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Clinical protocol

Depression

Not sadness, but a lack of fuel.

Depression is not only a matter of mood. In some people the qEEG assessment also shows an imbalance between the frontal hemispheres and a slower rhythm in the regions that support initiative and motivation. That is why “pull yourself together” does not help: it is not a matter of will but of regions that no longer start. Brain training works on that layer, alongside therapy and prescribed treatment.

Does this sound like you?

  • What used to give you joy no longer does, and you cannot say when that changed
  • Tiredness that sleep does not fix
  • Starting simple things is hard, not just the big ones
  • You wake early and cannot fall back asleep, or you sleep a lot and the tiredness stays the same
  • Thoughts about yourself harsher than you would have about anyone else
What is usually done

The standard is psychotherapy, most often cognitive behavioural, together with antidepressant medication where severity calls for it. It is a combination with solid evidence behind it.

What we do differently

Brain training does not compete with them; it works on a different level: the electrical activity in the regions that support initiative and emotional regulation. For someone who has done therapy or taken medication and feels things have stalled, it can be an additional route, not a replacement.

How does it compare with brain training?

Have you already had therapy or medication, and the symptoms persist? Brain training acts directly on the imbalances in the brain. Beyond reducing the effects, this method trains the brain's own mechanisms for a real change.

Brain trainingMedicationPsychotherapy
Addresses the real causeYesSymptoms onlyPartly
Side effectsNoYes-
Risk of relapseLowHighVariable
PersonalisationCompleteLimitedStandard
Time to resultsAfter a few sessions2-6 weeksVariable

What brain training does in depression

  • Where the map shows it, trains frontal alpha asymmetry, a pattern widely studied in depression
  • Targets the networks that support initiative and emotional regulation, not only the mood of the moment
  • Photobiomodulation or auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) can be added where the brain map calls for it; these are complementary methods, still under research
  • Measurements are taken at every stage, so it is visible whether it is working or the protocol needs changing

How brain training acts in depression

  • Normalises brain activity in the affected regions
  • Reduces persistent depressive symptoms
  • Increases resilience and the capacity for emotional response
  • Supports reconnection with a sense of well-being
  • Involves no adverse effects and nothing invasive

What this rests on

Reviews of the literature

Neurofeedback has been studied for over six decades. In depression specifically, recent reviews report encouraging results, but across few trials and of uneven methodological quality.

The qEEG assessment

The electrical patterns can be measured before and after, and symptoms are tracked with clinical scales, so progress can be compared, not just felt.

Discover the BrainMap Protocol for Depression

How it goes

From the brain scan to personalised brain training.

  1. We identify the exact cause

    It all starts with an advanced BrainMap (qEEG) assessment, completely non-invasive and painless. This investigation creates a detailed map of your brain activity and shows us which imbalances sustain the depressive states.

  2. You receive a personalised plan

    Based on the results, we build a Brain Training treatment protocol adapted 100% to your own brain pattern. The therapy is non-invasive, with no electrical stimuli, no pain and no side effects.

  3. The brain regulation sessions begin

    You take part in guided brain training sessions in which your nervous system is retrained to work in balance. As brain activity settles, the depressive states ease.

Common questions

Does it replace antidepressants?

No, brain training does not replace medication; it runs alongside it. What matters is that you do not stop or reduce your treatment on your own: stopping an antidepressant abruptly carries risks, and any adjustment is decided by the doctor who prescribed it.

What if I already have a psychotherapist?

That is fine, and in fact preferable. The two work on different things and do not get in each other's way.

How long is a programme?

Usually between 20 and 40 sessions, 2 or 3 times a week. The number is adjusted to how you respond and to severity, and the specialist can revise it along the way.

Talk to a specialist

A 1:1 session, at a time you pick from a therapist's calendar. It happens right here in the platform, nothing to install, no link to hunt for.

Book a session

You choose the therapist and the time. If it no longer suits you, you can cancel.

The other protocols

Protocoale clinice · Institutul BrainMap