The effect of neurofeedback-assisted emotion regulation-based psychotherapy on psychological symptoms in individuals with trauma experiences

Research Aim: The aim of this study is to explore the effects of emotion regulation-based psychotherapy, supplemented by neurofeedback, on psychological symptoms, while considering the brain's neurological alterations resulting from trauma. Method: The study was conducted with a total of ten trauma-exposed individuals between the ages of 8-15, consisting of three males and seven females. The participants were assigned to two groups at random: an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group received neurofeedback-supported emotion regulation sessions, while the control group received only emotion regulation-based therapy sessions. The psychological symptoms of the participants were assessed using the SCL-90-R scale. The pre-test, post-test, and follow-up test scores were analyzed through a Mixed Design ANOVA, with two factors (experimental group, control group) and three time points (pre-test, post-test, follow-up test). Findings: The results indicated a significant improvement in psychological symptoms for both groups across pre-test, post-test, and follow-up test measures. This suggests that emotion regulation-based therapy was effective for trauma-exposed individuals. However, the experimental group, which received neurofeedback in addition to emotion regulation therapy, showed greater symptom reduction across all sub-dimensions. Notably, the reduction in symptoms for the depression and hostility sub-dimensions was statistically significant, with a large effect size, suggesting that neurofeedback contributed to the improvement in these areas. Furthermore, these improvements were more permanent in the experimental group during the follow-up measures. Conclusions: The research concluded that while emotion regulation therapy was impactful in alleviating psychological symptoms associated with trauma, the addition of neurofeedback in the experimental group led to a greater and more sustained reduction, particularly in the depression and hostility sub-dimensions. The permanence of the effects observed in the neurofeedback group underscores the potential value of incorporating neurofeedback into therapy for trauma-exposed individuals.