The Brain Trainer

In the U.S., neurofeedback is a semi-regulated discipline practiced by doctors and clinical psychologists, among others. But in Canada, the field remains unregulated, with neither an association nor official guidelines, for training or for practitioners themselves.

Dr. Pavlov has become its de facto Canadian champion. An M.D. and homeopath, he says neurofeedback is the wave of the future, one that will see humans “challenge the two-hundred-year barrier,” living longer because they can better physically and emotionally control themselves. “The philosophy is not that we can change the environment, but we can change ourselves, our level of flexibility and way we adjust to the environment,” he says, his voice rising.

Details about Dr. Pavlov and his practice are difficult to pin down. Unwilling to disclose how many clients he treats, he says only that he had worked for twelve straight hours the day before. He is coy about the similarities between his name and that of the earlier Pavlov, who is best known for his experiments with a different kind of control. One of the main “goals” of this article, Dr. Pavlov tells me, is to raise awareness that neurofeedback exists. In an e-mail, he makes it clear that he has taken the highly unusual step of questioning people who were interviewed for this article.

Several of Pavlov’s clients say neurofeedback has helped them change their lives. One after the other, they recount how they’ve lost weight, gained confidence, cast away negative thoughts, learned to focus, speak more easily in public, or take business risks.

Gloria says that neurofeedback has helped improve her performance on the tennis court. “I travel a lot and I used to become really, really stressed, especially when I had exams the next day. Now, I know how to work on my breathing and to concentrate. It’s great.”

The lack of hard scientific data has not put off André Fournier, director of the French-language National Coaching Institute, but neither is he fully convinced. He’s the one who suggested the training for athletes Gloria and Gamache, after the Quebec government granted research funding in 2001 to explore new kinds of training and support for athletes. “This is one track to explore,” he says. “It’s too early to say what its effects are.”