Migraine Program at the Center for Brain Training
If medical intervention hasn’t helped your migraine headaches or you’d like to discontinue or avoid using medication, neurofeedback could be your answer. Neurofeedback training is very helpful for reducing both the frequency and the intensity of migraines. By balancing the brain so it operates better, headaches go away, occur less frequently or are less intense.
Study on migraines: Significant reduction in migraines using neurofeedback
In the migraine study referenced below, 62% of participants using neurofeedback reported major or total improvement in their migraines.
Per the study, most patients had long histories of migraines and had tried multiple pharmaceutical treatments prior to trying neurofeedback. Most were on medications during the study. Participants took part in an average of 40 sessions over six months. Seventy percent of the 37 participants showed a 50% or greater reduction in the frequency of their migraines, and only 16% failed to improve. Of those who improved, 62% reported major or total improvement in their migraines. What’s significant here is that all patients in the study had been on medications for years but still suffered from severe migraines. The migraines these patients experienced were some of the toughest to resolve.
Other symptoms also improved
In addition to migraine improvement, many of these patients also experienced improvements in over 50% of non-targeted symptoms such as anxiety, depression, focus and sleep. Based on these results – and on clinical experience from clinicians around the country – neurofeedback offers the potential for significant relief for anyone still struggling with migraines. >
(Source: “Neurofeedback and Biofeedback with 37 Migraineurs: a clinical outcome study” by Deborah Stokes, Ph.D. and Martha Lappin published in the journal Behavioral and Brain Function.) Access the study here.
Case Examples
Migraine-free after 30 years – and living life without worry
For 30 years Helen Kaufman lived in fear of migraine headaches and their potential to strike at any time…but not anymore. Ask Helen how often she worries about getting a migraine headache and she’ll tell you: hardly ever. After undergoing neurofeedback training at the Center for Brain Training, she’s nearly migraine-free.
Alex: 25 years of migraines
25 Years of Migraines
Alex, a 50-year-old man, struggled for 25 years with migraines and OCD. The migraines were often crippling and contributed to a feeling of constantly being tired and very unproductive.
He was unconvinced that neurofeedback could help him because the results were not instant. After doing neurofeedback for several sessions, he became resistant and wanted to quit. He didn’t see how neurofeedback could possibly help. His mother (in her 80’s) continued to encourage him to come. With her help and our support, he kept on. After the 8th session, he noticed some slight improvement in his migraines and improved sleep. By session 15, he was seeing consistent improvements in reducing the number and intensity of migraines. Then he came on his own.
Jeff: 30 years of migraines
A retired chiropractor “Jeff” (a friend of Michael Cohen, the director) had suffered from migraines for 30 years. One evening he got a severe migraine and called Mike at 10:30 p.m. in excruciating pain. He said he could not believe it was possible to stop a migraine like that in such a short time – and for it simply to be virtually gone.
Training a migraine away while it’s occurring is a bonus, but it’s not the long-term goal
Getting rid of a migraine in progress is the short-term goal of neurofeedback. The long-term goal is to reduce the number and intensity of the migraines.
A client’s experience with neurofeedback (audio interview with Mike Cohen)
In addition to using neurofeedback, we help patients identify factors that may be contributing to the development of migraines and other headaches, such as diet and lifestyle. We find that this combination approach can be highly effective.
Neurofeedback & Migraines
This ABC News story features how neurofeedback training is helping migraine sufferers reduce, and even eliminate, their migraines. Improvement rates cited in this video are reported to be 85%–90%.
Click this link to read an informative article from Laser Eye Surgery Hub in the United Kingdom. It covers the types of migraines, typical migraine symptoms, triggers, remedies other than neurofeedback, and ways to prevent migraine headaches.