Part 2: ILF Neurofeedback for Childhood Trauma – Our Story

Posts in this series:
Part 1: Neurofeedback for Childhood Trauma – Why Therapy Isn’t Enough
Part 2: Neurofeedback for Childhood Trauma – Our Story
Part 3: Neurofeedback for Childhood Trauma – The Treatment That Works

What Neurofeedback Looked Like for Us

I adopted Kayla when she was two years old, after she’d spent her early years cycling through a series of proverbial haunted houses in foster care—homes where she was abused and neglected (her story is shared here with her permission). Kayla wore her hyper-vigilance like armor. She was the toughest toddler I’d ever seen. When she didn’t like something, she’d growl at us—literally growl.

As she got older and began to attach to me, things improved. But she still struggled. ADHD, impulse control, and disordered thinking made everyday life hard. By 20, she didn’t have her driver’s license and couldn’t keep a job. I’d tried to teach her to drive, but she couldn’t manage all the inputs at once—it was overwhelming, and honestly, it was scary. Not having her drivers license made her feel self-conscious and kept her from becoming fully independent. We’d tried talk therapy over the years, but it wasn’t productive.

That all changed after just 20 sessions of infra-low frequency (ILF) neurofeedback.

At her first session, Kayla sat in a small office across from a desktop monitor. Neurofeedback practitioner Kent Crawford gently affixed sensors to her scalp using a bit of conductive paste. He explained that the wires weren’t sending anything into her brain—no shocks, no stimulation. They were simply measuring her brainwaves and sending that data to his laptop.

Kayla chose an episode of SpongeBob from a big DVD shelf on the wall, and as she watched, the screen in front of her subtly changed. The picture would shrink or blur. The volume would rise and fall. Each time it did, her brain unconsciously tried to fix it—bringing the image and sound back into focus. That was the training. With every tiny adjustment, her brain was learning to regulate itself. Kent used a low frequency designed to calm the nervous system—slowing the overactive amygdala that had kept her in a near-constant state of fight or flight.

The results began to show after just one session. I could hear it in her conversations—her thinking was clearer, more logical. Within a few weeks, she started losing her dependence on substances, something she’d relied on heavily to calm her nerves and quiet her thoughts. She began to feel better—less anxious, less burdened by intrusive worries. At first, the effects wore off after a few hours, then lasted a few days. Kent explained this was normal, and that 20 sessions is typically what it takes for changes to hold.

Toward the end of treatment, I started taking Kayla driving again. It was stunning. Where I used to be white-knuckling the seat and barking out instructions, now I was casually scrolling my phone while she drove. She could take in all the inputs, multitask, and stay calm behind the wheel—something she hadn’t been able to do before.

Those changes alone would’ve been enough. But we also had data—quantitative test results showing just how much neurofeedback had helped. This wasn’t just a mother’s intuition. The numbers told the same story. Here’s how Kayla’s results changed after 20 sessions of neurofeedback:

Measure	Before Neurofeedback	After Neurofeedback
Speed of Response	98 – Average	115 – High
Consistency of Response	93 – Low	115 – High
Sustained Attention	90 – Low	114 – High
Impulse Control	67 – Very Low	102 – Average

(These scores are based on standard performance indexes, where 100 is average. Scores above 115 are considered high, and below 85 are considered low.)

A year after finishing neurofeedback, Kayla has her driver’s license, holds down a job, is living independently, and is finally benefiting from talk therapy. It has been life changing. I only wish I’d known about it sooner.

Ready to Learn More?

If you want to understand why neurofeedback works so well for kids with early trauma—and how to get started—don’t miss Part 3: Neurofeedback for Childhood Trauma – The Treatment That Works. It’s full of practical insight, quotes from our practitioner, and what every parent should know.