Your Questions About IASIS Microcurrent Neurofeedback, Answered

IASIS Microcurrent Neurofeedback (MCN) is a gentle, non-invasive approach to nervous system support. It reads your brainwaves and responds with a very small, very brief signal, a bit like nudging a frozen computer to restart instead of rebuilding it. There’s nothing for you to do but sit back. Many clients report noticing changes in mood, focus, sleep, and overall well-being. If you have ever wondered why we do not just turn the signal up for a bigger effect, we wrote up why less is more in microcurrent neurofeedback.

Traditional neurofeedback asks you to actively watch your brainwave activity on a screen and mentally work to change it, a process that can take many sessions of conscious effort. IASIS MCN works passively. The microcurrent signal is so subtle you don't feel it, and no mental effort is required on your part. Many clients notice a shift within the first few sessions, though everyone is different.

Neurofeedback itself has roots going back to the 1960s. One of its best-known early stories involves Dr. Barry Sterman, a UCLA researcher studying the effects of rocket fuel exposure for NASA. He found that cats trained with an early form of neurofeedback were more resistant to seizures caused by the fuel, work that later carried over into research with people living with epilepsy. IASIS Technologies, the company behind the specific MCN system we use, was founded in 2010.

A brain map, or qEEG, is a genuinely useful tool. It is just built for a different kind of neurofeedback than ours. Traditional neurofeedback picks brainwave targets in advance and trains you toward them over thirty or forty sessions, so the provider needs a detailed map to aim with. The protocol is built from the map, which is exactly why that approach depends on having one.

IASIS MCN does not train. It reads what your nervous system is doing in the moment and responds to that with brief, very-low-intensity microcurrent feedback. There is no conscious effort on your part and no target to hit. So instead of one picture taken on a single day, every session responds to the brain you walked in with that day.

A simple way to think about it: a weather report tells you what yesterday looked like, while a thermostat responds to the room you are actually sitting in, and keeps responding. You do not need last week's forecast to get comfortable right now. So it is not that we skip the measuring. Ours just does not stop. It also means you are not paying several hundred dollars and waiting a couple of weeks before your first session.

For most people, it’s gentle. Microcurrent neurofeedback is non-invasive and drug-free, and the signal is very small: about 1.5 millivolts, according to a VA San Diego research study of the system, or roughly one-thousandth the voltage of an ordinary AA battery. Most clients don’t feel anything during a session.

It isn’t side-effect free, though, and we’d rather you hear that from us. We work with children, teens, and adults. If you’re pregnant, take prescription medication, or have a seizure disorder or another health condition, talk with your doctor first. Read our full safety page →

Your first session will last about an hour as we gather some initial information and get to know your situation. After that, sessions run around 30 minutes. We ask that you wear comfortable clothing and skip hair products like gels or sprays on session days, and avoid makeup on the forehead area, so we can get accurate sensor readings. Most people find sessions effortless and relaxing. There's nothing you need to concentrate on or do; just sit back and let the process work.

Most sessions take about 30 minutes. Your first visit will be closer to an hour as we complete an initial assessment and review your health history.

Sometimes, and they’re usually mild and short-lived. Some clients feel a little tired or unusually relaxed after a session, and it usually passes within a few hours. A small number of more sensitive people notice things like a lingering headache, nausea, or feeling spacey, wired, or lightheaded within about a day. Research describes these as rare and manageable.

Occasionally a brief “over-stim” response happens, especially if someone’s nervous system is already on high alert that day. When it does, we have a simple 25-second protocol to settle it. And if something ever feels overwhelming, call or text us, even after hours or on weekends, and come in for a short reset session, free for clients with a package. See the full list and how we handle it →

Effectiveness varies from person to person, so we're cautious about attaching one number to it. What we can tell you is what we often see: many clients notice meaningful shifts (in mood, focus, sleep, or overall calm) within their first few sessions, with changes tending to build across a full series. Our goal is to help each person reach what we call "lasting stability," a point where ongoing sessions are no longer needed and occasional tune-ups are enough to maintain progress. See how effectiveness unfolds, session by session →

Many clients notice initial shifts within one to three sessions. The total number depends on what you're working on, but many clients tell us that somewhere around 20 sessions is when things start to feel like a new baseline. Some people choose to schedule occasional tune-ups afterward, while many find that no further sessions are necessary at all.

Many clients describe changes that build with each session rather than resetting, and by the end of a full series, many describe changes that hold after their sessions end. Some clients never need to return; others enjoy an occasional tune-up to stay at their best. Individual experiences vary.

It's a fair question. We don't approach anxiety, ADHD, sleep, or mood as separate problems to fix. What many people dealing with them describe is a nervous system stuck in overdrive or worn down, and our sessions focus on that common thread, helping the nervous system settle, rather than on any one diagnosis. That's also why sessions are adjusted to how you respond, not to a label.

No. IASIS MCN is not intended to replace your current medications, and we never advise stopping or changing anything without guidance from your prescribing physician.

Some people find their needs shift over time, which is why we ask you to keep your prescriber in the loop throughout. Any change to a dose is a decision for you and your doctor, never something to do on your own, and we fully support you having that conversation.

Honestly, it's a fair question, and it surprises a lot of people to learn that neurofeedback has been around since the 1960s. The word itself doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, and awareness tends to travel person to person rather than through mainstream channels.

What we do know is that more and more families across Utah County are discovering it, often after years of trying other approaches, and finding it to be one of the most meaningful investments they've made in their brain health. If you found us, you're already ahead of the curve.