We are extremely excited to have a referral source for one of the most powerful tools available to improve brain function – neurofeedback, through the dynamic NeurOptimal® Advanced Brain Training System. The Brain Training Center of Arkansas is now open and helping central Arkansans and people throughout the world change their lives by optimizing brain functioning.
“For years every conference and workshop I have been to has been focusing on trauma and the best ways to treat it and other common brain dysfunction issues such as anxiety, depression, OCD, ADD, ADHD, addiction and all the rest, without throwing medications at people, and time and time again the subject of the power of neurofeedback to help people is discussed,” says Doctor Becky. “The last all-day meeting I went to was in October 2017 in New York, sponsored by the world-renown Meadows Behavioral Health Center, and neurofeedback was a bottom-line tool that was brought up again and again. After that I got a sense of urgency that this technology needed to be readily available in Little Rock.”
Enter Becky’s husband, John Cheairs, MD, who has attended neurofeedback training and has a keen interest in the new brain change science, which underlines how malfunctioning brains can be coaxed into healthy functioning through brain-training with neurofeedback systems. “People who have struggled for years with minor and major brain dysfunctions are completely changing their lives with this technology, “ says Dr. Cheairs. “And what is amazing is that it happens in a short time period in a pain-free and effortless way.”
Dr. Cheairs decided to create a place where central Arkansas families can have easy access to the
Becky and John are both certified as NeurOptimal brain-trainers.
amazing technology located in midtown Little Rock, at 415 N. McKinley, Suite 190-B. He researched the types of systems available and decided that the NeurOptimal® system fit the bill for what was easiest to implement and could benefit clients the most. It is a system that intuitively knows how to bring a person’s brain back into optimal functioning.
“It is mathematically designed to communicate directly with your central nervous system (CNS),” harmlessly and effortlessly in 20-minute sessions, to move your brain into optimal functioning,” say Clinical Psychologists Val and Sue Brown, co-founders of Zengar, the company that manufacturers the state-of-the-art brain training system.
The NeurOptimal® system cannot hurt you, and no matter what CNS dysfunctions you suffer with, it will definitely help you.
Here are some of the most common reasons people seek out NeuroOptimal brain-training:
- Wellness, academic, job, sports enhancement.
- Elimination or reduction of stress, anxiety, depression, ADD, ADHD, OCD, PTSD.
- Improvement of focus, attention, concentration, retention, reduction of test anxiety.
- Facilitate return of veterans into home and work life.
- Optimizing intelligence with improved brain function.
- As part of an anti-aging program.
- Enhancing creativity and awareness.
- Personal and spiritual development.
- Enriching partner, family and work relationships
How does it work?
Think of your brain as radio, with several frequencies, like different radio stations. Often, our brains are 
operating on a frequency that is not optimal for us and that inhibits healthy function. This can happen for a variety of reasons, such as inconsistency or abrupt changes in electrical activity in the brain, which undermines optimal functioning. This is why so many families of military veterans say their loved one came back from the war zone, “A different person.” For many of us, the dysfunctions occur in a more subtle way, but what the NeurOptimal® system does is take advantage of the brains inherent ability to self-correct when given the right information. It is designed to provide the brain with the information it needs to make its own adjustments.
During a session, you will be listening to relaxing music through headphones, which is a crucial part of the process. You will be connected to the system that will then read your brain wave patterns and detect the abrupt changes in the brain frequencies. Once detected, it informs the brain of these sudden shifts through interruptions in the sound you are listening to. These almost imperceptible pauses invite your central nervous system to pull away from this less-than-ideal path it was on. This happens over and over until the natural self-correction becomes your new normal and your brain functions more efficiently, effectively and comfortably. When this happens, you sleep better, are less stressed, can focus more easily and feel the joy of an easier life, despite the challenges you may face from the outside.
What’s Involved and How Many Sessions Will I need?
Because everyone’s central nervous system is different, it is not possible to predict exactly how your brain will respond to the NeurOptimal® system or how quickly, but because the Zengar company has over three million hours of experience with the technology, they offer predictions. The good thing is you will know pretty quickly when it is helping you, and your technician will have progress tracking tools to help you document your training. Just as in learning to read, it is a process, and everyone learns and responds differently.
The amount of sessions you’ll need will depend partly upon your goals. If you are training to feel better quickly, you might decide after 10-12 sessions that you have made enough gains and stop. On the other hand, if you are looking for lasting changes, 20-30 sessions is a better estimate. The good thing is you can stop at any time and always pick it up again later if you so choose. Any training you have done in the past will always serve you well should you do more sessions in the future — no session is ever wasted.
After a period of initial training, many choose to do monthly sessions to give their brain a regular opportunity to defragment – just like your computer! Or, like many, you may choose to do a session when you feel it’s needed. But in the end, it is always up to you, because it is YOUR brain that is doing the training, and it knows what it needs.
The NeurOptimal® web site has a survey that you can explore, which will show you how many sessions it takes to get what percentage of improvement, for a wide variety of complaints people present with, and see statistically the amount of improvement you can expect over time, helping you to make an informed decision about number of sessions.
What happens in a session?
Before you begin you will be asked to fill out a few quick forms that we will use to help you
This is a typical example of someone during a NeuroOptimal session, though it is not the Brain Change Center.
measure your progress. You will sit in a comfortable chair and simply relax. Two tiny sensors are applied to your scalp and ear clips to your ears that our connected to a laptop computer that contains the NeurOptimal® technology. These sensors do not “do” anything to you. All they do is read your brain wave signals and allow the NeurOptimal® to read the delicate electrical activity of your brain, much like an EKG reads your heart, while you listen to music. You don’t have to do anything while this occurs. In fact, you may rest, play with your phone, read or play a game, it doesn’t matter. You will notice very brief pauses or static in the music, which indicate that NeurOptimal® is at work, invisibly guiding you through a complex mathematical dance during which the challenge to your brain is varied.
Despite the complexity that goes on during your short session, no effort is required from you during sessions, at all! Simply relax and enjoy the 33.5-minute session while your brain re-organizes itself.
How long will the positive effects last?
NeurOptimal® is a learning task, like learning to ride a bike or learning how to read: Once you know, you can’t not know, so the effects will remain. But your brain is also living tissue, and it can get knocked off by challenges, hormonal changes, pollutants in the environment and the stresses of our everyday lives. When this happens, a session or two can help you get back on track.
Even if you come back many years later, the brain will recognize the NeurOptimal® process and is reminded of the earlier shifts. It can find its way back relatively rapidly -– much more quickly than the first time you did the training. So, if you did a fairly complete initial training (say 20-30 sessions), and then have a major challenge like an illness, the loss of a job or a relationship, or even a head injury, your brain can quickly and efficiently use the information it receives from NeurOptimal® to reorganize itself and find its way back. Once you have completed your training, you will always have NeurOptimal® as a resource for your brain health.
How do I do neurofeedback in my home, anywhere in the world?
Because this technology is so user friendly, the Brain Change Center rents devices that can be shipped anywhere via FedEx. If you need a lot of sessions in a short period of time, or want to train your entire family and all of your friends, the 30-day rental is the most cost-effective way to do it. The Brain Change Center will send you everything you need to have a brain-training month, right in your home! Cost: $1000.
Is neurofeedback covered by insurance?
Unfortunately, no. Though we strongly feel it should be, as it helps people in so many ways. Since it is considered training and not a treatment, it is not covered by insurance.
How much does it cost?
One session is $100, and people most often buy discounted packages of several sessions at a time.
For more information we invite you to visit the NeurOptimal® web site, or to seek out independent feedback by researching it on your own. To schedule an appointment with the Brain Change Center click here or call 501-503-9948 or email contact@brainchangecenter.com.
Becky Whetstone is an Arkansas native and has a Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas. She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in Texas and Arkansas. 
