ILF Neurofeedback Mechanisms and Neurophysiology

Othmer, S., and Othmer, S.F. (2024) Endogenous Neuromodulation at Infra-Low Frequency: Method and Theory, DOI: 10.20944/preprints202310.1085.v2
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/374784708_Endogenous_Neuromodulation_at_Infra-Low_Frequency_Method_and_Theory

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For many early neurofeedback professionals, the impetus to enter this field came through a compelling personal experience either with their personal training, that of a family member, or that of a client. And thus it was with us as well. In fact, our first encounter with neurofeedback through our son Brian remains a standout success even in the context of the subsequent third of a century of often ground-breaking clinical experience.

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FOREWORD, by Siegfried Othmer

Our nation is experiencing a health crisis so pervasive that it is showing up in a decline of life expectancy. We now know this health predicament is rooted in a growing mental health crisis, which can hardly be captured better than by focusing on such an increasingly widespread affliction for which the prevailing remedies are largely unavailing: anxiety. Anxiety is an infirmity that has not been grasped and understood in its full essence. As we chip away at aspects of anxiety, its medical and psychological manifestations, respectively, the need for mind-body integration could hardly be more obvious. The concept had to be explicitly introduced into our discourse because it wasn’t naturally at home within the treating professions.

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Dear Neurofeedback Clinicians,

We are delighted to share some exciting updates with you regarding our course schedule for 2023-2024! As you may know, we have resumed our in-person courses and are delighted to be able to connect face-to-face once again. Being back in the classroom has been truly invigorating for both our staff and participants alike. We understand the value of personal interaction and believe it plays a vital role in fostering a rich learning experience.

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We have been successful with quick recovery from suicidal episodes for as long as we have had a chance to work with such cases. This goes back to our early days with EEG band training, the 1990’s, and has continued on a better footing with our excursion into Infra-Low Frequency (ILF) Neurofeedback.* Single-session recoveries came to be expected. Other practitioners in our network reported similar results. Lasting relief from suicidality calls for more sessions. With extended histories of suicidality, recovery is going to involve longer-term training and complementary protocols.

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The Deep Roots of Endogenous Neuromodulation

The method of Endogenous Neuromodulation has come to dominate our work in neurofeedback. It is characterized by the absence of any discrete reinforcers, the distinguishing feature of the operant conditioning model. We still rely on a complementary inhibit scheme, but the discrete markers here are mere cues to the brain as to its state of dysregulation. They do not offer a prescription for change. The response is left to the discretion of the brain. In endogenous neuromodulation, this principle is extended more broadly: the response to the brain-derived signal is left entirely to the discretion of the brain itself.

As we regard our 38-year development trajectory in this field retrospectively, it is apparent that the element of endogenous neuromodulation was always present, even as we were still formally engaged with the operant conditioning model. First and foremost, there was the incorporation of EEG dynamics at the training frequency prominently in the feedback signal. In connection with his work on sensory substitution, Paul Bach-y-Rita was prompted to say: “If you give the brain any information about itself, it will make sense out of it.” If the brain is given information on its own dynamics, it will take advantage, and we refer to this aspect appropriately as endogenous neuromodulation. Here’s the early history:

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