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I've been looking in to neurofeedback as a therapy for increasing focus, but I don't want to spend 100 dollars a session for 50 session to essentially play a video game that monitors my brain.

I was thinking all my Arduinos and Raspberry Pis might be able to do the job for me, not sure if there are brain sensors. At the very least, I don't think it could hurt (at least, it's probably more harmless than sleeping on neodymium magnet pillow).

Is there a way to get the same effect as a neurofeedback therapy session in my own home?

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  • I'm guessing this is a borderline question, I'm not asking for an ADHD cure or anything, just help to give me an indicator of what my brain is up to. – Peter Turner Mar 7 '19 at 15:50
  • I wouldn't bother as it's nothing more than a placebo – motosubatsu Mar 7 '19 at 16:53
  • @motosubatsu well, that's OK because my cobjobbed version wouldn't be any better than a placebo! – Peter Turner Mar 7 '19 at 18:12
  • You will get more help if you ask this question on Arduino SE rather than asking it on Lifehacks SE. Or you could also try Psychology SE if you want to other methods of treatment. – baba Mar 8 '19 at 8:51
  • Note: I just edited my answer to mention the Muse headband. It does something (and works), but I'm not sure what. – piojo Mar 11 '19 at 13:32
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I've discussed this with a neuroscience PhD student, and his answer was that you'd need to buy the helmet, or make one with plans from someone who really knows their stuff. He mentioned OpenBCI. (We discussed this a few years ago, but the small electronics scene hasn't changed much.) It looks like that kit costs $600-$850. There are other options, if you search for "open eeg".

The problem is in the analysis, according to my friend. How do you target what types of brain signals are what you want? My friend indicated that setting it up for biofeedback was pretty much infeasible without the help of an expert. I suspect you can find more detail on this problem in biohacking forums.

As for the instructable you referred to, I couldn't find any comments that said they made it and it worked. However, I did find comments pointing out serious flaws in the explanation of how the device is supposed to work.

Edit: Muse makes a headband and meditation app which does some amount of biofeedback, but having used a few times, I still can't say whether it works or is just detecting calmness (which is absolutely not the same as focus, nor is it the same as what your biofeedback is looking for).

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This thing has been 'invented' a long time ago - it's called meditation. I'm not knowledgeable enough on the topic to discuss it (and this is not the right place for it) but there are many different types of meditation depending on what you want to achieve (it is not just sitting in a lotus pose doing "om", if that's what you imagine). You may be interested in researching this.

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    Maybe you didn't understood the question. He wants to see the images of his brain using Arduino and Raspberry Pi. In simple words he wants to build an EEG kit himself – baba Mar 8 '19 at 8:29
  • Also keep in mind that the meditation type depends not only on goals, but on the person's affinity. Some people freak out with certain types of meditation, and unless you've drunk a whole lot of kool-aid, it would be more useful to look to a different type. – piojo Mar 11 '19 at 13:28
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By researching on the internet about what you have asked, I can say for sure that it is possible to make a DIY EEG using Arduino. I found many blogs and videos amoung which this Instructables post was the top search result. But I can't say how much accurate it will be. Obviously you can try building one as its quite cheaper than your per session cost. If you get the desired results, then you many keep using it.

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