Neurofeedback After a Concussion: What It Can and Can’t Do
The scans came back normal. The doctor said it was "just a concussion." But weeks or even months later, something still feels off: you lose your train of thought mid-sentence, you snap at people you love, your sleep is a mess, and the headaches keep coming back. If that sounds familiar, you may be wondering whether neurofeedback after a concussion could help your brain find its footing again.
I'm Dr. Matt McKeithan, a licensed clinical psychologist, and I offer in-office neurofeedback with qEEG brain mapping at BrainFit Studio in Simpsonville. Many of the families and adults I hear from in Greer, Travelers Rest, and across Upstate South Carolina are dealing with lingering post-concussion symptoms and want honest answers. So here they are: what neurofeedback can reasonably offer, what it can't, and how it should fit alongside medical care rather than replace it.
Key takeaways
Neurofeedback is not a treatment for an acute concussion. Right after an injury, follow your medical team's guidance and return-to-learn and return-to-play protocols.
Danger signs like a worsening headache, repeated vomiting, seizures, slurred speech, or one pupil larger than the other need emergency care right away.
For lingering symptoms weeks or months later (focus, irritability, sleep, mood, headaches), neurofeedback may be a supportive add-on, but the research is still limited and preliminary.
A qEEG brain map can show patterns in electrical activity that help guide training. It cannot diagnose a concussion or replace medical imaging or a neurological exam.
The best recovery plans are usually a team effort: medical follow-up, vestibular or vision therapy when indicated, counseling, and, for some people, neurofeedback.
What is neurofeedback, and how might it relate to concussion recovery?
Neurofeedback is a non-invasive form of brain training. Sensors on the scalp read your brain's electrical activity (EEG), and you get real-time feedback through a video, sound, or game when your brain moves toward steadier, more regulated patterns. After a concussion, the goal is to give a brain that feels "dysregulated" structured practice in settling, focusing, and shifting gears.
Nothing is sent into your brain. The sensors only listen. You sit comfortably, watch or listen, and the feedback does the teaching. It's a bit like physical therapy for brain rhythms: repetition, gentle challenge, and practice over time.
If you want to talk through whether this could make sense for you or your teen, you can book a free 15-minute consultation.
First things first: when a concussion needs emergency care
Before we talk about brain training, I want to be very clear about safety. According to the CDC's HEADS UP program, you should call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department if someone shows any of these danger signs after a bump, blow, or jolt to the head:
A headache that gets worse and does not go away
Repeated nausea or vomiting
Convulsions or seizures
Slurred speech, weakness, numbness, or decreased coordination
Unusual behavior, increased confusion, restlessness, or agitation
Loss of consciousness, increasing drowsiness, or being unable to wake up or stay awake
Not recognizing people or places
One pupil larger than the other, or double vision
For infants and toddlers, the CDC adds inconsolable crying and refusing to nurse or eat.
In the days and weeks after a concussion, the right care comes from a physician or concussion specialist. That includes graded return-to-learn and return-to-play plans, which schools and youth sports leagues use for good reason. Neurofeedback is not a substitute for any of this, and it is not something I offer for a fresh injury.
Why do concussion symptoms last for weeks or months?
Most people recover from a concussion within days to weeks. But a meaningful number don't, and they often feel dismissed because their imaging is normal.
In a large 2016 study published in JAMA, Zemek and colleagues followed more than 2,500 children and teens seen in emergency departments for concussion. About 31% still had persistent post-concussion symptoms 28 days later. In adults, the TRACK-TBI study of patients seen at U.S. Level I trauma centers found that 53% of those with mild TBI still reported some functional limitations a year after injury (compared with 38% of people with orthopedic injuries). Those are trauma-center patients, so they don't represent every concussion, but the message is clear: lingering symptoms are real, common, and not "all in your head" in the dismissive sense.
The CDC lists post-concussion symptoms across four areas:
Physical: headaches, dizziness or balance problems, sensitivity to light or noise, fatigue, vision problems
Thinking and memory: trouble concentrating, feeling slowed down, foggy or groggy, memory problems
Emotional: irritability, anxiety, sadness, feeling more emotional
Sleep: sleeping more or less than usual, trouble falling asleep
The CDC also notes that people with a history of repeated concussions may have a longer recovery and longer-lasting problems with concentration, memory, headache, or balance.
Lingering symptoms often have more than one cause
When symptoms drag on, it's rarely just one thing. Neck injury can drive headaches. An inner-ear (vestibular) problem can cause dizziness and fogginess. Eye-teaming problems can make reading exhausting. Poor sleep makes everything worse. And the stress of not feeling like yourself, missing school or work, or being benched from the sport you love can lead to real anxiety and depression. That's why a good recovery plan looks at the whole person.
What can a qEEG brain map show after a concussion, and what can't it?
At BrainFit Studio, in-office neurofeedback starts with a qEEG brain map. A qEEG records brain electrical activity at rest and compares it with a reference database. It can show patterns, such as areas of unusually high slow-wave activity or reduced coordination between regions, that may line up with what someone is experiencing.
Here is what I want everyone to understand:
A qEEG can: give us a picture of your brain's electrical patterns, help guide where and how we train, and offer a baseline we can revisit.
A qEEG cannot: diagnose a concussion, rule out bleeding or structural injury, replace a CT or MRI when your doctor recommends one, or predict exactly how you'll recover.
I think of the brain map as one useful lens, not the final word. I always read it alongside your history, your symptoms, and what your medical providers have found.
Does neurofeedback help post-concussion symptoms? What the research says
I'll be direct: the research on neurofeedback after a concussion is promising in places, but it's limited and preliminary.
A 2013 literature review by May and colleagues in Annals of Clinical Psychiatry looked at 22 studies of neurofeedback for traumatic brain injury. All reported some improvement, but placebo-controlled studies were lacking and the designs varied too much to calculate overall effect sizes. The authors called neurofeedback promising but still experimental.
A 2020 systematic review by Ali, Viczko, and Smart in the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society focused on cognitive rehabilitation after acquired brain injury. Only four studies met their standards, and results were inconsistent. They could not draw firm conclusions.
A 2025 randomized trial by Carlson and colleagues in Explore studied infra-low-frequency neurofeedback in combat Veterans with post-concussive headache, sleep, and attention problems. Participants who completed twenty half-hour sessions showed significant improvements in headache, sleep, attention, mood, and PTSD symptoms. That's encouraging, though the comparison group received brief health discussions rather than sham neurofeedback, and not everyone who enrolled completed the study.
A 2025 systematic review of psychological treatments for post-concussion symptoms lasting more than a year (Smith and colleagues, Neuropsychological Rehabilitation) included neurofeedback among the approaches studied, but found CBT had the strongest evidence and that the overall evidence base is "still very much in its infancy."
My honest summary: neurofeedback after a concussion is a reasonable option to consider for lingering symptoms, especially when sleep, focus, irritability, or mood are part of the picture. It is not a proven cure, and it works best as one piece of a broader plan. If someone promises you guaranteed results, please be cautious. You can see more of the research I follow on our research page.
Why this work is personal for me
I don't write about brain injury from a distance. I once went from being a divorced, homeless Veteran living with a brain injury (TBI), PTSD, and depression to being a happily remarried father of four and a licensed psychologist, and I credit excellent therapy for so much of that change.
That's why I take lingering symptoms seriously and why I'm careful never to oversell any single tool. Recovery for me wasn't one thing. It was the right help, from the right people, over time.
There's a line from Hippocrates that I come back to often:
"Men ought to know that from the brain, and from the brain only, arise our pleasures, joys, laughter and jests, as well as our sorrows, pains, griefs and tears."
— Hippocrates (Hippocratic Corpus), The Sacred Disease, trans. W. H. S. Jones (1923)
More than 2,400 years ago, the Hippocratic writers understood something people with post-concussion symptoms feel every day. When your brain is hurting, it isn't only your memory or your focus that suffers. It's your patience, your mood, your sense of humor, your ability to enjoy the people you love. Caring for the brain is caring for all of that.
How neurofeedback fits alongside medical care and other therapies
For lingering post-concussion symptoms, I see neurofeedback as one member of a team. Depending on your symptoms, that team might include:
Your physician or a concussion specialist for ongoing medical follow-up, headache management, and decisions about return to activity
Vestibular therapy (often with a physical therapist) for dizziness and balance problems
Vision therapy or a neuro-optometry evaluation when reading, screens, or eye strain are a problem
Physical therapy for the neck when neck injury is feeding headaches
Counseling for the anxiety, irritability, depression, or grief that often come with a slow recovery. At BrainFit Studio and Your Kind of Happy, that includes CBT, ACT, DBT skills, EMDR, and somatic approaches.
Cognitive training for attention and working memory, such as our cognitive training program
Neurofeedback to support regulation, sleep, and focus
I'm always glad to coordinate with your other providers, with your permission. Please keep your physician informed about any training you start.
A note for parents of student athletes
Youth sports are a big part of life across the Upstate, and concussions happen. If your child is in the early recovery window, follow your doctor and school's return-to-learn and return-to-play plans. The CDC notes that getting students back to school with the right supports can actually shorten recovery. If symptoms are still lingering weeks later, that's when it may make sense to talk about whether a brain map and neurofeedback could help.
And a word of solidarity to every parent who has driven home from practice with a gear bag in a hot car: no brain map can measure that smell, but I'm convinced it activates every region of the brain at once. Crack the windows. You're doing great.
What in-office neurofeedback after a concussion looks like
Our in-office program at 7 Hollingdale Ct in Simpsonville is a short drive for many families in Greer and Travelers Rest. Here's the process:
A 90-minute Brain Performance Assessment. This includes cognitive testing (working memory, attention, perception, and coordination; K–12 testing is available), a qEEG brain map, education about what we find, and a conversation about whether neurofeedback is a good fit right now.
A personalized protocol. Based on your map, history, and symptoms, I design a training plan.
A recommended session tier. Post-concussion symptoms often fit our 20-session tier focused on stabilization and regulation. A more significant or long-standing brain injury may fit our 40-session tier. Your assessment determines the recommendation.
Check-ins every session. Before each session you complete a brief self-report, and I adjust the protocol based on how you're sleeping, feeling, and functioning.
Some people notice that sessions leave them a bit tired at first, especially early in recovery. That's one reason I pace training carefully and adjust quickly. Ready to start? You can schedule your Brain Performance Assessment here.
A composite story: "I passed every test, but I don't feel like me"
The following is a composite of clients I've worked with, with details changed.
A high school athlete came in about four months after a concussion. The medical team had cleared him for school, and his imaging was normal, but he was exhausted by lunch, short-tempered at home, and couldn't fall asleep before 1 a.m. His parents described him as "a different kid." Alongside his physician's care and a few sessions of counseling focused on frustration and sleep habits, he started neurofeedback. Over several weeks his sleep came first, then his patience. His mom's favorite moment was the night he laughed at a family dinner joke again. He still had hard days, and we never knew exactly which piece of the plan helped most. But he felt like himself again, and that was the goal.
Frequently asked questions
How soon after a concussion can you start neurofeedback?
Neurofeedback isn't for the acute phase. I generally talk with people once they've been medically evaluated and symptoms have persisted beyond the expected recovery window, usually several weeks or more. Your physician should be aware of and comfortable with the plan.
Can a qEEG show whether I had a concussion?
No. A qEEG is not a diagnostic test for concussion and can't rule out bleeding or structural injury. It shows patterns in brain electrical activity that can help guide neurofeedback training.
How many neurofeedback sessions does it take after a concussion?
It depends on your symptoms and history. Post-concussion symptoms often fit a 20-session plan, while more significant or long-standing brain injury may call for 40. We track progress at every session and adjust as we go.
Is neurofeedback safe after a brain injury?
Neurofeedback is non-invasive, and the sensors only read brain activity. Some people feel temporarily tired, foggy, or headachy after a session, which is why I start gently and adjust the protocol based on your feedback.
How do I pay for it?
My practice is currently private pay, and I do not bill insurance. I can provide a superbill you may be able to submit for possible out-of-network reimbursement, and payment plans and financing for neurofeedback are available on our payments page.
Let's talk about your recovery
If you or your child are still struggling weeks or months after a concussion, you're not imagining it, and you don't have to sort it out alone. Let's look at the whole picture together.
Book a free 15-minute consultation to ask questions
Learn more about my integrative approach at yourkindofhappy.org
Read our neurofeedback overview
Not sure where to begin? A quick 15-minute call is a low-pressure first step, or, if you're ready, you can book your assessment today.
If you're in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline). If you notice any concussion danger signs, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.
Related articles from BrainFit Studio
About the author
Dr. Matthew McKeithan, Psy.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist in South Carolina and California with 15 years of experience working extensively with trauma. He provides integrative, trauma-focused care for adults, veterans, and first responders. He completed BCIA-approved didactic neurofeedback training and holds BrainPaint certification. BrainFit Studio, part of Your Kind of Happy, is a family-owned and operated practice, and Matt is a husband and father of four. He sees clients in person at the Simpsonville office (7 Hollingdale Ct) or by Zoom anywhere in South Carolina, and remote neurofeedback is available at home. Learn more on the About page.
Serving Upstate South Carolina: Greer, Travelers Rest, and the greater Greenville area.
This article is for educational purposes and isn't a substitute for an individual evaluation or medical advice.
Sources
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HEADS UP. Signs and symptoms of concussion (including danger signs). https://www.cdc.gov/heads-up/signs-symptoms/index.html
Zemek R, Barrowman N, Freedman SB, et al. Clinical risk score for persistent postconcussion symptoms among children with acute concussion in the ED. JAMA. 2016;315(10):1014–1025. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2016.1203
Nelson LD, Temkin NR, Dikmen S, et al. Recovery after mild traumatic brain injury in patients presenting to US Level I trauma centers: a TRACK-TBI study. JAMA Neurology. 2019;76(9):1049–1059. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaneurol.2019.1313
May G, Benson R, Balon R, Boutros N. Neurofeedback and traumatic brain injury: a literature review. Annals of Clinical Psychiatry. 2013;25(4):289–296. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24199220/
Ali JI, Viczko J, Smart CM. Efficacy of neurofeedback interventions for cognitive rehabilitation following brain injury: systematic review and recommendations for future research. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society. 2020;26(1):31–46. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1355617719001061
