Does Neurofeedback Work for ADHD? A Therapist With ADHD Explains

By Eddie Eccker, MS, LMFT. Licensed marriage and family therapist, co-owner of Voyages Counseling, host of The Voyage Cast.

Yes, neurofeedback works for ADHD for a lot of kids, and the improvement lasts. I can say that as a therapist who has read the trials, and I can say it as a kid who did it. The long version, including how it felt from the inside, is on this week's episode of The Voyage Cast. This is the short one.

The kid who couldn't close the garage door

When I was a kid, I rode my bike to school and kept leaving the garage door open behind me. My parents put sticky notes on the bathroom mirror, the refrigerator, and every door in the house. The notes worked for a while, then they became wallpaper. My dad finally told me to get my head out of my ass, which to a kid sounds like, hey, you keep forgetting; have you ever thought of just not forgetting?

The garage door was what my parents could see. What they could not see was that I drifted so badly in class that I left most days with no idea what had been discussed. I had ADHD, and nobody knew it until college. That is when I found neurofeedback. For the first time, I could feel my mind start to drift and bring it back. It gave me a fighting chance.

I own a practice that offers neurofeedback now, so this is not a neutral review. It is a therapist who has ADHD telling you what worked for him, with the research attached so you can judge for yourself.

What neurofeedback for ADHD is

It starts with a qEEG brain map: a recording of your child's brain electrical activity taken through sensors on the scalp. Nothing goes into his head. The map shows which areas are over-functioning and which are under-functioning, and a training plan is built from it. In sessions, software watches for the pattern the plan calls for, and when his brain produces it, the game on the screen moves forward. Over many sessions, his brain learns to produce that pattern on its own. Think of a guitar tuner: it shows a beginner what he cannot yet hear, so he can adjust.

Does it work, and does it last?

Those are the two questions parents ask. The largest American trial, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, enrolled 144 children. By the end of training, parents and teachers rated their inattention as much improved, and the improvement held at two years. A 2025 meta-analysis in JAMA Psychiatry found a benefit in trials using the long-established protocols. I go through the rest of the evidence, including where it gets thin, in Does Neurofeedback Actually Work for ADHD?.

There is a catch in that American trial, and it is the most interesting part of the whole subject: the kids who got a sham version improved too. Researchers still argue about what that means. I have an answer, and it is not the one either side wants. That argument is on the episode.

What I tell parents

A diagnosis explained me. It never excused me. Your kid still has to learn, carry his part of the family, and own it when he lets somebody down. You understand him so the help goes to the right place. On the episode, I get into what to ask for instead of "try harder," what words not to let get attached to your kid, and how to tell in the first month whether the training is doing anything.

Three questions parents ask

Is neurofeedback safe for children? Yes. The sensors only record. Reviews of the research report no major side effects specific to neurofeedback.

How many sessions does neurofeedback take? The trials ran about 25 to 40 sessions over three months. Your child's plan depends on his brain map.

Can neurofeedback replace ADHD medication? That is a decision for you and your child's physician. In the American trial, children who did neurofeedback needed less medication at follow-up.

Neurofeedback for ADHD in Lone Tree and the south Denver metro

Voyages Counseling offers neurofeedback at our Lone Tree office, serving families across Centennial, Castle Rock, Highlands Ranch, Parker, and Denver. A licensed therapist guides every case, and a trained neuro tech runs the sessions. New clients: (720) 729-7372.

If you heard your kid in this story, or yourself, the whole conversation is on The Voyage Cast: "Have You Ever Thought of Just Not Forgetting?"