Date

9-25-2025

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)

Chair

Margaret Gopaul

Keywords

Neurofeedback, anxiety, phenomenology, EEG, psychotherapy, qualitative, research

Disciplines

Psychology

Abstract

Anxiety is one of the most prevalent mental health disorders globally, yet many treatment options are inaccessible, ineffective for some, or lack long-term efficacy. One treatment for with substantial research support is neurofeedback, though it remains categorized as an experimental treatment and is underutilized in clinical practice. The qualitative phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of adults who received neurofeedback treatment for anxiety. The purpose was to understand participants’ perceptions of neurofeedback’s efficacy and the interactive effects of neurofeedback and psychotherapy. Data were collected from two Oregon clinics that offer Neurofeedback and from students at Liberty University. An open-ended survey completed by eight participants was analyzed by qualitative software to generate codes and themes. The findings revealed that participants experienced significant reductions in anxiety symptoms across emotional, mental, behavioral, and physical domains. Participants generally perceived neurofeedback as effective, expressed high treatment satisfaction, and described a synergistic relationship between neurofeedback and psychotherapy. These results support the real-world impact of neurofeedback and underscore the need for additional research and advocacy towards its recognition as an evidence-based treatment for anxiety. While limited by a small sample size, this study contributes rich insight into patient-centered outcomes and offers direction for future mixed-methods research.

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