Your Brain Can Change: How Neurofeedback Helps Rewire After Trauma or Injury
When you experience trauma, it can change the relationship with your own mind and body. The effects often live on in the nervous system long after the threat has passed—showing up as anxiety, hypervigiliance, insomnia, emotional dysregulation, or depression. For many trauma survivors, talk therapy alone isn’t enough. That’s where Neurofeedback can come in.
Neurofeedback is a safe, non-invasive treatment that helps your brain learn how to regulate itself. It uses EEG technology to monitor your brainwave activity and provide real-time feedback, helping your nervous system learn what calm, balanced state feels like—and how to return to it.
Neurofeedback (also called EEG biofeedback), works by placing small sensors on the scalp to read the brain’s electrical activity (your brainwaves). These brainwaves are how neurons communicate with each other—and trauma can seriously disrupt that communication.
During a Neurofeedback session, you typically watch a movie, show, concert, or video game—something you enjoy. But here’s the twist: the screen only plays clearly when your brain is in a regulated, balanced state. When your brain shifts into dysregulation, the screen may go blurry, dim, or pause briefly. This is your brain’s feedback— helping it learn in real time how to return to regulation.
You’re not consciously doing anything to “make it happen”— your brain is learning through experience. Over time, this feedback loop helps your nervous system build new, healthier patterns.
You don’t have to talk about your trauma or process anything verbally during sessions. A trained neurofeedback practitioner sits at a nearby computer, monitoring your brainwave activity and adjusting the settings as needed to support your brain’s learning process.
When someone has experienced trauma, the brain often gets stuck in survival mode—constantly scanning for danger, staying hyper-alert, or shutting down. Neurofeedback supports neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to rewire and change.
Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, author of The Body Keeps the Score, has spoken about the powerful impact neurofeedback can have for folks with trauma, PTSD, or traumatic brain injuries. It allows the brain to reset its internal alarm system, helping you feel more grounded, safe, and in control of your emotional world.
Many people find that neurofeedback helps with:
Reducing anxiety and panic
Improving emotional regulation
Enhancing focus and concentration
Releasing chronic patterns of fight/flight/freeze
Supporting deeper trauma work in therapy
While Neurofeedback is especially effective for trauma and PTSD, it’s also shown to help with:
ADHD
Anxiety and depression
Sleep disorders and insomnia
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
OCD
Migraines and chronic pain
Epilepsy
Cognitive decline and memory issues
It’s often a great option for people who haven’t fully responded to traditional therapy or medication.
The brain is incredibly adaptive. Even after trauma, it is possible to retrain your brain to feel safe again. Neurofeedback doesn’t just mask symptoms—it helps address the root by supporting your brain in learning new patterns and restoring balance.
