The standard is trauma-focused psychotherapy: trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy or EMDR. These carry the most evidence and remain the first choice; medication, usually an antidepressant, is added when it is needed or when psychotherapy is not available.
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Clinical protocol
PTSD and trauma
When the body reacts to something that ended long ago.
In trauma the brain keeps the memory as if the danger were still present: the amygdala fires too fast, the frontal regions that should temper it arrive too slowly, and the body starts before you can think. In some people it goes the other way, and the reaction fades into numbness and detachment. Either way it is the regulation between those regions, not willpower, which is why telling yourself it is over does not help. That regulation is what brain training works on.
Does this sound like you?
- Strong reactions to sounds, smells or situations that remind you of what happened
- Flashbacks, images that come back unbidden, nightmares
- A permanent state of alert, you startle easily, you look for a seat with your back to the wall
- Numbness, detachment, the sense of watching from a distance
- You avoid places and people so the reaction does not start
Brain training comes alongside them, not in their place. Therapy works with memory and meaning; training works with physiological reactivity, with how easily the alarm response fires. Some people say that when the response fires less readily, therapy becomes easier to carry. That is not a reason to postpone trauma-focused therapy, though: the two run in parallel.
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 training | Medication | Psychotherapy | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Addresses the real cause | Yes | Symptoms only | Partly |
| Side effects | No | Yes | - |
| Risk of relapse | Low | High | Variable |
| Personalisation | Complete | Limited | Standard |
| Time to results | After a few sessions | 2-6 weeks | Variable |
What brain training does in trauma
- Trains the threshold at which the alarm response fires
- Works on the regulation between the frontal regions and those that detect danger
- A gentle pace and the option to stop at any moment: control stays with you, and here that matters more than anywhere
- Coordinated with the psychotherapist working on the trauma
The benefits you will notice quickly
- Weaker reactions to sounds, smells and situations that bring it back
- Sleep with fewer nightmares and fewer awakenings
- A state of alert that comes down instead of staying permanent
- More space between what happens and how you react
- Trauma-focused therapy becomes easier to carry
What this rests on
In 2016 van der Kolk and colleagues published a randomised study of 52 people with chronic PTSD who had not responded to therapy: after 24 neurofeedback sessions, symptoms fell compared with the control group.
A meta-analysis gathered 17 randomised studies with 628 participants, with favourable results. Its authors caution that most of the studies were not blinded and that the method remains an addition to psychotherapy, not a replacement.
The institute has published a guide dedicated to trauma and PTSD, covering what is known so far and how the work is done.
How it goes
From the brain scan to personalised brain training.
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 alarm reactions.
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.
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 alarm reactions ease.
Common questions
Do I have to talk about what happened?
Brain training does not require you to relive or recount the event: it works on the physiological reaction, not on the content of the memory. The specialist does need a few basic facts in order to work safely, but you decide how much you say and when.
What if I am already in trauma therapy?
That is the best situation, and there is no need to stop it. The training runs in parallel, and the specialists can coordinate. There are not yet studies measuring the two together, so the therapy remains the main part.
Could it make things worse?
Anything that touches trauma can set off a reaction. That is why the pace is slow, why it stops on request, and why we agree in advance what happens if one appears.
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 sessionYou choose the therapist and the time. If it no longer suits you, you can cancel.
The other protocols
AnxietyThe mind keeps looking for danger even when there is none.DepressionNot sadness, but a lack of fuel.InsomniaWhen the brain forgets how to cross into night.ADHDNot a lack of will, but a brain rhythm that cannot keep up.AutismNot something to fix, but a day that is easier to carry.BurnoutWhen the alarm system stays on so long that it stops working.