“Neurofeedback adds a clinical edge to traditional talk therapies and is rapidly becoming a state-of-the-art solution for mental health issues,” writes John N. Demos, a neurofeedback expert and clinical mental health counselor, in Getting Started with EEG Neurofeedback (Second Edition) – a classic book for any licensed professionals looking to add neurofeedback to their practice. 

“Modern computers and neurofeedback equipment have made it possible to view cerebral activity (electroencephalograph, EEG) and see how clinical symptoms are reflected in that activity,” Demos continues. 

“Because problematic activity can be targeted in specific brain areas, training the EEG (brain training) often results in symptom reduction – usually with no negative side effects.”

But how does EEG neurofeedback work? What mental health struggles can it help alleviate? And what type of training do you need in order to implement neurofeedback as part of your practice?

This is a quick and concise overview of the main points we have taken away from Demos’s book. For a more thorough and detailed introduction to the matter, don’t hesitate to pick up the book yourself – from brain maps to advanced training and protocol generation, the book can guide you through the process step-by-step.

1) How neurofeedback works: basics

2) What equipment you traditionally need

3) Assessing filtered EEG

4) Matching EEG data to brain regions

5) Introduction to training protocols: Z-Score training and sLORETA

6) When neurofeedback is the therapy of choice

7) What type of training you need

8) How neurofeedback evolved in 2025

How neurofeedback works: basics

As Demos explains, EEG neurofeedback relies on the rise and fall of brainwaves, electrical impulses in the brain, which fluctuate outside of conscious awareness. With neurofeedback training, desired brainwave patterns can be reinforced or inhibited in real-time, leading to positive changes in the brain’s electrical activity, which in turn impacts the person’s mental state.

According to the book, for example, excessive High Beta waves are commonly found in people who suffer from anxiety or are diagnosed with ADHD, OCD, and many other disorders. By inhibiting these High Beta waves (reducing overactivity) via neurofeedback, it is possible to reduce symptoms and improve the person’s mental wellbeing.

Here’s how Demos explains neurofeedback in practice: 

• The practitioner places an EEG cap on the client’s scalp using conductive gel or paste. The cap contains sensors according to the international 10-20 system (explained below).

• The practitioner records the client’s natural brainwave activity. Using qEEG (quantitative EEG), this activity is converted into brain maps that identify overactive or underactive brain areas. This can be done via Z-score training or sLORETA (more on that later). 

• The practitioner analyzes which brainwaves at which parts of the brain need to be rewarded or inhibited, depending on their reading of the data.

• As part of neurofeedback training, the client listens to feedback tones or watches a form of media. When the targeted brainwaves reach a desired state, positive feedback is received. The opposite is the case, too – negative feedback is sent to the brain when brainwaves move in an undesired direction (for example, no tone is played). 

• The practitioner adjusts the training based on the client’s progress over weeks and months. Neurofeedback training is conducted on a long-term basis. 

What equipment you traditionally need

Before we get into bandwidths and training protocols, let’s look at the type of equipment Demos says clinicians need in order to perform neurofeedback training.

• EEG cap or electrodes: For beginners, a placement cap with the Int’l 10-20 positions is recommended.

• Amplifier: This tool helps process signals from the electrodes. A single-channel EEG amplifier has three outlet holes: one ground and two actives.

• Impedance meter: Used to check the quality of scalp-mounted electrode connections. Many qEEG amplifiers come with a built-in impedance meter, but you can also purchase a stand-alone unit.

• Electroconductive gels: You need a blunt syringe to inject the gel into each electrode hole. Some EEG caps use saline solutions instead of gels. There are also dry electrode caps available, but Demos says these can be costly.

• Brain-mapping databases.

• Feedback equipment: From games to graphs, animations, or auditory cues, such as feedback tones, ‌feedback equipment is used to guide the client’s brainwaves in the desired direction.

• Office equipment: A non-rocking recliner chair without a built-in headrest, access to hot water in order to clean and dry out your qEEG caps and electrodes, good internet connection, and a quiet environment without excessive electromagnetic field or radio frequency interference are on the list.

Equipment in 2025: The headband delivers high-quality EEG sensing with less pesky wires and a built-in impedance meter. →

Assessing filtered EEG

Neurofeedback training is accomplished using filtered EEG. This means that the EEG signals have been processed to remove any unwanted interference, such as noise or muscle movements. 

Demos explains that the EEG is then defined using frequency ranges such as Alpha (8-12 Hz) or Theta (4-8 Hz). Each filtered frequency has an amplitude (intensity) that’s measured in microvolts. 

As per the book, frequency and amplitude are two basic metrics that you need to be able to read:

• Frequency = speed, rhythm, hertz (Hz), or cycles per second (CPS)

• Amplitude = weight, force, the height of the wave, or microvolts (µVs)

As for the common bandwidths and what they mean, here’s a quick overview:

• Delta: 0.5-4 Hz. Healthy delta waves signal sleep or abstract mental processing. Abnormal delta waves could point to a brain injury or sleep deprivation.

• Theta: 4-8 Hz. Healthy theta waves represent a creative state of mind. Abnormal theta, however, can signal depression, ADHD, or poor judgment.

• Alpha: 8-12 Hz. Alpha 1 (8-10 Hz) typically signals relaxation and calmness, while Alpha 2 (10-12 Hz) represents alertness and fast processing. Unhealthy alpha, though, can manifest as mental fog, slow processing, anxiety, or insomnia.

• SMR: 12-15 Hz. Under normal circumstances, this shows up as external reflection and motor control. When abnormal, it could point to a sleep disorder, tactile sensitivity, or hyperactivity.

• Beta: 13.5-20 Hz. Regular beta signals alertness and focus. An irregular beta can signal anxiety, insomnia, OCD, migraines, or perfectionism.

• High Beta: 20.5-28 Hz. This represents hyperfocus and peak performance. However, an abnormal HiBeta can also be connected to anxiety, insomnia, OCD, migraines, and worry.

• Gamma: 32-100 Hz. This is higher mental processing peak performance. Poor abstract thinking and memory consolidation are linked to abnormal gamma activity.

Matching EEG data to brain regions

Of course, neurofeedback isn’t as easy as just interpreting brainwaves – the brain is an incredibly complex system, after all, and a great deal of knowledge and expertise goes into making the correct assessments. 

In his book, Demos goes into detail when it comes to vital brain regions, the nervous system, and brain networks. For the purposes of this article, let’s look at how specific brain lobes correspond to the electrode positions according to the 10-20 system.

Parietal lobes:

• P3, P4, Pz

• Functions in LH (left hemisphere): Problem-solving, complex grammar, math, concept association, attention

• Functions in RH (right hemisphere): Geometry, spatial awareness, emotion

• Symptoms: Poor spatial awareness, poor abstract comprehension, learning disorders, anxiety, depression

Cingulate gyrus (subcortical):

• Fpz, Fz, Cz, Pz

• Functions: Mental flexibility, attention, impulse control, cooperation

• Symptoms: Obsessions, OCD, worry, perfectionism, anxiety, depression, migraines

Sensorimotor cortex:

• C3, C4, Cz

• Functions: Fine motor skills, manual dexterity, tactile sensitivity, handwriting, calmness

• Symptoms: Poor handwriting, seizure, paralysis and stroke, ADHD, anxiety (RH), depression (LH)

Frontal and prefrontal lobes:

• Fp1, Fp2, Fpz, Fz, F3, F4, F7, F8

• Functions: Motivation, memory encoding, executive planning, sustained attention, judgment

• Symptoms: Poor executive planning, poor motivation, personality disorders, OCD, migraines, ADHD, depression, anxiety

Temporal lobes:

• T3, T4, T5, T6

• Functions: Facial recognition, object recognition, music, language, emotional stability

• Symptoms: Poor emotional control, learning disorders, poor memory, closed head injury

Occipital lobes:

• O1, O2, Oz

• Functions: Visual learning, working memory, attention, color processing, eye contact

• Symptoms: Learning disorders relating to visual processing

Broca’s area:

• F7, F3, T3

• Functions: Verbal expression

• Symptoms: Poor verbalization, poor word recall, poor comprehension

Wernicke’s area:

• Parietotemporal junction

• Functions: Verbal understanding

• Symptoms: Dyslexia, poor spelling, poor writing, poor verbal comprehension

Insular cortex:

• C3, F3, C4, F4

• Symptoms: depression (LH), anxiety, pain, PTSD (RH)

Furthermore, remember that odd-numbered sites are in the left hemisphere and even-numbered sites are in the right hemisphere. Each hemisphere is responsible for different functions, and asymmetry between hemispheres can clue you in on more detailed information about the client’s brain health.

The image above shows electrode positions according to the 10-20 system.

Example from Getting Started With EEG Neurofeedback:

• Excessive High Beta waves are recorded at Fz, Cz, and Pz. These sites are located in the cingulate gyrus, which can be associated with obsessions, worry, and anxiety. Demos recommends that, among other measures explained in the book, High Beta waves at Fz, Cz, and Pz are inhibited (reduced in intensity) using neurofeedback training.

Introduction to training protocols: Z-score training and sLORETA

To assess brain activity and guide neurofeedback training, you need to employ a training protocol. Z-score neurofeedback is quite common, and Demos goes into a lot of depth with regards to this protocol in his book. sLORETA is more advanced – it helps clinicians read deeper regions of the brain, providing a more comprehensive analysis.

Z-score training compares the client’s brain to a normative database using Z-scores. As Demos says, clinical symptoms are reflected by statistically significant results that are (+/–) 2.0 Z-scores. High and low Z-scores indicate that the client’s brain deviates from the norm, and depending on which Int’l 10-20 area it is and which brainwaves we focus on, we can determine the issue (such as anxiety).

For example, High Theta at F3, Fz, and Cz can be linked to ADHD, while High Theta at T3 can be associated with poor memory. A comprehensive knowledge of brain regions, brainwave patterns, and brain-mapping databases is needed to make correct readings, and Demos’s book serves as a good guide if you’re just getting started.

sLORETA training goes a step further – using an analysis of deeper brain regions and mathematical algorithms, it produces 3D maps that allow the clinician to see beyond the brain lobes and even understand how well-connected the client’s brain networks are. This, in turn, helps you provide a more comprehensive reading. 

For example, the amygdala (the brain’s emotional center) is connected to the prefrontal cortex, which helps regulate our emotional reactions. If the client’s amygdala is overactive as a result of trauma or anxiety, the prefrontal cortex may not regulate it effectively. Neurofeedback training in the right prefrontal cortex, therefore, might reduce a sense of fear and increase calmness.

When neurofeedback is the therapy of choice

As seen above, neurofeedback training may help reduce symptoms in a variety of mental health disorders, including anxiety, depression, OCD, ADHD, and learning disorders. 

However, Demos stresses that “before acquiring qEEG data, it is necessary to find out how the client’s lifestyle or habits may be contributing to symptoms or how family dynamics may be reinforcing a behavior problem at school.” He also says that behavior therapy is not to be discarded – in fact, the best time to start EEG neurofeedback is apparently “after the behavior therapy program has been completed.”

His advice is to always look at problems in context and to consider other therapies alongside neurofeedback, such as breath work for people suffering from anxiety or exercises from the book Brain Lock (Schwartz & Beyette) for OCD clients with compulsions.

What type of training you need

“It is unethical to buy equipment and set up shop without the proper credentials and training,” Demos writes. “Most independent EEG professionals already possess credentials in the health care system.”

He encourages all health care professionals who wish to add neurofeedback training as part of their practice to become certified by the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance (BCIA).

Demos recommends that you:

• Read as many books on neurofeedback as you can, including the authors Collura, Soutar and Longo, Swingle, Sterman and Thompson, and more

• Join ISNR and read their journals

• Attend a four or five-day comprehensive workshop authorized to teach the official BCIA blueprint

• Find a mentor and receive at least 25 hours of mentoring

• Keep practicing

How neurofeedback evolved in 2025

Since Demo's book got out, neurofeedback has taken giant leaps forward and redefined what's possible for brain training. Today, clients can train at home while playing games or streaming shows on their phone while the clinician monitors the process remotely or in-clinic.

Here's how it works:

1) Access Myndlift's clinician dashboard to manage clients and customize protocols.

2) Use qEEG brain mapping, CPT, and symptom tracking to establish your client's baseline.

3) Customize the protocol based on your client's needs and goals.

4) Clients get an EEG headband, electrode, paste, and access to the app.

5) Clients complete sessions at home or in-clinic while watching videos, streaming shows, or playing games.

6) You can monitor the process by tracking data, adjusting protocols, and measuring improvements through the dashboard.

7) Get support from Myndlift's clinical team and connect with fellow clinicians for advice and guidance whenever needed.

Conclusion

From how neurofeedback works to a detailed overview of the brain and how to navigate brain-mapping databases using training protocols, Getting Started with EEG Neurofeedback (Second Edition) by John N. Demos is a comprehensive beginner’s guide for practitioners seeking an introduction to the topic.

Do keep in mind that while neurofeedback can be an effective tool to include in your practice, it requires in-depth neuroscientific knowledge, the ability to operate EEG equipment, and hours of practice to master the skill. 

As Demos writes, “Adding neurofeedback to your practice requires a commitment to continue learning – through conferences, additional training workshops, webinars online, and reading. The rewards to you, the clinician, will quickly become apparent.”

“Neurofeedback can be used to expedite change and to create transformations that are unlikely to occur through traditional talk therapies,” he continues. “Health care professionals who have added neurofeedback to their practices have usually found that it quickly became an indispensable part of their therapeutic toolbox.”

Myndlift offers data-driven care and better client outcomes through neurofeedback. Schedule a demo today and join 1,000+ clinicians already seeing the difference.