Brain Training & Emotional Regulation
What Is Brain Training?
Brain training, otherwise known as cognitive remediation, is a form of therapy designed to help the brain improve in different areas of functioning. It is a skills-based approach that helps you problem-solve, focus, stay organized, and sharpen your memory.
Although brain training is often used to successfully treat ADHD, concussions, and mild cognitive impairments, its value goes beyond that. Brain training can help virtually anyone. If you want to be more organized, improve your concentration skills, or regulate your emotions more effectively, this approach may be right for you, too.
How Effective Is Brain Training And Where Did It Come From?
It’s impossible to pinpoint an exact date when brain training began, since people all throughout history have been looking for ways to improve their thinking. But Cognitive Remediation Therapy (CRT) as we know it dates back to World War I. After the war, rehabilitation hospitals were set up for soldiers who had sustained brain injuries. The soldiers underwent assessments that measured their psychological abilities and learned new skills for functioning in the real world.
The field of brain training has come a long way since then, but the same basic techniques are still in use (memory exercises, organizational skills, etc.). In recent decades, CRT has grown in popularity. It is now considered one of the best ways to help people restore their cognitive abilities after a serious brain injury.
Part of what makes cognitive remediation so effective is how many areas of the brain it can treat. After all, brain training can improve both the logical and emotional sides of the brain. In addition to helping with memory issues and cognitive wellbeing, it can help you be less irritable and less reactive to stressors. This makes it more complete than most other approaches to cognitive wellness.
What Does Brain Training Therapy Look Like?
Brain training with Dr. Nicole Murray follows a very straightforward treatment plan. First, there is a cognitive evaluation that generally lasts two to four hours. Afterwards, you and your therapist will review the results of the evaluation and assess how your deficits or challenges interfere with day-to-day functioning. Next, you will choose an appropriate action plan for managing your symptoms and improving specific areas of the brain. The rest of treatment will focus on implementing this plan and navigating any challenges that arise.
In all, the whole process of cognitive remediation usually takes 8 to 12 sessions and is covered by most insurance plans just like any form of therapy. The length of treatment largely depends on what you’re seeking help for. If you’re getting treatment for a traumatic brain injury, that may take longer than, say, simply using CRT to improve your organizational skills.
How Can Brain Training Actually Help?
The goal of brain training is to give you strategies and exercises for improving your cognitive symptoms. For instance, let’s say that you struggle with ADHD and have a hard time staying focused in busy environments with lots of people around. Cognitive remediation can focus on managing both your outside environment (e.g., finding a quiet space to work) and inside environment (e.g., regulating internal distractions). The goal is to recognize the faulty patterns that decrease your focus and help you correct them.
Brain training can also give you valuable executive functioning strategies for making informed decisions, managing your time, enhancing your memory, and regulating your emotions. Which of these areas you work on depends on what you need the most help with.
Ultimately, our hope is that the strategies we give you can help you become more confident and efficient in school, the workplace, or wherever you have the most difficulty.
Let Us Help You Improve Your Brain Functioning
Whether you’re recovering from serious head trauma or you simply want to strengthen your ability to focus, we are confident that brain training can help. To get started, you can fill out the contact form, or click here to schedule a phone consultation.
