<p></p><p><div id="le_section-two" le_region_slug="section-two" le_region_uuid="section-two" le_region_name="Section-two" le_region_type="content" le_region_editable="false" le_region_locked="false" data-has-csse-settings="false" data-content-show-replacer-header="false"><div><div><div><div id="le_section-two-area10" le_region_slug="section-two-area10" le_region_uuid="section-two-area10" le_region_name="Section-two-area 10" le_region_type="content" le_region_editable="false" data-has-csse-settings="false" data-content-show-replacer-header="false"><div le_content_type="text" id="le_5b7ca64d1ca61" le_content_uuid="5b7ca64d1ca61" data-best_fit="1" data-attr_width=""><p>Peak performance is a training modality that we reserve for athletes, executives, musicians and performers. Depending on the desired outcome, neurotherapy can alter the performance training metrics.&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 1rem;">Peak performance neurotherapy is that used for anyone who is neurotypical and seeking to improve their executive, athletic, or other various capabilities. Key areas in which neurofeedback can aide performance are balance, concentration, attention, anxiety reduction, and emotional control (Hammond, 2007). Flow, control and optimization of autonomic control and shift states are also arenas of neurofeedback training that have been highlighted in research (Landers, 1985; Norris &amp; Currieri, 1999; Wilson &amp; Gunkelman, 2001). The evidence behind using NFB training is that training the EEG can produce changes in behavior.</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></p><p>Around 1968, as biofeedback began
to gain mainstream attention, individuals undergoing “alpha training” were
professing feeling rested and sharp, clear headed, and tranquil.&nbsp; Some musicians and performers noted they had
experienced intense bursts of creativity and reverie following their training, while
individuals who had suspicions or doubt about the training or the trainer often
had no effect. From this result, Kamiya deduced that the production of alpha
depended largely on whether there was a rapport between the subject and the
researcher (Robbins, 2000, pp. 63-64). Wise (1995, 2002) saw alpha (9-12 Hz) as
a bridge that linked the subconscious and unconscious to the conscious (beta)
brainwaves. Alpha is also the state of flow and one’s peak frequency. One’s
peak alpha frequency is their dominant frequency, the faster one’s alpha peak
frequency, the more information they can process within one second. When peak
alpha is slow (i.e. at 8Hz), one may complain of brain fog or focus issues.<a href="#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]--></a>
When peak alpha is fast, say 11Hz, the individual may have the capability to
take in more information than their peers, which can look like distractedness,
since they are often sidetracked when moving faster than the teacher (Fisher,
2014). Peak
alpha frequency is thought to be an electroencephalographic measure of cognitive
preparedness (Angalkis et al, 2004; Osaka, 1984). Because the brainwave occurs
between 9-12 Hz, each individual has their own dominant frequency. The speed of
one’s alpha is indicative of their ability to take in and process information.
Put simply: the faster your alpha, the better. Alpha is also thought of as the
mental space one occupies when in the “zone,” such as a high performing
athlete, quick mental executive or musician in presence with their music. This
is the state of being Csikszentmihalyi so famously dubbed “flow” (1990). Quickening one’s peak alpha frequency is one
treatment method for peak performance and executive-level skill training
focuses on the production of “peak alpha frequency” (inducing the higher
echelons of alpha brainwaves of 10-12 Hz). Peak alpha frequency training is
also referred to as “brain brightening” and has been used for and linked to
cognitive enhancement (Anglakis
et al., 2007), including memory strengthening (Klimesch et
al., 1993; Osaka et al., 1999; Clark et al., 2004), cognitive preparedness
(Osaka, 1984; Anglakis et al., 2004), displays of heightened intelligence
quotient (Posthuma et al., 2001), and creativity enhancement (Petsche et al.,
1997). Alpha has been found to
inhibit task-irrelevant processing (Klimesch et al., 2007), activate
task-relevant processing (von Stein et al., 2000; Palva &amp; Palva, 2007), and
maintain executive control of behavioral responses (Klimesch et al., 2007).</p>

<p>Often,
we are in a flow state when we are doing mindless tasks: driving, showering,
spacing out, watching television. Additionally, we tend to show alpha when we
are focused upon something that taps our natural or learned creative abilities—playing
a piece of music, zeroing in on a consuming cognitive task, et cetera. The concept
of flow state was introduced by Csikszentmihalyi
(1990) in qualitative research wherein he identified nine factors commonly
reported among individuals experiencing the flow state: (1) a challenge-skill
balance (i.e. the task’s difficulty being equitable to the performer’s skill,
preventing boredom or frustration), (2) action-awareness merging (i.e. where
actions feel automatic, requiring little to no attentional resources, (3) clear
goals, (4) unambiguous feedback; (5) a high level of concentration, (6)
control, (7) loss of self-consciousness, (8) time transformation, where time
moves faster or slower than normally perceived, and (9) an “autotelic
experience” (i.e. the individuals’ perception that a task is intrinsically
rewarding). Some of the physical markers of an individual in flow state include
reported increased mental effort, where changes are seen in increased heart
rate; shallower, quicker breathing (Backs &amp; Seljos, 1994; Veltman &amp;
Gaillard, 1998; Wientjes, 1992); and changes in electromyography, where the
muscles above the eyebrows often tense (Cohen et al., 1992; Waterink &amp; van
Boxtel, 1994). </p>

<div><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->Of final note, in 1995, Barry Sterman conducted research with pilots that demonstrated a clear connection between brainwave activity and performance. In his work, he found that pilots capable of returning to an alpha state after performing tasks were able to perform consistently better and with fewer errors.<br clear="all">

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<p><a href="#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]--></a> The American
Academy of pediatrics, as well as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has
deemed that a high theta/beta ratio is an indicator of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder. This number is often high when one’s alpha has slowed to the theta
range (Gunkelman, 2014).</p>

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