body of work rather than a single result. They are less exciting and considerably more informative.
Look yourself
Every source below is public. Searching an index directly will give you a truer picture than any summary, including this one.
CWhere to look
Indexes and professional bodies.
These are external organisations and public databases. Listing them is not a claim of membership, endorsement or affiliation. It is a set of starting points so you can check things independently, including anything a provider tells you.
Biofeedback Certification International Alliance (BCIA)
The body that certifies practitioners in biofeedback and neurofeedback. Its site explains what its certifications require, which is useful when you are checking any provider's stated credentials.
External site, opens in a new tab
Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (AAPB)
A professional association for the biofeedback field, publishing standards, ethics guidance and material aimed at the public.
External site, opens in a new tab
International Society for Neuroregulation and Research (ISNR)
A professional and research society for neurofeedback, with publications and a public information section.
External site, opens in a new tab
PubMed (US National Library of Medicine)
The primary index of biomedical literature. Searching it directly is the most reliable way to see the state of published research rather than a summary of it.
External site, opens in a new tab
Cochrane Library
Systematic reviews that assess the strength of evidence across studies. Useful for understanding how confident the field is, not just what individual studies reported.
External site, opens in a new tab
DA note on marketing
Signals that should make you pause.
- A stated success rate, or a percentage of people who improved.
- A fixed number of sessions quoted before anyone has met you.
- Before-and-after brain images shown as proof of change.
- A list of conditions presented as things the training treats.
- The phrase 'clinically proven' without a specific reference attached.
- Discomfort when you ask what the approach cannot do.
Bring these questions to a consultation. They are the right ones to ask.
Request a consultation