Bio: John Putman M.A., MFCC has been a psychotherapist and biofeedback therapist in the Los Angeles area for the last several years. He is currently specializing in EEG training for children and adults suffering from a variety of conditions and disorders. For questions or additional information please call 818-754-4223.

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Disruptive and problematic behaviors can accompany many different disorders and conditions. Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Tourette's Syndrome, epilepsy and head injury are just a few examples. One of the commonly observed features of these disorders is excessive "slow wave" or theta wave activity in the brain and a relative lack of the higher frequency "focus waves", generally referred to as beta waves. Beta waves are associated with a state of attentiveness and focus where as theta waves are reflective of a state of "dream-like" inattentiveness. In between these two frequency bands is the alpha-SMR frequency range. Increased activity in this range is associated with being relaxed and alert at the same time. SMR stands for sensorimotor rhythm which is the band immediately above alpha on the frequency spectrum and is associated with a state of attentive immobility. In doing Electro-Encephalogram biofeedback (commonly known as EEG biofeedback) the usual goal is to reduce theta wave activity and increase one or more of the higher frequency bands such as SMR or beta. Large amounts of the low frequency theta waves are indicative of a state of underarousal which is hallmark of hyperactive children. This may seem a bit paradoxical when one considers the chaotic behavior of these children as being the result of underarousal. However, this is indeed the case as one can deduce from the fact that prescribed stimulants, such as ritilin, calm them down. The hyperactive behavior may be considered a reaction to a state of underarousal in much the same way mania can be considered a response to depression. Additionally, abusive environments can exacerbate existing conditions and, in some situations, play a primary causal role. It has been shown that when elevated levels of stress hormones are present in infants, such as can be produced in environments where there is a great deal of yelling and violence, the midbrain fails to develop normally leading to impairments in arousal, attentiveness and learning. This may be nature's way of creating a sanctuary for the child's delicate psyche when the threat from the outside world becomes too great. Thus the capacity to "not attend" may take on a survival skill role in much the same way dissociation and the development of multiple personalities enhance survival when the stress reaches severely traumatic proportions. Unfortunately, these impairments in arousal lead to difficulties later on.

Interestingly, ADD can manifest many of the same symptoms as head injuries. Some of the common symptoms are: hyperactivity, high distractibility, impulsivity, poor judgment, short attention span, memory impairment, stimuli boundedness and poor motivation. These two conditions also share similar EEG irregularities (-i.e. excessive slow wave activity). Of even greater interest is the fact that EEG training can improve these very symptoms whether the cause is ADD or head injury even though in the latter there is actual structural damage to the brain. The implication is that there is some fundamental form of disregulation within the brain resulting from either condition which manifests these common behavioral symptoms. Regardless of the cause, disordered behavior is highly correlated with a disorderly EEG pattern. In terms of the actual EEG, the signature of disorder is characterized by excessive slow wave production coupled with a lack of midrange activity.

One might get the impression that changing something as fundamental as brain regulation should be left to medical science. The fact is we alter our brain wave activity all the time without thinking about it. Any time we shift our attention from one task to another, interact with people, relax, yawn, become anxious, eat or experience any kind of a change in our consciousness, it is registered in the brain wave activity. EEG training merely brings the ordinarily unobservable aspects of brain function into the realm of observability for the purpose of learning to consciously control them. When actually doing EEG training, the child or adult simply sits in a chair and plays a video game. The primary difference between an arcade game and EEG training is that when training brain wave activity, one scores a point by consciously altering the various frequencies in the brain rather than manipulating a joy stick (-i.e. you don't use your hands). Electrodes are attached to the scalp with a harmless electrode paste and the person is given verbal instructions such as "get Pacman to move" (Pacman is one of the video games used in EEG biofeedback). We will often coach the child by instructing them to "remain wide awake and completely relaxed". In this state the brain wave activity moves toward the desired pattern of reduced theta activity and increased midrange activity whereby the trainee scores points on the game. Thus in continuing to play the game, the trainee gets progressively more familiar with this new state of consciousness, namely, that of being alert and completely relaxed at the same time. To many children and adults this is a totally new experience! For many people, the only time they are completely relaxed is during sleep.

The following is a summary of some of our work with 12 children in one of the residential treatment centers in Los Angeles. Working in out patient settings brings with it some very special complications. First of all, many of these kids came from very dysfunctional and chaotic homes characterized by physical and/or sexual abuse as well as severe neglect. The problem becomes compounded when several children with similar backrounds and dysfunctional behaviors are housed under one roof. What you end up with is a behavioral management "greenhouse effect" where each child is continually reacting to the collective agitation in the home. When we first began the project it seemed likely that any progress the child made would be quickly undercut by the adverse conditions within the facility. Thus it became imperative that we treat all of the children within the home. All assessments of behavior were based on reports from staff members, supervisors, the program director, the children's psychotherapist, parents, teachers and my own observations. In addition, the primary symptoms and problematic behaviors were, in every case, of long standing. Although my colleagues and I were convinced of the effectiveness of EEG biofeedback in treating many disorders, we were genuinely surprised to see how dramatically some of these very troubled children were helped by only a minimal amount of training. Of the 10 boys who completed the program, which took place over the course of a year, the 2 most disruptive boys showed a remarkable reduction in their aggressive and destructive behaviors. One of the boys became "Student of the Month" and graduated from the program. The other boy, who had a long history of violence and destructive behaviors, exhibited a "complete cessation" of these aggressive outbursts according to the program director. Here are some of the typical statements made about the 2 boys: "much calmer", "more able to concentrate", "more cooperative", "less hostile", " more able to calm themselves down" and " more manageable". One of the mothers even commented "What have you done with my son?". She was simply overjoyed at the improvement in his behavior. Among the boys whose primary symptom was depression, the changes ranged from a dramatic improvement in mood and energy level with decreases in oppositional behavior to only a marginal reduction of symptoms (2 of the boys showed dramatic improvement, 2 showed some improvement and 2 showed minimal improvement). Another boy, whose primary diagnosis was ADHD, showed a dramatic improvement in his academic performance, changing his grade average from a D to a B. Additionally, he showed a significant reduction in oppositional behavior. Still another boy, who at 17 was the oldest of the group, was treated for anxiety and showed some improvement in his ability to manage his own stress.

It may be somewhat difficult to assess all of the changes that took place within the group home through a mere observation of each individual. There appeared to be an overall shift towards tranquillity and control in the home itself. The boys, particularly the most disruptive individuals, seemed more able to calm themselves and less inclined to get swept up into cycles of escalating violence as was the case before the training. That is not to say that they were completely free of outbursts. However they occurred much less often and were markedly less intense. The staff seemed more able to maintain their cool as well. This was due to the fact that the scale of disorder within the house had been tipped toward manageability which meant that less energy had to be expended to maintain or restore order. Thus, despite the precarious circumstances and the minimal amount of training , we observed some truly exciting and remarkable changes in these children. From our experience in the field of EEG biofeedback it appears that the changes that take place in the individual as a result of the training tend to be permanent. After all, learning to consciously alter one's brainwave activity is a skill and a skill learned is not generally unlearned (-e.g. riding a bicycle or solving geometry problems). The resolution of multiple problems and symptoms through the use of this technique suggests that there is some fundamental form of regulation being restored to the brain. One of the most disruptive boys put it best when he described how he was able to de-escalate himself when upset. He stated that he simply imagines himself "sitting in the comfortable chair playing Pacman". The boys quite literally learn how to control themselves for they have been acquainted with a new state of consciousness and their brains retain the experience.