The ClinicalQ: Workshops and Online Learning

One of the most popular software suites published by the BFE is Dr. Paul G. Swingle's ClinicalQ and BrainDryvr suite. Users of the software appreciate the built-in instructions to guide the clinician, the simple to read reports generated by the software and most of all the ease and accuracy of the ClinicalQ assessment. 

We are pleased to offer a number of online events for 2015 and are happy to announce that Dr. Swingle will once again be joining us at the BFE Annual Meeting that will take place this year in Rome.


Biofeedback Federation of Europe 18th Annual Meeting
Join us in Rome to attend two 1-day workshops with Dr. Swingle:
Basics of the ClinicalQ Database and Braindriving
Neurotherapeutic Treatment of Depression
Click here for more information.

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2015 ClinicalQ and BrainDryvr Webinar Series
Each webinar in this years' series provides an introduction to the Swingle's ClinicalQ assessment and BrainDryvr methods followed by a discussion of a specific application. Attendees can ask questions during the live interactive format.  (These sessions are open to users of all equipment platforms.) Topics to be covered this year are:

Neurotherapeutic Treatment of Addictions - January 13th
Neurotherapeutic Treatment of Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue, and Pain - April 7th
Neurotherapeutic Treatment of the Sequellae of Emotional Trauma - June 16th
Neurotherapy and the Unique Challenges of Adopted Children - November 7th

Bonus FREE webinar open to all:
Keeping Mentally Sharp While You Age - February 10th
Register at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/992140577

All webinars take place from 3:00-4:00 pm Eastern Time (US & Canada)
Click here to register or to view descriptions of each of the webinars included in the series.

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Monthly Grand Rounds - Second Session Added
Dr. Swingle works with the BFE to support users of his method by offering monthly "grand rounds" sessions during which participants can present cases for review and guidance. Last year we added a second monthly session to meet increased demand and now offer both Thursday and Friday groups. (Sessions are open to users of all equipment platforms.)

2015 - Swingle Grand Rounds - Thursday Series
January 8 | February 12 | March 5
Time: 3:00-4:00 PM Eastern Time (US & Canada)

2015 Swingle Grand Rounds - Friday Series
January 9 | February 6 | March 6
Time: 11:00am-12:00 PM Eastern Time (US & Canada)

Click here for registration information.

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The ClinicalQ and BrainDryvr Suite published by the BFE
The ClinicalQ and BrainDryvr software suite published by the BFE and designed by Dr. Paul Swingle provides a simple method to examine brain activity as a basis for determining training plans quickly and effectively. Results from the assessment are arranged in an easy to read Excel report that includes notes for quick interpretation. The documentation included with the suite guides users through the entire process of hardware hook-up, client preparation, impedance check, data recording and reviewing. The suite documents include a digital version of Basic Neurotherapy: A Clinician's Guide. Sample data is also included with the software program to allow purchasers to see a real-time recording of a BrainDryvr session. (The software is compatible with the BioGraph Infiniti system.) 

"The ClinicalQ is not a poor practitioner's substitution for the full nineteen-site QEEG. Many mini-Q systems are being marketed on exactly that basis. The purpose of using my ClinicalQ is to make neurotherapy much more efficient."  - Dr. Paul G. Swingle, Basic Neurotherapy: A Clinician's Guide

The BFE offers an live online course, co-instructed by Jon Bale and Dr. Paul Swingle. Jon provides all the how-to info on using the software in an easy to understand format and Dr. Swingle joins one of the sessions to offer clinical expertise.

If you are looking for an assessment method that you can easily incorporate into your practice, you can learn more about the software here:

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To learn more about Dr. Swingle's method and adding neurotherapy to your practice, contact the ClinicalQ and BrainDryvr BFE Team at blueswingle@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

Swingle Clinic Website
About Dr. Swingle
Basic Neurotherapy: A Clinician's Guide (new edition available soon)
SoundHealth Products

Adding Neurotherapy to Your Practice - The Swingle Method

On March 4th, Dr. Paul G. Swingle joined us online to present a webinar on "Adding Neurotherapy to Your Practice". He provided information on using his ClinicalQ and Braindriving methods as a great way to get started in the field.

Health professionals looking to "dip their toes" into proverbial pool that is neurofeedback are often quite overwhelmed by the field. Even with its expanding user-base, information can still be just as difficult to sift through, in search of tangible applications.

Popular questions that come up are always where do you start: Should it be with the theory of EEG utility, or basic clinical applications? Invest in biofeedback equipment and learn as-we-go, or collect volumes of literature for hours of analysis, before any commitment? Depending on the individual, there really is no clear answer and there are many approaches one can take.

Dr. Paul Swingle, a clinical leader in the field of neurotherapy, has helped introduce many therapists to the world of electrodes, brain waves and feedback training. His clinic in Vancouver, Canada, hosts several workshops every year to bring individual up to the level of neurofeedback practitioners.

The ClinicalQ & BrainDryvr method, as designed by Dr. Swingle over the last 40 years, provides an excellent introduction for professionals that desire to add neurofeedback into their practices. The method uses specific, quantified measurements of brain activity, compares them against recorded norms, and outlines how to go about shaping those brain waves to more desirable EEG patterns.

Seeing this need for professionals that want to learn about how neurotherapy can beneficial to their practice, Dr. Swingle presented a 1-hour webinar on that exact topic. Please feel free to watch the below presentation. We at the BFE hope it will give you an introduction to Dr. Swingle's methods and how they can be used to help you and your clients.




If would would like a PDF copy of the "Adding Neurotherapy to Your Practice" powerpoint used in the above video, please follow this link.

Neurotherapy for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Dr. Paul G. Swingle is a Vancouver based psychologist and an expert in the field of neurotherapy. He is the author of the ClinicalQ and BrainDryvr software suite published by the BFE and will be presenting an upcoming webinar on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. We recently spoke to him about his work in this area.

What are the advantages of using neurotherapy as part of the treatment for PTSD?

Neurotherapy can normalize or improve the brainwave architecture - that is, the way the brain is functioning - and then we typically combine that with some other psychological process for helping the person deal efficiently with the overwhelming emotions associated with the exposure to the traumatic event.  It marries well with other kinds of therapy whether its experiential, EMDR, cognitive behaviour and so forth. Once the brain is functioning more efficiently, then it just markedly enhances the efficacy of these other procedures.

When exposed to the same traumatic experience, why do some experience PTSD, while others do not?

 When I was treating combat veterans at Harvard Medical School McLean Hospital, we had situations in which we would have 3 or 4 veterans, one of whom was hospitalized with PTSD. He was disabled by the event whereas although all of the other people experienced the same thing and might have such problems such as bad dreams, they  weren't disabled by the event. The difference with the person who was disabled was his neurological condition prior to walking into the combat theatre. So, we know one of the areas that we can work with in terms or increasing stress tolerance, but what about the damage that's been done - namely the post traumatic stress disorder - and that is a marked impact on the ability to regulate emotional reactivity. The flashbacks, and all of the rest of it, are associated directly with neurological conditions that we can identify when we do EEG assessments. And if we can identify it, then we know where to go to help correct the problem. 

How does the ClinicalQ assessment work?

The ClinicalQ is an EEG assessment that measures brain activity at five critical locations. The results of the assessment are then compared to a clinical database that is remarkably accurate in terms of indicating why a person is coming to see us. I saw a client the other day - a young man who had been exposed to a recent severe emotional stressor that triggered a predisposition to depressed mood states. When I explained this to him, his  jaw dropped to the floor. How could I possibly know that from looking at brainwave activity? Well, the brain tells us everything. If you've been exposed to a severe emotional stressor recently, it is very likely that the brain is going to show the effects.  And if you have a predisposition for a certain disorder such as depression, exposure to severe emotional stressors may likely trigger that condition. 

Do you think that combat veterans - most of which are young men - are hesitant to seek treatment for PTSD because of stigmas that exist?

That's really a crucial point. Decades ago, when we were dealing with PTSD there was a presumption of a weakness of character and that an individual that was disabled by the exposure to this severe emotional stress had some kind of deficit. We know now that there are neurological conditions that render us more susceptible to one type of disorder than another. With regard to post traumatic stress disorder, there's a very specific area of the brain that's associated with this vulnerability. So, if the client was a police cadet,  prior to going into the policing theatre we would have a look and see if he was neurologically vulnerable and we would do some preventative neurotherapy to better prepare him for the severe stresses of police duty. The focus is on brain functioning - it's exactly what we would do for an Olympic level athlete, exactly what we would do for a CEO of a large company. It's just making the brain more efficient to deal with severe stress. It has absolutely nothing to do with strength of character or mental illness or anything of that nature. 

Are there other therapies that are effective with post traumatic stress disorder?

As I said before, all therapies marry perfectly with neurotherapy.  I do a lot of hypnosis for these kinds of conditions. Once you get the brain so it's functioning efficiently you can use hypnosis for trying to modify the core emotional belief that gets triggered in these post traumatic stress disorder conditions. A good example is the feeling that you're not safe. One of the situations that we get with get severe stress...automobile accidents are a good example of this. When you're driving through an intersection and you have the green light, somebody t-bones you there's a situation where something came right out of the blue. So, after you get all of the physical things sorted out you still have this angst about the world not being a safe place and that's a core emotional belief - its beyond the arena of words. So hypnosis is often an extremely efficient way of having the person reorganize that emotional belief.  

Do you have advice for PTSD sufferers that might not have access to neurotherapy?

A lot of it depends on extent of disability. If you're dealing with somebody who has full blown flashbacks where they become absolutely incapacitated and they're not present, then the notion of giving them advice or home treatment is completely misguided because you need somebody to be able to shepherd the person through all of that. For lesser conditions, we use things like my sweep harmonic,  for example,  which is something akin to EMDR, but it uses sound. If you listen to that sound while you are trying to make the fear as intense as possible, you'll find that it blows it away. So any situation in which the individual is trying to feel, what every cell in their body is telling them to avoid, under conditions in which it is manageable is a positive treatment. For military veterans, it is best to inquire with their case worker who should be familiar with these options.

The BCIA (BiofeedbackCertification International Alliance) website provides a list of practitioners that have been certified in neurofeedback.

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You can learn more about Dr. Swingle and his methods on the BFE Website or by visiting the Swingle Clinic website.

In an upcoming webinar, Dr. Swingle will discuss his approach to treating PTSD.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Presented by: Dr. Paul G. Swingle

Date: November 12, 2013

Time: 3:00-4:00 pm Eastern Time (US & Canada)

Any questions can be directed to Dr. Swingle's BFE Team at blueswingle@gmail.com.

In Montreal with Dr. Paul Swingle

This is a guest post by the BFE's Research Manager Jon Bale.

Jon Bale and Dr. Paul Swingle

As the BFE's Research Manager, I spend most of my time moderating online sessions, teaching online classes, or guiding the software development of the BFE's suites. The opportunity to attend the 1-day Swingle Workshop at the end of May, held in Montreal, was therefore a welcomed change to my work in the digital realm. Facilitating the workshop also presented the chance to finally meet Dr. Paul Swingle in person. It's funny to think that with the 4 years of work Dr. Swingle and myself have done together - including the ClinicalQ & BrainDryvr Suite, Swingle Grand Rounds, Dr. Swingle's Webinar Series - we have never actually physically met.

The 1-day workshop gave a brief introduction to Dr. Swingle's ClinicalQ & BrainDryvr method, but the majority of the day focused on the interpretation of ClinicalQ assessment results. Dr. Swingle dispensed of tips and advice for reading relevant statistics true to his personality: calm and direct, with a touch of humour. "Whenever you get elevated slow frequency in the front of the brain and elevated slow frequency in the back of the brain in a young person, smoking dope is the likely culprit. To be fair, in Vancouver it's already a 50 percent chance of being right when accusing a young person of smoking dope."

Dr. Swingle's style of interaction was consistent with my experiences of him in our online sessions. Participants freely asked questions and referenced their own cases, all of which Dr. Swingle comfortably answered after a thoughtful pause. I did not see any appearance of his inner "New Yorker", with the rough and tough personality, that he enjoys mentioning about himself. Clinicians, including myself, seemed to be enamored with his breadth of knowledge. As one individual described him, "I am just in awe of Dr. Swingle and his work."

Finally meeting Dr. Swingle was quite a pleasure for me, after all these years. In this video, he shares a few words about the workshop, his ClinicalQ and BrainDryvr software suite and the BFE.



If you wished to attend Dr. Swingle's workshop, but could not due to scheduling constraints, please feel free to have a look at the upcoming BFE webinars being given by Dr. Swingle. While the workshop covered a wide range of clinical topics, his 1-hour online webinars each focus on a specific disorder. In addition, the BFE hosts monthly grand rounds sessions with Dr. Swingle during which participants can present cases to Dr. Swingle for review.

Upcoming webinars include:
Attention Problems in Children ADHD - August 13, 2013 - 3:00-4:00pm EST
PTSD - November 12, 2013 - 3:00-4:00pm EST

Grand Rounds:
Summer Session: Jul 11 | Aug 8 | Sep 12
Fall Session: Oct 10 | Nov 14 | Dec 12

We hope to see you online soon!

ClinicalQ and BrainDryvr - Mind WorkStation Add-On

We recently notified all users of the ClinicalQ and BrainDryvr software suite about a class on the Mind WorkStation Add-On and have received a number of questions about its use. So, here's a brief description of what it is, what it does and how you can learn more about it. 

Not long ago, a few clinicians contacted us - the Biofeedback Federation of Europe's (BFE) Swingle Team - about an idea. They thoroughly appreciated Dr. Swingle's efficient ClinicalQ Assessment method and his BrainDryvr training screens, but they wanted to take the training feedback one step further. They hoped to integrate more dynamic sound and vivid visual feedback into the training process, using outside equipment. With a significant amount of work, that idea created the ClinicalQ Mind WorkStation (MWS) Add-On.

What are the advantages of the ClinicalQ Mind WorkStation Add-On?  
The MWS Add-On provides superior sound and unrivaled visual feedback, through the MWS program. The normal feedback sounds and music included in the original ClinicalQ & BrainDryvr Suite can still be used, but the MWS system can plays tones that evenly change in pitch, wave and volume. The sounds can be linked to individual EEG bandwidth amplitudes for entrainment, such that as the amplitudes go up or down, so does the sound change in stepwise manners. Individual sounds can also be muted/unmuted at will. The MWS can also use audiovisual headgear (although not required) to outrival the feedback animations of the ClinicalQ & BrainDryvr Suite. There are many additional feedback options available with the MWS program that are open for the clinician to set themselves.

Who should get the Add-On?
The Mind WorkStation Add-On can be complex for the clinicians operating their computer system. Both the Biograph Infiniti program and the MWS program are running simultaneously, since the Biograph feeds EEG data to the MWS in real-time. The MWS program has its own user interface for monitoring data and feedback.

Therapists should first be comfortable with the standard ClinicalQ & BrainDryvr Suite before they decide to embark on using the MWS. Naturally, the individual also has to purchase the MWS program to use our add-on.

How do I download the ClinicalQ Mind WorkStation Add-On? 
Please send an email to the BFE's Swingle Team (blueswingle@gmail.com) to notify them. Due to the complexity of the add-on, we are currently giving out the ClinicalQ Mind WorkStation Add-On at no charge, for anyone who signs up for the MWS online class that we are providing. The online class is 6 hours (4 x 1.5 hour sessions) of instruction guided by Elizabeth Tegan, the main software designer for the Add-On. It is the best way to take advantage of this training opportunity.The second session of the class is set two take place on Friday. Anyone who wished to join late will receive the class recording from the first lesson.

There is a change in what programs and equipment are used:  
The standard and original ClinicalQ & BrainDryvr Suite collects data using the Thought Technology-made EEG sensor(s)/encoder and then processes that raw data in the Biograph Infiniti program to yield statistics and provide feedback. The ClinicalQ MWS Add-On uses a similar process, however the statistics calculated by the Biograph Infiniti are imported in real-time to the MWS program to provide high quality sound and visual feedback. The MWS program and visual equipment is manufactured by TransparentCorp (http://www.transparentcorp.com/) and must be purchased from them. The standard Thought Technology equipment (ProComp Infiniti or ProComp 2 encoder with 2 EEG sensors, and Biograph Infiniti program) are still necessary for recording data with this add-on.

  

THE MIND WORKSTATION - ADD-ON
Presented by: Elizabeth Tegan
If you are interested in exploring what the Mind WorkStation add-on can do for you, we invite you to join the ongoing class followed by grand rounds sessions during which specific cases or questions can be asked of Elizabeth. Click on the links below for more details.

Mind WorkStation Class
Jan 18, Feb 1, Feb 8, Feb 15, 2013
Time: 12:00 - 1:30 PM Eastern Time (US & Canada)
$169.00

Mind WorkStation Grand Rounds
Feb 22, Mar 1, Mar 8, 2013
Time: 12:00 - 1:00  PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
$149.00  

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the BFE Swingle Team at blueswingle@gmail.com.