While neurofeedback is indeed a form of biofeedback, it differs from biofeedback in some important and crucial respects.

Traditional biofeedback measures body functions (finger temperature, muscle tension and so on) that are at the periphery (outer edge) of the body. The client learns to become aware of very small changes in their physiology that were previously outside their awareness. Then the next step is to learn to affect that body system in some way, like increasing hand temperature.

The important point here is that unlike neurofeedback, the client has to consciously learn techniques that can affect the body positively, has to practice them regularly to maintain those skills, and then must remember to use them at times that are particularly difficult for them. So, for example, Janice learns to relax her muscles, and when she is feeling particularly panicked must remember to use her relaxation skills. The idea is that relaxing her muscles will help her to feel less anxious. Also, focusing on her relaxation also directs her attention away from her anxiety which can also help to reduce it.

In summary, biofeedback is using consciously learned skills that need to be practised and consciously invoked to do their job, which is to influence the peripheral nervous system and its related body systems.

Neurofeedback is very different in that it works directly with the brain, or central nervous system. This has a profound and immediate effect on all other systems of the body.

The way the Zengar NeuroCARE® neurofeedback system works, the client does not have to "learn" or indeed, do anything at all- conciously. In fact, conscious learning is way too slow for our purposes.

The client just lies back and relaxes,  listening to music either with eyes closed or open and watching a moving image, or maybe watch a movie. The brain does its own learning at a much faster speed than our conscious mind can work, so the quieter our conscious mind is, actually, the better.

With NeuroCARE® neurofeedback, the brain uses information about its own activity to re-organize itself. And when it does so, a whole lot of difficulties, physical and emotional, just drop away. So Janice does not have to do anything to avoid panic. She just goes about her day, and if she is like many of our clients, suddenly realizes that the challenges she used to face just aren’t there any more. They drop away and life is just easier.