The treatment of addictive disorders by EEG biofeedback (or neurofeedback, as it often is called) was first popularized by the work of Eugene Peniston (Peniston and Kulkosky 1989, 1990, 1991; Saxby and Peniston 1995) and became popularly known as the Peniston Protocol. This approach employed independent auditory feedback of two slow brain-wave frequencies, alpha (8 to 13 Hz) and theta (4 to 8 Hz) in an eyes-closed condition to produce a hypnagogic state. Patients were taught before neurofeedback to use “success imagery” (being sober, refusing offers of alcohol, living confidently, and being happy) as they drifted down into an alpha-theta state. Repeated sessions reportedly resulted in long-term abstinence and changes in personality (cf. Sokhadze et al. 2008). Several studies have reported that the Peniston neurofeedback method has been effective in achieving abstinence and improving cognitive and behavioral symptoms (cf. Saxby and Peniston 1995). For example, Saxby and Peniston (1995) reported that only 1 of 14 patients had relapsed by 21 months after neurofeedback training.
