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Most people walk into a therapy office knowing how they feel but not why they feel that way. The missing piece is usually the brain itself: what each region does, how those regions talk to each other, and what happens when the signals get crossed. We built this interactive tool to close that gap. Before you ever sit down for a neurofeedback session, you can see exactly what’s going on inside your head and understand how we plan to help.
BRAIN² NeuroConsole is a free, interactive brain guide that walks you through the science behind neurofeedback therapy in plain language. No medical degree required. Just click, explore, and see for yourself how the brain creates the symptoms you’re dealing with and how different treatments can change those patterns.
We work with individuals and adolescents to reduce their anxiety by combining the use of traditional coping skills with neurofeedback therapy to identify and reduce the brain processes causing the anxiety.
Start here. This section breaks down the major regions of the brain: the frontal lobe (executive function, decision-making, personality), the temporal lobe (language, memory, hearing), the parietal lobe (sensation, spatial awareness), the occipital lobe (vision), the sensorimotor cortex (movement and body sensation), the cerebellum (coordination and timing), the brainstem (arousal and vital functions), and the limbic system (emotion, memory, and motivation). Click on any region to see what it does and what happens when it’s not working the way it should.
Individual brain regions don’t work in isolation. They operate in networks, and understanding those networks explains a lot about why certain symptoms cluster together. This section covers three of the most important: the Default Mode Network (active during rest and self-reflection), the Salience Network (determines what deserves your attention), and the Central Executive Network (handles focused thinking and problem-solving). When these networks fall out of balance, the effects show up as difficulty focusing, emotional reactivity, rumination, and more.
This is where it gets personal. Select a condition, ADHD, anxiety, depression, PTSD, OCD, or autism, and the tool shows you exactly which brain regions and networks are involved. You can see why ADHD makes it hard to focus (excess slow-wave activity in the frontal lobe), why anxiety feels like a fire alarm that won’t shut off (overactive salience network and amygdala), and why depression drains your motivation (left frontal lobe under-activity). It’s not abstract. It’s visual, specific, and grounded in research.
Once you understand which brain areas are affected by a condition, this section shows you how that dysregulation ripples outward into real-life symptoms. Difficulty concentrating. Emotional meltdowns. Sleep problems. Intrusive thoughts. Social withdrawal. The tool maps each symptom back to the brain pattern causing it, so you can see the connection between what’s happening in the brain and what’s happening in your daily life.
This is where the treatment picture comes together. For each condition, the tool shows you how a neurofeedback protocol is designed: which brain site to train, which frequencies to inhibit (slow down), and which to reward (strengthen). You can see that ADHD treatment targets the frontal lobe with protocols that reduce excess theta waves and increase beta and SMR activity. Anxiety protocols calm overactive high-beta in the areas responsible for threat detection. Each protocol is specific, data-driven, and based on what the brain actually needs.
Finally, the tool walks you through what a neurofeedback session looks like in real time. You’ll see a simulated brainwave feed, a training protocol in action, and the feedback loop that teaches the brain to regulate itself. This is the closest you can get to experiencing a session without sitting in the chair.
Neurofeedback is the centerpiece of our practice, but it’s not the only way we help the brain change. At Butterfield Counseling & Neurofeedback, we use multiple treatment modalities because different approaches target different layers of brain function. Understanding what each one does at the neurological level can help you see why we combine them and how they work together.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is one of the most well-researched treatments for trauma and PTSD, and the neuroscience behind it explains why it works so effectively. When a person experiences something traumatic, the brain’s normal memory-processing system can become overwhelmed. Normally, memories are processed through the hippocampus and integrated into the brain’s long-term storage in a way that gives them context: this happened, it’s over, and you’re safe now. But during a traumatic event, the amygdala (the brain’s threat center) takes over, and the memory gets stored in a fragmented, unprocessed state. It stays “hot,” as if it’s still happening.
This is why a trauma survivor can be triggered by a smell, a sound, or a tone of voice and have their body react as if the danger is present right now. The memory hasn’t been properly filed. It’s still sitting in the brain’s active threat queue.
EMDR uses bilateral stimulation, rhythmic left-right eye movements, taps, or tones, to engage the brain’s natural memory processing system while the client holds a traumatic memory in mind. The bilateral stimulation appears to mimic what happens during REM sleep, the phase of sleep when the brain naturally processes and consolidates memories. Brain imaging studies show that after EMDR treatment, there is decreased activation in the amygdala (less fear response when recalling the memory), increased activity in the prefrontal cortex (better emotional regulation), and improved connectivity between the hippocampus and the rest of the brain (the memory gets properly contextualized and stored).
The result is that the traumatic memory loses its emotional charge. The person can recall what happened without the body going into survival mode. The facts of the memory remain, but the overwhelming distress that used to come with it fades. This isn’t about forgetting. It’s about the brain finally finishing the processing job it couldn’t complete at the time of the event.
When people hear “talk therapy,” they sometimes assume it’s just venting about your problems. It’s not. Evidence-based counseling approaches like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Internal Family Systems (IFS) produce measurable changes in brain activity. Neuroimaging studies have shown that effective talk therapy increases activity in the prefrontal cortex, the region responsible for rational thinking, emotional regulation, and impulse control, while decreasing overactivity in the amygdala, the brain’s alarm center.
In plain terms: talk therapy strengthens the brain’s ability to put the brakes on emotional reactions. When you learn to identify a distorted thought pattern and challenge it (CBT), or when you practice sitting with discomfort instead of reacting to it (ACT), you’re building new neural pathways in the prefrontal cortex. Over time, those pathways get stronger, and the brain becomes better at managing stress, regulating emotions, and making decisions without being hijacked by the alarm system.
Talk therapy also promotes neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to reorganize and form new connections throughout life. Every time you practice a new coping skill or reframe a thought pattern in a therapy session, you’re encouraging the brain to build and strengthen the circuits that support healthier functioning. This is why consistency matters. The more you practice, the more durable the changes become. Our therapists use a range of evidence-based modalities tailored to each client’s needs. Learn more about our clinical team and their specialties.
Photobiomodulation (PBM), also known as low-level light therapy or transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM), is a newer treatment that uses specific wavelengths of red and near-infrared light to stimulate cellular function in the brain. It works at a fundamentally different level than talk therapy, EMDR, or neurofeedback. While those approaches target brain activity patterns and memory processing, photobiomodulation targets the brain’s energy supply.
Here’s how it works: every cell in your brain contains mitochondria, often called the cell’s power plants. Mitochondria produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the molecule that provides energy for virtually every cellular process in the body, including all brain function. When near-infrared light at the right wavelength (typically in the 600 to 1100 nanometer range) is applied to the scalp, it penetrates the skull and is absorbed by the mitochondria in brain cells. This stimulates increased ATP production, giving brain cells more energy to work with.
The downstream effects are significant. Research has shown that photobiomodulation can increase cerebral blood flow (delivering more oxygen and nutrients to brain tissue), reduce neuroinflammation (a contributor to depression, brain fog, and cognitive decline), promote the release of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a protein that supports the growth and survival of neurons), and support neurogenesis and synaptogenesis (the creation of new brain cells and new connections between them).
For mental health specifically, early clinical research shows promise for depression, anxiety, cognitive fog, and traumatic brain injury recovery. The FDA has given approval for photobiomodulation in treating certain neurological conditions. When paired with neurofeedback, PBM can prepare the brain to respond more effectively to training by ensuring the brain has adequate energy to build and reinforce new neural pathways. Think of it this way: neurofeedback teaches the brain what to do, and photobiomodulation gives it the fuel to do it.
Each of these approaches targets a different layer of brain function. Talk therapy strengthens top-down regulation from the prefrontal cortex. EMDR reprocesses stuck traumatic memories so the alarm system can stand down. Neurofeedback trains the brain’s baseline electrical patterns toward healthier activity. And photobiomodulation fuels the brain’s cells so they have the energy to change. When we combine these approaches based on what each client’s brain actually needs, the results are more comprehensive and more durable than any single treatment alone. That’s the approach at Butterfield Counseling & Neurofeedback, and it’s why our clients see results that stick.
We’ve always believed that people should understand their own treatment. When you walk into Butterfield Counseling & Neurofeedback for a brain mapping assessment or a neurofeedback session, we explain what we’re doing and why. But words only go so far. Seeing the brain’s architecture, watching how dysregulation creates symptoms, and understanding how different treatments target those patterns at different levels makes the whole thing click in a way that a conversation alone can’t.
This tool is especially useful for parents considering neurofeedback for their child. It’s one thing to hear that neurofeedback helps with ADHD. It’s another to see exactly which brain region is producing too many slow waves and how the protocol is designed to correct that specific pattern. The tool takes something that can feel abstract and makes it concrete.
The science in this tool isn’t theoretical. It’s the same science that drives every treatment plan at our practice. When you come in for a brain mapping assessment, we’re measuring the same brainwave patterns shown in the tool. When we build your neurofeedback protocol, we’re using the same principles you can explore in the Protocol Builder section. When we recommend talk therapy, EMDR, or photobiomodulation alongside neurofeedback, it’s because the brain map and clinical picture tell us that multiple layers of intervention will produce better results than one alone.
Our clinical team includes multiple therapists who hold Board Certification in Neurofeedback (BCN) through the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance. When you work with us, you’re working with people who understand the brain at this level and have the credentials and clinical experience to translate that understanding into results.
Anyone curious about how the brain works and why certain symptoms develop
Parents exploring neurofeedback as a treatment option for their child’s ADHD, anxiety, or sensory processing challenges
Adults dealing with anxiety, depression, trauma, or OCD who want to understand what’s happening neurologically
People interested in how talk therapy, EMDR, and photobiomodulation complement neurofeedback
People who’ve been told “it’s all in your head” and want to see that it’s actually in their brain
Anyone considering treatment at our practice who wants to know what to expect before their first appointment
Not at all. It’s completely optional. Some clients love exploring the science before their first appointment. Others prefer to just come in and let us explain everything in person. Either way, the treatment is the same.
Yes. EMDR is one of the trauma-focused modalities our therapists are trained in, alongside Lifespan Integration, IFS, and other approaches. We match the treatment to the client. Learn more about our trauma therapy.
We are exploring the integration of photobiomodulation into our treatment offerings. Contact us for the most current information on which services are available at each location.
No. The tool shows general patterns associated with different conditions. A brain mapping assessment at our office measures your specific brainwave activity and identifies the exact patterns unique to your brain. The tool helps you understand the concepts. The assessment gives us the data to build your personal treatment plan.
Yes. The brain anatomy, network models, condition profiles, and protocol information are all based on established neuroscience research and clinical neurofeedback practice. The tool is educational and representative, not a diagnostic instrument.
Exploring the tool is a great starting point. But if you’re dealing with ADHD, anxiety, depression, trauma, or any of the conditions covered in the tool, the next step is a real conversation about your specific situation. We offer a free 15-minute phone consultation with no commitment and no pressure. Call 385-330-2818 or schedule your consultation online.