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Review of The Healing Power of Neurofeedback:
The Revolutionary LENS Technique for Restoring Optimal Brain Function, by Stephen Larsen, PhD.

› This article has been edited/adapted by David Dubin, MD

Over the last 16 years, Dr. Len Ochs has been working to perfect his unique non-invasive procedure called Low-Energy Neurofeedback System (LENS). His technique distinguishes itself from better-known interactive neurofeedback techniques by the passive involvement of the participant and the extremely low electromagnetic signal.

The LENS Neurofeedback technique has a different goal, one of actually disentraining the brain, so that flexibility and elasticity are more pronounced. Dr. Len Ochs has discovered that one does not need to tell the brain what to do as the active neurofeedback systems have been doing. He has found that by feeding back the very same brain waves that various areas of the brain are emitting and adding the slightest amount of change, called an offset, the brain self-adjusts, self-regulates, harmonizes, and minimizes its dysfunction. It does so with an extremely small radio-frequency input that is so tiny (far less than a cell phone) and so short (a fraction of a second) as to be almost unbelievable.

Anxiety and panic feelings decrease, even in severe cases of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Depression lifts; sleep problems such as restless leg syndrome decrease; foggy, cloudy thinking from ADD/ADHD or traumatic brain injury (TBI) gets more clarity. And by markedly decreasing anxiety, such disorders as obsessive compulsive thinking (OCD) and trichotillomania (hair loss from compulsive pulling and twisting of the hair) almost always significantly improve. Similarly, there is often a pronounced improvement in those with autism, where anxiety and over-sensitive nervous systems drive self-soothing behavior such as chronic rocking and isolation. Outbursts diminish dramatically, social relations often improve, and children are happier and do better in school. Life is less of a struggle.

Of course, these changes do not happen all at once, or even to every person. There is a gradual change and improvement, although every once in a while, someone experiences such a rapid relief of their symptoms that it is akin to a miracle. The average number of sessions to “brain homeostasis” is between 15 and 20, although significant improvement may be experienced in three to six sessions. Long-term, deep-seated, or chronic problems like autism and life-long severe depression may take many more sessions to show strong improvement. (Remarkably, though, many people with life-long mild/moderate depression find marked relief in ten or fewer sessions.)

The LENS neurofeedback process is not a treatment for any specific condition or directed toward a specific diagnosis. It is a general process that optimizes brain function. However, as self-regulation occurs, many symptoms that have their basis in central nervous system dysfunction begin to improve. It can manifest as mood improvement in people with anxiety, depression, and explosiveness. It can manifest in improved sleep in people with sleeping disorders, restless leg syndrome, or night teeth grinding. This unique neurofeedback technique may also benefit people who are already healthy and are interested in peak functioning and inner resilience to stress.

Presently, there are about 450 LENS practitioners in the world. Dr. Ochs’ website www.ochslabs.com offers a list of trained providers.

Christina White
Educational Coordinator, Brewer Science Library
325 N. Central Avenue
Richland Center, Wisconsin 53581

Larsen S. The low energy neurofeedback system (LENS). A study of 100 patient clinical outcomes, with a comparison to changes in the EEG. The Journal of Neurotheapy.