When we first began the project it seemed likely that any progress the child made would be quickly undercut by the adverse conditions within the facility. Thus it became imperative that we treat all of the children within the home. All assessments of behavior were based on reports from staff members, supervisors, the program director, the children's psychotherapist, parents, teachers and my own observations. In addition, the primary symptoms and problematic behaviors were, in every case, of long standing. Although my colleagues and I were convinced of the effectiveness of EEG biofeedback in treating many disorders, we were genuinely surprised to see how dramatically some of these very troubled children were helped by only a minimal amount of training. Of the 10 boys who completed the program, which took place over the course of a year, the 2 most disruptive boys showed a remarkable reduction in their aggressive and destructive behaviors. One of the boys became "Student of the Month" and graduated from the program. The other boy, who had a long history of violence and destructive behaviors, exhibited a "complete cessation" of these aggressive outbursts according to the program director. Here are some of the typical statements made about the 2 boys: "much calmer", "more able to concentrate", "more cooperative", "less hostile", " more able to calm themselves down" and " more manageable". One of the mothers even commented "What have you done with my son?". She was simply overjoyed at the improvement in his behavior. Among the boys whose primary symptom was depression, the changes ranged from a dramatic improvement in mood and energy level with decreases in oppositional behavior to only a marginal reduction of symptoms (2 of the boys showed dramatic improvement, 2 showed some improvement and 2 showed minimal improvement). Another boy, whose primary diagnosis was ADHD, showed a dramatic improvement in his academic performance, changing his grade average from a D to a B. Additionally, he showed a significant reduction in oppositional behavior. Still another boy, who at 17 was the oldest of the group, was treated for anxiety and showed some improvement in his ability to manage his own stress.
It may be somewhat difficult to assess all of the changes that took place within the group home through a mere observation of each individual. There appeared to be an overall shift towards tranquillity and control in the home itself. The boys, particularly the most disruptive individuals, seemed more able to calm themselves and less inclined to get swept up into cycles of escalating violence as was the case before the training. That is not to say that they were completely free of outbursts. However they occurred much less often and were markedly less intense. The staff seemed more able to maintain their cool as well. This was due to the fact that the scale of disorder within the house had been tipped toward manageability which meant that less energy had to be expended to maintain or restore order. Thus, despite the precarious circumstances and the minimal amount of training , we observed some truly exciting and remarkable changes in these children. From our experience in the field of EEG biofeedback it appears that the changes that take place in the individual as a result of the training tend to be permanent. After all, learning to consciously alter one's brainwave activity is a skill and a skill learned is not generally unlearned (-e.g. riding a bicycle or solving geometry problems). The resolution of multiple problems and symptoms through the use of this technique suggests that there is some fundamental form of regulation being restored to the brain. One of the most disruptive boys put it best when he described how he was able to de-escalate himself when upset. He stated that he simply imagines himself "sitting in the comfortable chair playing Pacman". The boys quite literally learn how to control themselves for they have been acquainted with a new state of consciousness and their brains retain the experience.