Turn down your amygdala to modify your emotions

Training your brain to treat itself is a promising therapy for traumatic stress. Training employs an auditory or visual signal that corresponds to the activity of a particular brain region. It is believed that the technique, called neurofeedback, can guide people in regulating their brain activity. Treating stress-related disorders requires accessing the amygdala, the brain's emotional hub. Located deep in the brain the amygdala is difficult to access with typical neurofeedback methods. 

A study published in Biological Psychiatry tested a new imaging method that provided reliable neurofeedback on the level of amygdala activity using electroencephalography (EEG). It allows people to adjust their emotional responses through self-regulation of its activity. The study involved healthy subjects and so the tool will still need to be tested in people who have suffered real-life trauma. According to the researchers the new technique has significant clinical implications.