What Is Neurofeedback and How Does It Work?

February 17, 2026

You’ve probably heard of biofeedback — using real-time data to help you improve things like heart rate or breathing. Neurofeedback is the same concept, applied to your brain.

It’s a way of training your brain to function more efficiently. And unlike meditation apps or productivity hacks, it works at the source — helping your brain learn healthier patterns of regulation, focus, and recovery.

How Neurofeedback Works

Your brain produces electrical activity all the time — even when you’re asleep. This activity can be measured using sensors placed on your scalp.

During a neurofeedback session, you wear a lightweight sensor cap while watching a video or listening to audio. The software monitors your brain activity in real time and provides subtle feedback — usually small changes in the audio or video — that encourage your brain
to shift toward more efficient patterns.

You don’t have to “do” anything. There’s no concentration required, no willpower involved. Your brain does the work automatically, responding to the feedback and gradually learning to self-regulate more effectively.

Over time — typically after 2 or 3 months of short daily sessions — these new patterns become your brain’s default. That’s neuroplasticity in action.

What Does Neurofeedback Help With?

Neurofeedback has been used in clinical and research settings for decades. It’s been studied for a wide range of applications, including:

Focus and attention — helping the brain maintain focus while avoiding undue distractions
Sleep quality — training the brain to shift into restful states more easily
Stress resilience — reducing the “always on” feeling of a nervous system stuck in high alert
Emotional regulation — improving steadiness and reducing reactivity
Cognitive performance — supporting memory, mental clarity, and processing speed

For high achievers, neurofeedback is especially valuable because it doesn’t require adding more to your plate. You’re not learning a new skill or forcing a new habit. You’re training your brain to work better — so focus, calm, and clarity come more naturally.

What Does a Session Feel Like?

Most people find neurofeedback surprisingly relaxing. You sit comfortably, put on the sensor cap, and watch or listen to something on your phone. The session takes about 20 minutes.

There’s no shock, no stimulation, no medication. The feedback is gentle and passive — your brain picks up on it without you having to try.

Many clients describe feeling calmer and more focused after sessions. Some notice improvements in sleep within the first few weeks. The changes tend to build gradually and then stabilize as the brain locks in new patterns.

Why Haven’t I Heard of This Before?

Neurofeedback isn’t new. It’s been used in hospitals, research labs, and clinical practices for decades — often for conditions like ADHD, traumatic brain injury, and anxiety.

What’s new is the technology. Recent advances have made it possible to do neurofeedback at home, with portable devices and remote coaching, at a fraction of the cost of traditional in-clinic programs.

That’s what makes it accessible now for people who aren’t dealing with a diagnosis — just any one who wants their brain working at its best.

Is Neurofeedback Right for You?

Neurofeedback is a good fit if you:

Have a hard time relaxing when it’s time to fall asleep
Feel mentally tired even when you’re getting enough sleep
Struggle with focus, brain fog, or decision fatigue
Want to improve your body’s ability to recover from stress
Care about protecting your cognitive health long-term

It’s not a magic bullet. It works best as part of a broader approach that includes lifestyle, mindset, and nervous system support. That’s why I integrate neurofeedback into a coaching framework — so the changes stick and translate into real life.

If you’re curious whether neurofeedback could help you, book a free consultation and we’ll talk through your situation.

Ginny Santos MSc. CEO, Executive Coach & Organizational Consultant.

Helping leaders & teams reach optimal performance during the day and sleep soundly at night.

Ginny from Neolé brought exceptional facilitation, engagement, and problem-solving skills to lead our senior leadership team in a dynamic half-day session. She guided us through understanding our preferred working styles and the power of psychological diversity in teams, engaged us in a captivating exploration of personal values, facilitated a creative project visualization exercise, and led a practical activity focusing on our shared commitment to specific changes. This session provided valuable insights into our individual and collective workplace culture and practices, equipping us with actionable steps for future success. We’ll definitely keep Ginny and Neolé at top of mind for future leadership sessions!

Since we started working with Neolé, stress levels on our team are way down! They deal with our ever-changing ideas and timelines with total expertise and grace, rising to any challenge. They've consistently enriched our events with trilingual interpretation, helping us to integrate art and music, and finding creative and innovative ways to engage participants. Tech pros with big hearts - what more could you ask for?! We're so lucky to have found them.

Neolé exceeded our expectations. The workshop helped open our eyes to innovation and the areas that we can strengthen as a team to help our corporate culture to be more innovative. We were very pleased at how organized and seamless the facilitation was with participating as large groups as well as entering break-out rooms. Our team was lacking connection because of COVID. This was the first time that we engaged with each other in a meaningful way. We felt connected and it felt good.

As Critical Techworks Director of Happiness it was a complete joy to work with Neolè. Ginny Santos participated in our Happiness At Work Week. It wasn't your usual wellbeing speech - it was fun, interactive, honest, genuine and inspiring. I hope we can work together again :)

The team at Neolé are a pleasure to work with. They joined the YWCA Canada team for a series of sessions to help us develop a Team Charter and map out an OKR process, all over Zoom. Each session was engaging, they introduced tools and discussion in a fluid way. They modeled remote collaboration systems that we have already added to our toolbox. I especially loved the addition of music during the quiet reflection and writing parts of the sessions. Thank you.

Neolé’s virtual facilitation services were an eye-opening experience for our globally-dispersed organization. The level of engagement and productive work that we accomplished rapidly turned skeptics into rabid fans, which is why we continue to hire Neolé.