Workshop - Drs. Lynda and Michael Thompson

BCIA Neurofeedback Program
Drs. Lynda and Michael Thompson
5-day Workshop
24 April | 25 April | 26 April | 28 April | 29 April


This workshop is designed to train professionals to effectively carry out basic Neurofeedback (NFB) and Biofeedback (BFB) interventions in order to optimize the performance of their clients or to ameliorate the symptoms of a variety of disorders that have been shown to respond to the combination of NFB and BFB. The material covered in the workshop meets the requirements of the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance for the didactic knowledge portion of their certification process. (For the full certification requirements, see www.bcia.org.) We will cover the basics and also introduce participants to more advanced methodologies, including LORETA NFB, z-score training, and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Designing interventions that are based on integrating knowledge of clinical symptoms, knowledge of functional neuroanatomy, and knowledge of quantitative EEG analysis will be emphasized. Demonstrations will augment the lecture material.

1st Day: Introduction to Neurofeedback including scientific basis for NFB, basic terms & definitions, understanding the EEG, origin of the EEG, montages, removing artifacts, single channel assessment, learning theory (operant & classical conditioning) as it applies to NFB, designing training sessions, tracking results.

2nd Day: Psychophysiological stress assessment, how to effectively run neurofeedback sessions that combine NFB with heart rate variability and other biofeedback variables. Case examples will include ADHD, learning disabilities, seizure disorders, and anxiety.

3rd Day: Basic Neuroanatomy and Neurophysiology will be covered to provide the neurophysiological and neuroanatomical rationale for combining HRV with NFB to improve performance in executives and athletes and assist people who have had a concussion. The third day will cover international 10-20 sites and their relation to Brodmann Areas (BA’s), the basics of understanding functions of BAs and neural networks, and an explanation of Brain Maps & LORETA. Case examples will be used extensively.

4th Day: Assessment and treatment of disorders such as Depression, Anxiety and Panic Disorders, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Tourette’s Syndrome, Asperger’s and Autistic Spectrum Disorders, plus other problems as requested by participants.

5th Day: Review of other required material from the BCIA Blueprint of Knowledge such as basic statistics, research design, levels of efficacy based on research, data bases, slow cortical potentials, evoked potentials (ERPs), medication effects, adjunctive techniques and ethics.

About Lynda Thompson, Ph.D.

Lynda Thompson, Ph.D. is a Psychologist who has done teaching, clinical psychology, school psychology and owned learning centers. She became Executive Director of The ADD Centre in Toronto in 1993 after discovering the world of Neurofeedback and deciding to specialize in that intervention. Her doctoral dissertation (1979) dealt with hyperactive children treated with methylphenidate. She is co-author with William Sears of "The A.D.D. Book: New Understandings, New Approaches to Parenting Your Child". Since beginning a centre for biofeedback she has published 9 book chapters, and 14 journal articles with an emphasis on ADHD, Asperger’s Syndrome, Seizure disorders and stress management. She takes an active part in the main organizations concerning biofeedback, is a past Board Member of both the International Society for Neurofeedback and Research (ISNR) and the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance (BCIA), and was Chair of the Education Committee and Treasurer of the Neurofeedback Division of the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (AAPB). With her husband, Michael Thompson, M.D. she co-authored The Neurofeedback Book: An Introduction to Basic Concepts in Applied Psychophysiology (2003, 2015 2nd edition). They have been invited to teach about neurofeedback and biofeedback in 25 countries on five continents and present frequently at professional meetings in these fields.

About Michael Thompson, M.D.

Michael Thompson, M.D. devotes his time to the administration of the Biofeedback Institute of Toronto and teaching about neurofeedback plus biofeedback. When formerly practicing medicine he was Medical Director of London Psychiatric Hospital; Associate Professor and head of post-graduate education in Psychiatry, University of Western Ontario; examiner for the Royal College of Physicians (Canada) for 10 years and chairman of their examinations committee in psychiatry. Numerous professional publications include A Resident’s Guide to Psychiatric Education. While Associate Professor, University of Toronto, he was psychiatric consultant to The Hospital for Sick Children’s neurology department and director of a centre that specialized in treating pre-school children with autistic spectrum disorders. Recent work has included more than 120 professional presentations and workshops on 5 continents and in more than 25 countries focused on assessment and training using EEG and peripheral Biofeedback.

Prior to doing Neurofeedback, Dr. Thompson had more than 20 peer reviewed journal publications, 7 professional textbook chapters, one book and more than 100 presentations with a major focus on training psychiatrists, child development, attention deficit, learning, autism, and handling neurological illnesses. Since beginning a centre for biofeedback he has published with Dr. Lynda Thompson, 5 book chapters, and 14 journal articles on ADHD, Asperger’s Syndrome, and stress management, as well as books including the basic textbook in the field, The Neurofeedback Book: An Introduction to Basic Concepts in Applied Psychophysiology (2003, 2015 2nd edition) and  a monograph, Functional Neuroanatomy.

Workshop - Dr. Donald Moss | Dr. Fred Shaffer | Dr. Erik Peper

BCIA Biofeedback Program
Dr. Donald Moss, Dr. Fred Shaffer, Dr. Erik Peper
5-day Workshop
24 April | 25 April | 26 April | 28 April | 29 April

This foundation 5-day seminar is designed to teach clinicians biofeedback fundamentals and cutting-edge applications. This program covers all 48 hours of the BCIA Didactic Biofeedback Education requirement through powerful demonstrations of biofeedback and adjunctive procedures, imaginative hands-on lab exercises with multi-channel computerized equipment, professional multimedia presentations, and comprehensive review materials. This program integrates personal hands-on training with equipment with didactic presentations.

1. Attendees will be able to define biofeedback, provide an overview of its main modalities, explain its history and development, summarize relevant principles of human learning, and explain the assumptions that underly biofeedback.
2. Attendees will be able to summarize four models of stress and illness, explain psychophysiological reactions to stressful events, and discuss psychosocial mediators of stress.
3. Attendees will be able to describe the most commonly employed biofeedback modalities, explain the purpose and procedures for tracking tests for each, describe how to achieve acceptable skin-electrode impedance for SEMG recording, check sensor cables for breaks, prevent shock hazards, electronic concepts relevant to biofeedback, and aseptic techniques.
4. Attendees will be able to describe research methodology and summarize the evidence supporting the efficacy of biofeedback applications.
5. Attendees will be able to describe the major SEMG, ANS, and respiratory applications.
6. Attendees will be able to describe intervention strategies.
7. Attendees will be able to explain the ethical principles underlying professional conduct.

About Donald Moss, Ph.D.

Donald Moss, Ph.D., is Dean of the College of Integrative Medicine and Health Sciences, at Saybrook University.  Dr. Moss is president-elect of the Society of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis (SCEH), and has been president of Division 30 (hypnosis) of the American Psychological Association and the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (AAPB).  He is a fellow of both APA and SCEH, and is a current delegate to APA’s Council of Representatives and the International Society for Hypnosis.

He is co-editor of Foundations Heart Rate Variability (AAPB, 2016), co-author of Pathways to Illness, Pathways to Health (Springer, 2013), and chief editor of Handbook of Mind-Body Medicine for Primary Care (Sage, 2003) and Humanistic and Transpersonal Psychology (Greenwood, 1998). He currently has a new book under contract for Springer with co-author Angele McGrady on Integrative Pathways:  Navigating Chronic Illness with a Mind-Body-Spirit Approach. He has published over 70 articles and book chapters on psychophysiology, spirituality, health, and integrative medicine.

About Fred Shaffer, Ph.D.

Fredric Shaffer, PhD, BCB is a biological psychologist and professor of Psychology and former Department Chair at Truman State University, where he has taught since 1975 and has served as Director of Truman’s Center for Applied Psychophysiology since 1977. In 2008, he received the Walker and Doris Allen Fellowship for Faculty Excellence. In 2013, he received the Truman State University Outstanding Research Mentor of the Year award. Dr. Shaffer is a co-editor of Evidence-Based Practice in Biofeedback and Neurofeedback (3rd ed.). He is a co-editor with Donald Moss of Foundations of Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback: A Book of Readings. He co-authored with Rollin McCraty and Christopher Zerr, the Frontiers in Psychology review article "A healthy heart is not a metronome: An integrative review of the heart's anatomy and heart rate variability." Finally, he co-authored with Rollin McCraty, the Global Advances in Health and Medicine review article, "Heart rate variability: New perspectives on physiological mechanisms, assessment of self-regulatory capacity, and health risk." He is a contributing editor for the journal Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback. His current research focuses on techniques to increase heart rate variability biofeedback. Dr. Shaffer is a BCIA Senior Diplomate in Biofeedback. Dr. Shaffer is the Chair of the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance (BCIA) and Treasurer for the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (AAPB).

About Erik Peper, Ph.D.

Erik Peper, PhD., is an internationally known expert on holistic health, stress management, and biofeedback. He is a professor at San Francisco State University, where he was instrumental in establishing the Institute for Holistic Health Studies, the first holistic health program at a public university in the U.S. He is president of the Biofeedback Federation of Europe (BFE) and former president of the Association for Applied Psychophysiology. He has received numerous awards such as the State of California Governor's Employee Safety Award in 2004 for his contributions to improving workplace health for computer users, the 2005 Sheila Adler Award from AAPB for his efforts to support and encourage student participation, and the 2011 Recipient of the Biofeedback Foundation of Europe Educator Award. He is an author of numerous scientific articles and books: Biofeedback Mastery, Muscle Biofeedback at the Computer, Make Health Happen: Training Yourself to Create Wellness, De Computermens and Fighting Cancer - A Nontoxic Approach to Treatment. He has a biofeedback practice in Berkeley, California and publishes a blog titled The Peper Perspective: Ideas on illness, health and well-being. He has been an invited speaker at international conferences in the United States, Europe and Asia and is a recognized expert on holistic health, stress management and workplace health. His research interests focus upon strategies to optimize health, illness prevention, holistic health, healthy computing, and respiratory psychophysiology.