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Kasia McCartney

Profile

Kasia McCartney is a PhD candidate in Integrative Medicine and Applied Psychophysiology with a profound interest in psychoneuroimmunology, epigenetics, and holistic, neurophysiologically-informed therapies. Based in Edinburgh, she is the founder of Encephalon, a pioneering neurotechnology practice where she integrates multiple Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) systems to support individuals with developmental and neurological disorders.

Her clinical work focuses on neurofeedback and cutting-edge neurotechnologies, addressing conditions such as ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Functional Neurological Disorder (FND). She is currently working with a large population of individuals diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease (MND), applying BCI-based interventions aimed at restoring motor function and enhancing quality of life.

Kasia is also engaged in ongoing research exploring the neural correlates of alexithymia—particularly its relevance to FND and emotion regulation. Her academic work aims to bridge the gap between emerging neuroscience and real-world clinical applications, highlighting the intricate connections between emotional processing, brain function, and somatic symptoms.

An experienced educator and speaker, Kasia regularly delivers training and lectures on the efficacy of neurofeedback and integrative approaches to neurodevelopmental and neurological conditions. She is scheduled to present at the upcoming Annual Neuroscience and Psychiatry Conference, where she will discuss Functional Neurological Disorder and Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures (PNES), contributing to a growing interdisciplinary dialogue around mind-body medicine.

Through her research, clinical innovation, and educational outreach, Kasia is dedicated to advancing compassionate, science-backed care that empowers individuals and supports long-term wellbeing.

Experience with neurofeedback

  • works with Neurofeedback since 2021

Course portfolio

  • Neurofeedback Basic Courses
  • Neurofeedback Immersion Day
  • Introductary webinars

Languages

  • English
Andrea Icking

Andrea Icking

Profile

Andrea Icking is a qualified psychologist with training in humanistic, depth psychological and systemic therapy methods and an additional qualification as a clinical psychologist, BDP (Association of German Psychologists).

For the longest time of her professional life, she worked in various large companies in human resources and organisational development or in corporate development and acquired her MBA degree parallel. Her entire professional life was accompanied by a strong interest in the results of recent brain research and the resulting treatment options. Thus, she became increasingly aware of the successes of neurofeedback training and set up her own psychological practice for neurofeedback in Bremen in 2019. Her treatment successes and the demand motivate and confirm her every day anew.

Experience with neurofeedback

  • works with Neurofeedback since 2019

Course portfolio

  • Basic Trainings

Languages

  • German
  • English

Additional offers

  • Supervision for individuals 

Mental Health Week at Bee Medic

03. May 2023

Along with physical health, mental health is a central factor in assessing quality of life. The relevance of mental health can be illustrated in particular by looking back at the past years. According to a recent longitudinal study from 2023, incidence rates of depression and anxiety disorders were significantly higher during the Covid 19 pandemic than at a comparable time before the pandemic (Bower, 2023). However, the long-term effects of the pandemic on people's mental health have not yet been exhaustively researched.

The theme is also being taken up as part of the European Mental Health Week, which is taking place for the fourth time this year from 22-28 May. As people's mental health is always a universal issue, this year's action week is themed: Mentally Healthy Communities.


Whether young or old, we all need more understanding, knowledge and skills to maintain and improve our mental health. This is why it is crucial to promote community mental health, as mentally healthy communities allow us to live without fear of stigma and discrimination. The aim is to promote understanding and acceptance of mental health in our communities, schools, workplaces and homes, so that every person can feel well and thrive at every stage of life.

grüne Schleife
Neurofeedback and mental health

And we also want to follow this motto during the European Mental Health Week. Therefore, we would like to talk about Neurofeedback, which can be a building block in the therapy of mental illnesses. Neurofeedback aims to improve the brain's ability to self-regulate and thus, above all, to alleviate symptoms of mental illness. By focusing on symptom improvement, Neurofeedback brings a certain lightness to the therapy, because it usually becomes clear very quickly whether patients respond to Neurofeedback. The first successes are motivating and performance-oriented people usually find a good approach to Neurofeedback because it does not "feel like therapy". The setting is relaxing and the brain does the Neurofeedback "by itself". And also for therapists, Neurofeedback usually means calm work and thus also relief and ease in everyday therapy.

 

Expert talk for mental health of therapists

That's why we're talking about Neurofeedback and mental health in an exciting webinar on 22 May. with Neurofeedback experts Dr.rer.nat. Meike Wiedemann and Veronika Kreitmayr. In their webinar, the two will present, among other things, that the topic of mental health is an essential factor in our quality of life. mental health is an essential factor in our quality of life, which has come into focus in recent years. has come into focus in recent years. A central focus of the webinar will be the of the webinar will be the discussion of the mental health of therapists, as this is often pushed into the background as a result of stressful working days. The two lecturers will explain what mental health actually means, how Neurofeedback can help many patients and how it can relieve the therapist's daily therapy routine.

 

The webinar will be held in German language.

You can register for the free webinar on 22 May via this link.   

 

Quellen:
Bower, M.; Smout, S.; Donohoe-Bales, A.; O'Dean, S.; Teesson, L.; Boyle, J.; Lim, D.; Nguyen, A.; Calear, A.L.; Batterham, P.J.; Gournay, K.; Teesson, M. (2023): Eine versteckte Pandemie? Ein Überblick über die globalen Erkenntnisse zur psychischen Gesundheit in der Zeit von Covid-19. Front Psychiatry. Online veröffentlicht 2023 Mar 8. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1107560.
Mental Health Europe (2023): Europäische Woche der psychischen Gesundheit - Mental Health Europe (mhe-sme.org).

Sleep as a symptom - the importance of sleep and how Neurofeedback can help with sleep problems.

17. March 2023

We all know of the importance of sleep, which we notice in particular when we have problems with it: Difficulties falling asleep and sleeping through the night, constantly waking up and having trouble getting back to sleep - sleep disorders are multifaceted, and so are their causes. In this blog post we want to explain why sleep is so important, what the consequences of poor sleep can be and how Neurofeedback can help with sleep problems.

 

If you sleep a lot, you sleep well, right?


Of course, it's not quite that simple. The need for sleep differs according to age and gender. Generally, women need more sleep than men and children more than adults. But also other factors influence our need for sleep such as season, habit, health or life circumstances (Hirshkowitz et al., 2015). In Central Europe, the average sleep duration is seven hours per day, varying between five and nine hours. However, the duration of sleep does not necessarily say anything about the quality of sleep and the feeling of being refreshed (Crönlein et al., 2017). Whether we feel refreshed and fit throughout the day depends primarily on our subjective perception.

 

What are the different sleep types?  


Science distinguishes between three chronotypes: Evening, morning and normal type. These differ in their time of peak performance, alertness and sleep preference (Crönlein et al., 2017). As the word already suggests, the morning type is particularly efficient in the morning hours and has difficulty staying awake for a long time in the evening. The evening type on the other side can achieve high performance especially at a later hour and finds the morning hours torturous. However, these two extreme types are rather rare (Crönlein et al., 2017). The normal type is most often found in society. These people wake up neither particularly early nor late, so they are a mixed type of the "lark" (morning type) and "owl" (evening type).

 

How do we know when we need to sleep?


Clearly, when we are tired. But why do we get tired? Regardless of whether we are evening, morning or normal type, our tiredness and the urge to sleep is caused by two factors: the circadian rhythm and the hormone adenosine. The circadian rhythm is, so to speak, the "inner clock" that our organism and all our cells follow. It lasts about 24 hours (hence the term circadian, which is derived from the Latin word circa, roughly meaning day). Among other things, this circadian rhythm influences hormone release and metabolic processes, including the sleep-wake rhythm. By releasing the hormone melatonin this rhythm signals the body to sleep. But melatonin is not the only thing that makes us tired. Our cells work at full speed all day and need energy. This produces adenosine. The longer the day, the more adenosine accumulates in the body. And the more adenosine accumulates  in the body, the higher the sleep pressure becomes and we get tired. During sleep, the adenosine is broken down again and the sleep pressure decreases over night. When we wake up, the process starts all over again (Birbaumer & Schmidt, 2010).

 

What happens in case of a lack of sleep - sleep as a symptom


Different types of sleep disorders can be distinguished: Insomnias, hypersomnias, parasomnias, sleep-wake rhythm disorders or motor disorders such as restless leg syndrome (Spiegelhalder, Backhaus & Riemann, 2011). Between 2010 and 2017, the number of sleep disorders among working people increased by 66%, with about one in ten people suffering from insomniac complaints (DAK, 2017). These include problems falling asleep, sleeping through the night and not getting restful sleep.


Who can’t relate? Stress at work, bad sleep at night which causes low performance at work the next day - a vicious circle. It seems logical that this is not good for our organism, but what exactly are the consequences of sleep disorders? If we do not sleep well, increased risk of falling asleep, a lack of energy and motivation, tension, headaches, moods and concentration problems can be the consequence (DAK, 2017). And mental disorders can also worsen as a result of lack of sleep (Crönlein et al., 2017). Sleep quality and an exact assessment of sleep problems are therefore an important part of the assessment before Neurofeedback therapy.

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Sleep as a symptom - How neurofeedback can help 


Because sleep problems often occur as a symptom of other diseases, Neurofeedback can be used for various sleep problems. Especially at the beginning of Neurofeedback therapy, sleep is an important indicator to determine suitable starting positions for ILF Neurofeedback. It makes a difference whether patients have difficulties falling asleep or problems sleeping through the night, which means they need better regulation of the sleep phases. A combination of both can also be present. It influences which electrode positions one starts with in ILF Neurofeedback. 

Furthermore, sleep disorders are a well-describable symptom that causes a high level of suffering for many of those affected. The effects are noticeable in everyday life. Sleep is therefore often a symptom where the first treatment successes with ILF Neurofeedback can become visible quickly. For many patients, being able to fall asleep or sleep through the night "at last" brings a significant improvement to everyday life.

Studies also support the positive effects of Neurofeedback on sleep disorders. For example, study participants reported a subjective improvement in their sleep quality and better performance during the day (Hammer et al., 2011; Schabus et al., 2013). Neurofeedback can also minimise sleep latency, i.e. the time needed from going to bed to actually falling asleep (Wu et al., 2021). Another study shows that sleep problems in burnout patients could be improved (Kratzke et al., 2020). 

ADHD patients in particular report sleep problems repeatedly. An improvement of these problems was observed through SMR Neurofeedback training (Arns, Feddema & Kenemans, 2014). An explanation for this is given in a review article by Arns & Kenemans (2014), in which the effects of Neurofeedback on the so-called sleep spindle circuit are discussed. Increased sleep spindle density leads to a normalisation of insomnia, which in turn reduces ADHD symptoms. "In a [...] randomised controlled trial, 27 healthy adults were trained with SMR conditioning to improve sleep and declarative learning. After 10 sessions, positive changes were observed in sleep parameters such as sleep spindles and latency to fall asleep" (author's translation, Hoedlmoser et al., 2008).

Sleep problems were also improved in a patient treated with ILF Neurofeedback in a virtual reality setting. These improvements persisted after a one-year follow-up. (Orakpo et al., 2021). In another case study, treatment with ILF Neurofeedback in the virtual reality setting improved a patient's pain-related insomnia. Again, the sustained improvement was confirmed after one year (Orakpo et al., 2022).

Based on current research and clinical experience, Neurofeedback can be a useful therapeutic component in the treatment of insomnia or symptoms of disturbed sleep. We are currently working with other researchers to support further Neurofeedback studies. 

For more detailed information on Neurofeedback and scientific work, please contact us.

 

 

 

Sources:


Arns, M., Feddema, I. & Kenemans, J. L. (2014) Differential effects of theta/beta and SMR neurofeedback in ADHD on sleep onset latency. Front. Hum. Neurosci. 8, 1–10.


Birbaumer, N., Schmidt, R. (2010) Wach-Schlaf-Rhythmus und Aufmerksamkeit, in: Schmidt, R. F.,Lang, F.,Heckmann, M. (Hrsg.), Physiologie des Menschen, 31., überarbeitete und aktualisierte Auflage, Heidelberg, Springer Medizin-Verlag, 181–200.


Crönlein T, Galetke W, Young P. (2017) Schlaf und Schlafmedizin – Grundlagen. In: Crönlein T, Galetke W, Young P, Hrsg. Schlafmedizin 1×1. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin, Heidelberg.


Hammer, B. U., Colbert, A. P., Brown, K. A. & Ilioi, E. C. (2011). Neurofeedback for insomnia: A pilot study of Z-score SMR and individualized protocols. Appl. Psychophysiol. Biofeedback 36, 251–264.


Hirshkowitz, M., Whiton, K., Albert, S. M., Alessi, C., Bruni, O., DonCarlos, L., Hazen, N., Herman, J.,


Katz, E. S., Kheirandish-Gozal, L., Neubauer, D. N., O'Donnell, A. E., Ohayon, M., Peever, J., Rawding, R., Sachdeva, R. C., Setters, B., Vitiello, M. V., Ware, J. C., Adams Hillard, P. J. (2015) National Sleep Foundation's sleep time duration recommendations: methodology and results summary. Sleep health 1, 1, 40–43.


Hoedlmoser, K., Pecherstorfer, T., Gruber,G., Anderer, P., Doppelmayr, M., Klimesch, W., Schabus, M. (2008) Instrumental Conditioning of Human Sensorimotor Rhythm (12-15 Hz) and Its Impact on Sleep as Well as Declarative Learning. SLEEP 31, 1401–1408.


Kratzke, I. M., Campbell, A., Yefimov, M. N., Mosaly, P. R., Adapa, K., Meltzer-Brody, S., Farrell, T. M., Mazur, L. M. (2020) Pilot Study Using Neurofeedback as a Tool to Reduce Surgical Resident Burnout. Journal of the American College of Surgeons 232, 74-80.


Marschall, J., Hildebrandt, S., Sydow, H., Nolting, H.-D. (2017) Gesundheitsreport 2017. Analyse der Arbeitsunfähigkeitsdaten. Update: Schlafstörungen, 1. Auflage, Heidelberg, Neckar, medhochzwei Verlag.


Orakpo, N., Vieux, U. & Castro-nuñez, C. (2021) Case Report : Virtual Reality Neurofeedback Therapy as a Novel Modality for Sustained Analgesia in Centralized Pain Syndromes. Front. Hum. Neurosci 12, 3–7.


Orakpo, N., Yuan, C., Olukitibi, O., Burdette, J., Arrington, K. (2022) Does Virtual Reality Feedback at Infra-Low Frequency Improve Centralized Pain With Comorbid Insomnia While Mitigating Risks for Sedative Use Disorder?: A Case Report. Front. Hum. Neurosci 16, 1-5.


Schabus, M., Heib, D. P. J., Lechinger, J., Griessenberger, H., Klimesch, W., Pawlizki, A., Kunz, A. B., Sterma, B. M., Hoedlmoser, K. (2013) Enhancing sleep quality and memory in insomnia using instrumental sensorimotor rhythm conditioning. Biol. Psychol. 95, 126–134.


Spiegelhalder, K., Backhaus, J. & Riemann, D. (2011) Schlafstörungen (2. Aufl.). Hogrefe eLibrary: Band 7. Hogrefe.


Wu, Y., Fang, S., Chen, S., Tai, C. & Tsai, P. (2021) Effects of Neurofeedback on Fibromyalgia : A Randomized Controlled Trial. Pain Manag. Nurs. 21, 755-763.
 

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