TIRCIA · General public
Neurofeedback after trauma: what we know
A promising technique that is still experimental: what it can offer, and how to choose well
By Marie-Agnès Thulliez · Author · Publishing Director6-minute read
After a traumatic experience, many people hear about neurofeedback: a form of brain training, without medication, using sensors placed on the head. The promises made for it are sometimes very bold.
This article sets out, simply, what the studies show so far, to help you make an informed decision.
What is neurofeedback?
Neurofeedback is brain training through "feedback". Sensors placed on the scalp record the brain's electrical activity: this is an electroencephalogram, or EEG. Software turns this signal into an image or a sound.
When brain activity moves in the intended direction, the film becomes sharper or the music louder. Little by little, often without conscious effort, the brain learns to return to that state. In classic neurofeedback, nothing is sent into the brain: the sensors simply listen. Some commercial methods, such as LENS, do send a weak signal, so find out before you start.
There are several forms:
- EEG neurofeedback, the most widespread, offered in private practice;
- functional MRI neurofeedback, carried out only in research centres;
- commercial methods that promise to act on "the whole brain", with very few studies to evaluate them.
After trauma, the idea is to help a brain that has stayed on alert to find calm more easily: sleeping better, feeling less overwhelmed by emotions, being less easily startled.
What happens in a session?
You sit comfortably, with a few sensors attached to your head with gel. You watch a screen or listen to music for 20 to 40 minutes. The session is painless.
A course of training usually involves around twenty sessions or more, once or twice a week. In the most widely cited trial on trauma, participants had 24 sessions of up to about thirty minutes each, twice a week for 12 weeks.
Some people feel more relaxed after a session; others experience tiredness or a passing headache. It is helpful to mention this to the practitioner each time.
What the studies say
The results are encouraging, but the evidence remains fragile. Early studies show a reduction in post-traumatic stress symptoms. However, they involve few people, and often have no "placebo" group that would rule out the effect of the attention received or of hope.
| Study | What was compared | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| van der Kolk et al., 2016 | 52 adults with chronic post-traumatic stress disorder: 24 neurofeedback sessions or usual care | Among those who completed the study (44), after 12 weeks, 73% of the neurofeedback group no longer met the criteria for the disorder, compared with 32% of the control group (waiting list with usual care). No placebo group; follow-up of one month only. |
| Voigt et al., 2024 | Review of 17 trials (628 people), 10 of which were pooled in the meta-analysis | Clearer reduction in symptoms than in control groups, but no significant difference compared with active control groups (sham neurofeedback, biofeedback). Small trials (10 to 77 people), 13 of 17 unblinded. |
| Berman et al., 2025 | Synthesis of 9 trials | Large effect compared with no treatment, but with a "very low" level of certainty. Compared with sham neurofeedback, a small and inconclusive effect (a single EEG trial) or no effect (two functional MRI trials). |
This last point is the crux: when neurofeedback is compared with sham training, the gap becomes small and uncertain. So we do not yet know how much of the improvement is truly due to the brain training itself.
The major international guidelines point the same way: the US Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense guideline (VA/DoD, 2023) considers the evidence insufficient either to recommend neurofeedback for post-traumatic stress disorder or to recommend against it, and the American Psychological Association and the UK's NICE likewise judge the evidence insufficient (Military Health System, 2025).
Limits and precautions
Neurofeedback is generally well tolerated, though it still calls for care.
- Side effects do occur. Tiredness, headaches, sleep problems, anxiety or less stable emotions have been reported (Ordre des psychologues du Québec, 2016). In the 2016 study, one participant reported a marked increase in flashbacks, as did one person who dropped out along the way.
- The title of practitioner is unprotected. In France, anyone can offer neurofeedback after a short training. Trauma, however, calls for assessment and follow-up by a health professional or a psychologist.
- The cost adds up. In France, sessions are not reimbursed by the national health insurance, and a course of training often requires more than twenty.
- Be wary of promises. "Healed in a few sessions", "works for everything", "completely risk-free": no study today supports such claims.
Where does it fit?
Today, the first-line recommended treatments after trauma are trauma-focused psychotherapies, such as EMDR or certain cognitive behavioural therapies. Their effectiveness rests on many robust studies.
Neurofeedback can be discussed as an add-on, particularly when these therapies have not been enough or are hard to engage with, for example when agitation or sleep problems stand in the way of progress. It then finds its place within ongoing therapeutic care.
Before you start, here are a few questions to ask:
- What is your training, and are you a doctor, psychologist or psychotherapist?
- Do you have experience of working with people who have been through trauma?
- What protocol do you offer, how many sessions, and at what total cost?
- How will we measure progress, and what do we do if it is not working?
- Do you work together with my doctor or my therapist?
A reputable practitioner will be happy to answer these questions and will also talk about the method's limits.
Need help now?
If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact a crisis line: 988 (US/Canada), Samaritans 116 123 (UK and Ireland), or find a local helpline at findahelpline.com. In France: 3114.
If you are in immediate danger, call your local emergency number (999 in the UK, 911 in North America, 112 in the EU).
Key points
- Neurofeedback trains the brain using its own signal, without medication and without pain.
- The first studies on trauma are encouraging, but still too small and too poorly controlled to draw conclusions.
- First-line treatment remains trauma-focused psychotherapy, such as EMDR therapy; neurofeedback is not currently recommended as a first-line option.
- If you are considering it, choose a health professional or psychologist trained in trauma, and be wary of promises of a quick cure.
References
- Berman, D.E., Cowansage, K.P., Bellanti, D.M., Nair, R., Boyd, C.C., Beech, E.H., Reddy, M.K., Recker, R.S., Belsher, B.E. and Kelber, M.S. (2025) 'Systematic review and meta-analysis of neurofeedback training efficacy and neural mechanisms in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder', Frontiers in Neuroscience, 19, 1658652. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2025.1658652.
- Military Health System (2025) Neurofeedback for PTSD. Summary of the VA/DoD 2023, APA and NICE recommendations, posted online on 9 January 2026. Available at: https://www.health.mil/Reference-Center/Publications/2026/01/09/Neurofeedback-for-PTSD (accessed 16 October 2026).
- Ordre des psychologues du Québec (2016) Avis de l'Ordre des psychologues du Québec sur le biofeedback et le neurofeedback [Opinion of the Ordre des psychologues du Québec on biofeedback and neurofeedback], 15 April. Available at: https://ordrepsy.qc.ca/documents/26707/58588/Avis+sur+le+biofeedback+et+le+neurofeedback/42a96e3b-4b6c-46fd-bc5f-682e9759738e (accessed 16 October 2026).
- van der Kolk, B.A., Hodgdon, H., Gapen, M., Musicaro, R., Suvak, M.K., Hamlin, E. and Spinazzola, J. (2016) 'A randomized controlled study of neurofeedback for chronic PTSD', PLOS ONE, 11(12), e0166752. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0166752.
- Voigt, J.D., Mosier, M. and Tendler, A. (2024) 'Systematic review and meta-analysis of neurofeedback and its effect on posttraumatic stress disorder', Frontiers in Psychiatry, 15, 1323485. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1323485.
This article offers general guidance, up to date at the date of publication. It is no substitute for the advice of a doctor, who alone can make a diagnosis, or for support from a psychologist or psychotherapist.
