Exploring the Use of Neurofeedback Therapy in Mitigating Symptoms of Traumatic Brain Injury in Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence

ABSTRACT

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is an injury to the brain caused by an acute injury to the head, neck, or face, such as a blunt force trauma. Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) are at high risk for TBI, given how frequently they are repeatedly struck in the head. An abundance of evidence indicates that even “mild” TBI can have lifelong impacts, including personality and behavioral changes. TBI often goes undiagnosed in survivors as most do not seek medical treatment for their injuries. Given the lack of diagnoses, these symptoms may often be overlooked or misunderstood. One emerging method for treating the symptoms of TBI is neurofeedback (NF). NF is a type of biofeedback that uses operant conditioning to regulate activity in various regions of the brain. NF can lead to better cognitive performance and emotional self-regulation. Given the potentially high rate of TBI in IPV, it is worth exploring if NF can reduce the symptoms that negatively impact survivors. The current study explores the use of NF to treat IPV survivors who experienced head injury and, as such, probable TBI (N = 32). Survivors participated in a quantitative EEG (qEEG) to locate problem areas of the brain and participated in assessments, before and after treatment, to examine constructs such as depression and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Results show significant differences in both the qEEG data and written assessments following the completion of NF. These results suggest NF could mitigate symptoms of probable TBI in IPV survivors.

KEYWORDS:

• Traumatic brain injury
• interpersonal violence
• neurofeedback therapy
• postconcussive syndrome
• domestic violence
• quantitative EEG
• depression
• mental health

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the survivors who participated in this study for their hard work and consent to communicate these findings, Dr. Gretchen Morse for her consult and expertise on neurofeedback therapy, the NF clinicians who worked on this study, as well as the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, The George Foundation, the Simmons Foundation, and Office of Victims of Crime for funding this program.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission under grant number [529-15-0006]; The George Foundation; and The Simmons Foundation.