Neurofeedback is a type of biofeedback. It measures brain waves and produces audio and visual feedback that can be used to teach self-regulation of brain function.

Research shows neurofeedback may be a potentially useful intervention for a range of brain-related conditions. It has been used for pain, addiction, aggression, anxiety, autism, depression, schizophrenia, epilepsy, headaches, insomnia, Tourette syndrome, and brain damage from stroke and brain trauma.

For example, a person with ADHD may be producing too many slow theta brain waves (associated with relaxation) and not enough fast beta wave activity (associated with mental focus). Neurofeedback therapies for ADHD generally attempt to increase the production of beta frequencies and decrease the number of slower brain waves.

Beta training, involving the role of sensorimotor rhythmic EEG activity, has been used in the treatment of epilepsy and attention deficit disorder and hyperactive disorder (ADHD). The sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) is rhythmic activity between 12 and 16 hertz that can be recorded from an area near the sensorimotor cortex. SMR is found in waking states and is very similar if not identical to the sleep spindles that are recorded in the second stage of sleep.

Another neurofeedback protocol, which is known as alpha-theta training, has also been used effectively to access and therapeutically process deep states of brain activity in order to alleviate anxiety disorder such as posttraumatic stress, as well as alcoholism and other addictions. Alpha-theta training derives from the psychotherapeutic model and involves accessing repressed memories through the alpha-theta state. Unlike Exposure Therapy, which also accesses repressed memories to facilitate the process of neutralizing emotional trauma—but is a very difficult and painful process in itself—the alpha-theta process is a pleasant and deeply relaxing process.

Interestingly, there have been applications of neurofeedback to enhance performance in fields such as music, dance, and acting. A study with conservatoire musicians found that alpha-theta training benefitted the three music domains of musicality, communication, and technique. Alpha-theta training has also been shown to improve novice singing in children. Alpha-theta neurofeedback, in conjunction with heart rate variability training, a form of biofeedback, has also produced benefits in dance by enhancing performance in competitive ballroom dancing and increasing cognitive creativity in contemporary dancers. Additionally, neurofeedback has also been shown to instill a superior flow state in actors, possibly due to greater immersion while performing.

Historically, alpha-theta training, a form of neurofeedback, was created to assist creativity by inducing hypnagogia, a “borderline waking state associated with creative insights”, through facilitation of neural connectivity.