(03) 5593 2934 | Geelong & Camperdown · Telehealth Australia-wide
Patient portal | AHPRA registered
Composite 1 · Mood

Anxiety, alongside CBT.

A composite illustration of how we structure the brain-side work for adult anxiety patients already engaged in cognitive-behavioural therapy. HRV biofeedback first, swLORETA-guided neurofeedback layered in, the CBT continues unchanged.

AHPRA-registered clinician-led Clinical-grade qEEG hardware Co-care with your GP & psychologist Geelong · Camperdown · Australia-wide

Composite case study. Anonymised, illustrative, built from many similar presentations. Not a single patient. No clinical outcome claims. Individual responses vary.

The presentation

Where the patient typically arrives.

A working professional in their thirties or forties has been seeing a clinical psychologist for 8–18 months for generalised anxiety, sometimes with an OCD or social-anxiety overlay. The therapy has been good. They’ve done the cognitive work, they understand their patterns, they have a CBT toolkit. But progress has plateaued. The body keeps reacting before the mind catches up. The autonomic system isn’t getting the memo.

Sleep is fragmented. They wake at 3am with the mind already racing. Daytime function is acceptable but expensive — they push through, then crash on weekends. Their psychologist has suggested looking at the brain-side of the work, and the patient arrives curious but cautious.

What the qEEG often shows

A characteristic over-arousal pattern.

In presentations like this, the qEEG often shows an over-aroused cortical signature — elevated high-frequency beta across frontal and central sites, sometimes with reduced alpha at rest, and an autonomic profile that confirms the picture (low heart-rate variability, sympathetic-dominant breathing pattern, elevated electrodermal activity even at “rest”). The 14-network screen typically flags Limbic, Salience, and sometimes Default Mode networks as out-of-balance.

This isn’t a diagnosis — it’s a measurement-led picture. It tells us where the work is most likely to help.

How the plan is structured

Three weights, in this order.

  1. HRV biofeedback as the foundation. Start here. Resonant-frequency breath-pattern training, both in-session and as daily home practice. Strong evidence base, well-tolerated, and gives the autonomic system a predictable signal to recalibrate to. Most patients see HRV shifts within the first 6–10 sessions.
  2. swLORETA-guided neurofeedback toward the limbic and salience picture. Once the autonomic ground is settling, we layer in the cortical work — 30-minute sessions targeting the specific regions identified on the qEEG. The protocol gets refined through the programme as the picture changes.
  3. The CBT continues unchanged. We don’t replace the psychological work — we run alongside it. With the patient’s consent, we send a short summary to their psychologist after the qEEG and at programme conclusion, so the picture stays integrated.
How the plan adapts

The Daily Diary does the watching between sessions.

The Tier 2 portal runs alongside the in-clinic work from day one. The patient logs mood, energy, sleep, symptoms, and protocol adherence each day in under a minute. Three things happen with that data:

  • The patient gets daily insight cards drawn from their own logged patterns — not pre-written content. If sleep deteriorates while symptoms rise, the card responds to that.
  • The clinic sees flags. If protocol adherence drops, or symptoms escalate over several days, the red-flag system alerts the team.
  • At Week 12 we re-image. The before / after qEEG comparison goes alongside the diary data — a measured picture rather than a remembered one.

The Week 12 review is honest. If the picture has moved, we say so. If it hasn’t, we say that too — and we revisit the formulation together.

Who this composite fits

Who tends to find the brain-side work useful here.

  • People already engaged in psychological therapy who want to add an autonomic-regulation and brain-side layer.
  • Patients whose anxiety has a strong somatic / autonomic component — chest tightness, racing heart, sleep arousal — even when cognitive work has helped.
  • Those who prefer a measurement-led adjunct over adding more medication, where their treating doctor is comfortable with that approach.

For more on what we work with: Anxiety on the Who-we-help cluster. For the modality detail: HRV biofeedback · Neurofeedback.

Scope & safety

We work alongside — not in place of — primary medical and psychological care. We do not diagnose neurological or psychiatric conditions from EEG, and we do not prescribe or alter medication. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 000 or Lifeline 13 11 14.

The same methodology, every tier

Examination, not assumption.

14 brain networks. Quantitative measurement at the start, the middle, and the end. Co-care with your GP and psychologist — we work alongside, not instead of.

Step 1

Examine

19-channel quantitative EEG, processed against age-matched norms via NeuroGuide. swLORETA source localisation maps activity to specific networks.

Step 2

Intervene

swLORETA-guided neurofeedback paired with HRV biofeedback at resonant frequency. Network-targeted protocols, not one-size-fits-all.

Step 3

Re-measure

qEEG comparison at mid-cycle and end of programme. If the data isn’t moving in the expected direction, we change the plan — not the calendar.

One methodology across every tier — from the free Snapshot through to the in-clinic 12-week programme.

Four tiers of care

Start anywhere. Step up when you’re ready.

Every tier uses the same methodology — examination first, then targeted intervention. Choose the depth that fits your concern, your timeline, and your budget.

Tier 0 Free · ~10 min

Brain Health Snapshot

A short educational questionnaire screening your three core networks — Default Mode, Salience and Central Executive — with a personalised starting protocol.

  • No card required
  • ~10 minutes
  • Personalised protocol emailed

Take the Snapshot →

Tier 1 $67 one-time

Brain Health Assessment

Full 14-network mapping, 16-region BRLF screening, a 30-day guided programme and content library — lifetime access, re-take any time.

  • Full 14-network mapping
  • 30-day guided programme
  • Lifetime access

Tier 1 details →

Tier 2 $249 to start, then $29/mo

Brain Health Progress

Everything in Tier 1, plus a Polar H10 sensor shipped to you, real-time HRV biofeedback in the NeuroZen app, a daily 3-minute diary, AI-driven weekly feedback and monthly progress reports.

  • Polar H10 + NeuroZen app
  • Daily diary, weekly AI feedback
  • Monthly progress reports

See Tier 2 →

All tiers complement, not replace, your GP, psychologist, or psychiatrist. We co-care.

Two ways to begin

Your brain... Your choice.

Examination, not assumption.

Take the free Brain Health Snapshot to orient yourself, or book a consultation with Dr Ash Connell. Both are easy to step away from, and either way you’ll leave with a clearer picture of what’s actually going on.

Or call (03) 5593 2934 — reception will take a few details and call you back within one business day.

Book Now