Anxiety and ADHD are among the most common neurological conditions affecting people today — and also among the most undertreated. While medication provides relief for many patients, a significant proportion are looking for something more: a treatment that addresses the underlying brain patterns driving their symptoms, rather than simply masking them on a daily basis.
Neurofeedback is exactly that treatment. And the evidence that it works — for both anxiety and ADHD — is more compelling than many people realise.
At Neo Clinics in Girona, we deliver advanced, assessment-guided neurofeedback training for patients with anxiety, ADHD, and a range of other brain health conditions. This article focuses specifically on what neurofeedback does for these two conditions, what the research shows, and what patients can realistically expect.
Understanding the Brain Patterns Behind Anxiety and ADHD
Both anxiety and ADHD are, at their core, disorders of brainwave dysregulation — and this is precisely why neurofeedback is so well suited to treating them.
The Anxious Brain
In anxiety disorders, the brain runs in a state of chronic over-arousal. Specifically, there is an excess of high-frequency beta and high-beta brainwaves — associated with active thinking, alertness, and vigilance — even when the situation does not warrant this level of activation. The brain is essentially stuck in a heightened threat-detection mode, generating worry, restlessness, and fear responses that are disproportionate to reality.
At the same time, there is insufficient alpha activity — the brainwave frequency associated with calm, present-moment awareness and emotional regulation. The calming, grounding quality of alpha is precisely what anxious brains need more of.
The ADHD Brain
ADHD has its own characteristic brainwave signature, which has been extensively documented in research: an excess of slow theta waves (associated with daydreaming and distraction) and a deficit of fast beta waves (associated with focused, alert attention) in the frontal regions of the brain. This pattern directly explains the core symptoms of ADHD — difficulty sustaining attention, impulsivity, poor working memory, and the tendency to drift into distraction.
Neurofeedback targets these specific patterns — directly and measurably — through repeated training sessions that reward the brain for producing healthier activity.
What the Research Says: Neurofeedback for Anxiety
The evidence base for neurofeedback in anxiety has grown substantially over the past two decades:
Clinical Studies
Multiple randomised controlled trials have demonstrated that neurofeedback produces significant reductions in anxiety symptoms compared to control conditions. A meta-analysis published in *Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback* found that neurofeedback was associated with large effect sizes for anxiety reduction — comparable to or exceeding the effects of medication in some populations.
Durability of Results
One of the most important advantages of neurofeedback over medication for anxiety is the durability of results. Because neurofeedback produces genuine neuroplastic changes — the brain literally rewires its patterns — improvements are maintained after treatment ends.
Studies with follow-up periods of 6–12 months consistently show that neurofeedback gains in anxiety reduction are sustained, whereas medication benefits typically require continuous use to be maintained.
PTSD and Trauma-Related Anxiety
Neurofeedback has shown particularly promising results for trauma-related anxiety and PTSD. Alpha-theta training — a deep-state neurofeedback protocol — has been studied specifically for trauma, with results showing reductions in hypervigilance, intrusive memories, and emotional reactivity comparable to those achieved with trauma-focused psychotherapy.
What the Research Says: Neurofeedback for ADHD
ADHD is arguably the condition with the strongest and most mature evidence base for neurofeedback:
Meta-Analyses and Systematic Reviews
Multiple systematic reviews of the randomised controlled trial literature have confirmed that neurofeedback produces significant, lasting improvements in:
- **Inattention** — the ability to sustain focus and resist distraction
- **Hyperactivity** — restlessness and physical overactivation
- **Impulsivity** — the ability to pause and inhibit automatic responses
A landmark meta-analysis by Arns and colleagues found effect sizes for neurofeedback in ADHD that were clinically meaningful and comparable to those achieved with stimulant medication — but with the critical advantage of durability: improvements were maintained at follow-up assessments conducted months after treatment ended.
Neurofeedback vs Medication for ADHD
This comparison is one of the most commonly asked questions by parents of children with ADHD and adults seeking alternatives to stimulant medication:
Neurofeedback | Stimulant Medication
|—|—|—|
Mechanism | Rewires brain activity patterns | Increases dopamine/norepinephrine availability
Effect during treatment | Builds gradually | Immediate
Effect after treatment | Maintained (durable) | Stops when medication stops
Side effects | Minimal (mild fatigue) | Appetite suppression, sleep disruption, cardiovascular effects
Suitable for all ages | Yes, including young children | Age restrictions apply; many parents prefer to avoid
Addresses underlying cause | Yes — changes brain patterns | No — modifies neurotransmitter levels while active
Many patients and families choose neurofeedback either as an alternative to medication or as a complement to it — using neurofeedback to address the underlying neurological patterns while using medication at a lower dose for additional symptom management.
What to Expect from Neurofeedback at Neo Clinics
Step 1: qEEG Brain Assessment
Before beginning neurofeedback, every patient at Neo Clinics undergoes a quantitative EEG (qEEG) brain scan. This maps your brain’s electrical activity across 19 or more electrode sites, producing a comprehensive picture of which frequencies are excessive, which are deficient, and in which brain regions. For ADHD and anxiety patients, this scan typically confirms the characteristic brainwave patterns described above — and gives us the precise information we need to design an effective, personalised training protocol.
Step 2: Personalised Protocol Design
Based on your qEEG results, your symptoms, and your goals, our clinical team designs a neurofeedback protocol specifically for you. For anxiety, this typically involves increasing alpha activity and reducing high-beta. For ADHD, it involves suppressing theta and enhancing beta at frontal sites. The exact parameters — the frequencies targeted, the electrode placement, the feedback type — are all individualised.
Step 3: Training Sessions
You sit comfortably with sensors on your scalp and engage with the feedback system — watching a screen, listening to audio, or playing a simple game. When your brain produces the target patterns, the feedback is positive. When it drifts, the feedback pauses. Most patients find sessions relaxing, and many experience a pleasant sense of mental calm during and after treatment.
Sessions are 30–45 minutes, two to three times per week.
Step 4: Progress Monitoring
Periodic qEEG assessments track the objective changes in your brainwave patterns and confirm that your protocol is producing the desired neurological changes. Our team reviews your progress regularly and adjusts the protocol as needed.
When Will I Notice Results?
Most patients with anxiety begin to notice improvements in sleep quality, general calm, and their ability to manage stressful situations within the first 10–15 sessions. ADHD patients typically begin to notice improved focus and reduced restlessness around sessions 12–20.
Full benefits are typically realised after a complete course of 20–40 sessions, with continued improvement for several months afterward as the new neural patterns consolidate.
Who Is Neurofeedback For?
Neurofeedback at Neo Clinics is suitable for:
- Adults and children with ADHD — whether or not they are currently on medication
- Adults with anxiety disorders, including GAD, social anxiety, and panic disorder
- Patients who prefer a drug-free approach to managing their brain health
- Individuals who want to enhance cognitive performance beyond baseline
- Patients whose anxiety or ADHD symptoms have not been fully addressed by medication alone
- Professionals and athletes seeking peak mental performance
No referral is required. Book your qEEG assessment and neurofeedback consultation today.
📍 Av. de la Platja, 94, Castell-Platja d’Aro, Girona
📞 +34 662 490 672
🌐 neo-clinics.es/en/neurofeedback-en/