State-of-the-art brain training, neurofeedback, biofeedback and neuroscience centre to help individuals sleep better and deal with mental and emotional issues.

 

With the Covid-19 pandemic, more people are having mental, emotional and sleep issues. As such Santiago Brand, who has 13 years in the field of brain training and brain mapping, has created MindLab here in Singapore, with Silvia Wetherell, a mental health counsellor.

He said: “I have learned that stress, anxiety, depression, eating disorders and divorce rates are on the rise in Singapore. Poor sleep has become the norm, not the exception. This is why I do what I do. At MindLab, we want to give people back their happiness, their joy, their peace of mind. We want to make them stronger and more resilient, and I do believe that training the brain is one of the best ways to achieve that.”

The first step at MindLab involves an initial assessment where the team learns how one’s brain and body work. This helps determine the best intervention to meet the individual’s needs. The process is completely personalised.

The assessment includes:

• Brain mapping (qEEG) – Specialised equipment is used to look at the electrical activity of one’s brain (brain waves), which then is converted into 3D images (pictures). This helps the team understand and explain to clients why they may be feeling, thinking or acting in a certain way.
• Psychophysiological stress profile – Biofeedback allows the team to monitor and train important physiological (body) functions such as breathing, heart rate, muscle tension and temperature. By observing and understanding these functions, they can design interventions that can help manage stress, anxiety, sleep and other variables affecting daily life.
• Computerised cognitive testing – This consists of a series of tasks and games where the team collects information about one’s brain and how it processes memory, reaction time and speed, executive functions, and other important skills that relate to health and performance.

The team provides clients with a comprehensive written report that explains all the findings from their brain map, stress profile and cognitive games.

After determining the most appropriate intervention, the team moves into the training phase with biofeedback and neurofeedback, where they teach clients to self-regulate by using their own brain and body signals. The fun part is that clients play a video game or a movie by solely using their brain, controlling the feedback with their brain waves and (in a way) thoughts.

This helps clients focus and concentrate more, sleep better, manage their stress and anxiety, feel happier, and enjoy work, life and basically everything related to their thoughts, emotions, and behaviours.

According to MindLab, neurofeedback is highly efficient for seniors with healthy central nervous systems. By optimising brain functioning, it can significantly reverse memory loss, help with essential tremors, improve sleep as well as learning, said MindLab.

MindLab also utilises progress tracking where the team constantly monitors their clients’ progress to ensure that they are on the right track and that their clients are fully benefitting from the training. They repeat the full assessment every 20 to 30 sessions.

An initial assessment which includes the brain map, stress profile, neurocognitive testing and report costs S$900. A stress profile costs S$250, while neurofeedback of 20 sessions is S$3,330 (payment options offered) and biofeedback of 10 sessions is S$1,850 (payment options offered). MindLab also offers counselling for 60 minutes at S$220.