There is a version of better that does not require taking a pill every morning for the rest of your life. For the clients who come to us, neurofeedback therapy is often the missing piece they did not know they were looking for.
Medication managed the symptoms. Therapy gave them tools. But something still felt unfinished, and what they actually wanted was a real, lasting change. If that sounds familiar, you are in the right place.
At the Center for Neurocognitive Excellence (DCNE), we offer the industry Gold Standard QEEG-guided neurofeedback therapy for adults and children living with ADHD, anxiety, depression, PTSD, and more. Neurofeedback is an in-person service, available at our K Street office in Washington, DC, and we welcome clients from Maryland and Virginia as well.
Neurofeedback is a non-invasive therapy that measures your brainwave activity in real time and uses that data to guide your brain toward healthier, more stable patterns. Sessions deliver up to two forms of feedback — auditory and visual — that teaches your brain to function differently and toward your goals. The science behind it is neuroplasticity — your brain can rewire itself, and neurofeedback gives it the precise, data-guided support to do exactly that. We can actually see your brain adapting in real time!
Nothing is ever sent into your brain. No electric shocks, no magnets — just real-time feedback guiding your brain toward healthier patterns.
Every session is built around your brain's actual electrical activity, not a generic protocol. Your treatment is as individual as your brain.
Your brain is capable of change at any age. Neurofeedback gives it the precise, repeated signals it needs to build and maintain healthier patterns on its own.
Most clients watch Netflix or whatever they enjoy while the session runs quietly in the background. It is the most relaxed many people feel all week.
Neurofeedback tends to be a strong fit for people who are:
• Living with ADHD, anxiety, depression, PTSD, or chronic sleep difficulties
• Looking for an evidence-based option that does not rely solely on medication
• Ready to go beyond what talk therapy alone can address
• Recovering from brain fog related to a concussion, illness, or COVID
• Ready for a treatment with lasting results, not just ongoing symptom management
Not sure if it is the right next step? That's exactly why we offer a free 15-minute consultation. Our team conducts neurofeedback consultations because of how specialized this work is. Schuyler is also personally available for consultations. Our team will listen, answer your questions honestly, and give you a clear sense of whether this is the right fit for your situation. No generic intake process, no being handed off to someone else. If you want to know what to expect before you book, we walk through the whole thing here.
Neurofeedback works because most mental health conditions share something in common, dysregulated brainwave activity. Whether the issue is attention, mood, trauma, or sleep, the brain is involved.
DCNE uses neurofeedback as a primary or complementary treatment for:
One of the most researched applications of neurofeedback. As effective as stimulant medication for ADHD, without the side effects.
Elevated beta waves are almost always present in people with anxiety. Neurofeedback targets them directly.
When medication has not been enough, or you are ready to address it at the neurological level, neurofeedback offers a path that goes deeper.
Neurofeedback does not require you to talk about your trauma. It works with the nervous system directly. That distinction matters for many.
You do not need to stop any current medications to begin. Neurofeedback works alongside existing treatment, and many clients reduce or eliminate medication over time, always in close coordination with their prescribing provider.
Don't See Your Condition Listed?
Neurofeedback reaches further than most people expect. Sleep difficulties, stress and burnout, brain fog from a concussion, chemotherapy, COVID, substance use, and performance anxiety are all conditions we work with regularly.
Before your first neurofeedback session, we map your brain. A QEEG (Quantitative Electroencephalogram) is a 45-minute, non-invasive process where we place a cap with 19 electrodes on your scalp and record your brain's natural electrical activity. We take readings with your eyes open and closed because your brain does different things when your eyes are open versus closed. We want to see it all!
After your QEEG, Schuyler can sit down with you for a 30-minute consultation to review the results and connect what he sees to the symptoms you have been living with. More often than not, the map confirms exactly what our clients already knew about themselves but could never quite explain. For most people, seeing it on a map is the moment it all clicks.
We do a follow-up QEEG around session 30 to measure progress. The initial intake includes the cost of your first QEEG, and each follow-up after that is simply the cost of a regular session. Most clients are surprised by how much has changed when they see it on the map.
Once your brain map is complete, you settle in, pick something to watch, and let the session work. The screen dims and brightens, subtle sounds play in the background, and your brain starts learning. Sessions last about an hour and occur one to two times per week. Clients who come in more than once per week receive a $50 weekly discount, because consistency produces better outcomes.
After reviewing your QEEG, Schuyler recommends the approach best matched to your brain and goals. DCNE regularly uses:
• Amplitude Neurofeedback, which targets specific brainwave frequencies tied to your symptoms
• Z-Score Neurofeedback, which compares your brain activity to a normative database to identify where to focus
• Infra-Slow Fluctuation (ISF) Neurofeedback, which addresses very slow brain oscillations linked to stress regulation and resilience
Throughout treatment, if you’d like, you can also receive our email series walking you through what is happening and why, so you are never left guessing.
Most clients begin noticing changes within the first several weeks. The full process usually takes a few months. Schuyler personally reviews your results and adjusts your protocol throughout treatment based on how your brain is actually responding, as needed. Every session is building toward something measurable, and we show you that progress along the way.
Our Director, Schuyler Cunningham, LICSW, BCN, holds Board Certification in Neurofeedback from the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance (BCIA), the global gold standard for this credential. As of 2026, Schuyler is one of only five providers in Washington, DC who holds it. You are working with one of the most qualified neurofeedback providers in the DMV area.
Other practices skip the brain map and hope for the best. We map your brain first, because without that data, there is no way to know which areas need support or whether your protocol is actually working. Your QEEG becomes the foundation of your entire personalized treatment plan. Do not leave your brain up to chance. At DCNE, we do not guess.
Before founding DCNE, Schuyler served as a Principal Investigator at the National Institutes of Health, where he researched traumatic stress. He has published on neurofeedback in the Social Workers' Desk Reference Guide (Oxford University Press), co-authored ADHD and Neurofeedback Explained, and regularly trains other mental health providers in brain mapping and neurofeedback.
~50%
of people who received neurofeedback for ADHD experienced meaningful symptom reductions — with results lasting at least 12 months after treatment ended. Medication and therapy can’t make the same claim.
Peer-reviewed study · View study
Neurofeedback has been studied in labs for about 60 years. Its early claim to fame is a NASA study in which neurofeedback was used to correct the brainwave activity of astronauts whose brain patterns were jeopardizing their mission. They were developing seizures while in space due to exposure to the fumes of the rocket fuel causing seizures. Neurofeedback stopped the seizures.
Given that we are in DC and serve the greater DMV area, we may have even treated a few astronauts since then 🧑🏼🚀
Your brain is more capable of change than you might think. Neurofeedback therapy at DCNE gives it the data-driven support it needs to get there.
Your first conversation with us is free. Schedule online, text us at 202-998-ADHD (2343), or email us at [email protected]. Same-week appointments are typically available.
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