qEEG Brain Mapping in Lakewood & Denver, Colorado
Many clients who inquire about therapy have spent years assuming their anxiety, lack of focus, or exhaustion is a personal flaw—something they should fix by trying harder.
Part of my passion for neurotherapy is the ability to gather as complete picture as possible of what may be driving those struggles at a neurological level. This is why my brain mapping assessment goes beyond a standard qEEG to include reaction-time testing (ERP) and heart rate variability (HRV). Often, what people discover from these findings is not a fundamental flaw in who they are, but rather a pattern in how their brain and body have learned to adapt to stress.
What Is a Brain Map?
A quantitative EEG (qEEG), or "brain map," is a recording of your brain's electrical activity, analyzed and turned into images that show how your brain functions.
Your brain produces electrical rhythms called brainwaves. Sensors resting on your scalp measure these rhythms, without sending anything into your body. Software then compares your brainwave patterns to a reference database of people your age. The result looks like a weather map: color-coded images showing where activity runs fast, slow, or out of sync.
A brain map does not diagnose a condition or define who you are. It adds objective information to what you experience firsthand, and can help explain why focus feels hard, why your body will not settle, or why strategies that work for others have not worked for you.
In my practice, a brain map is a comprehensive assessment with five parts, each answering a different question about how your brain and nervous system work.
What the Assessment Includes
1. Questionnaires and Intake Interview
What happens: Before your first appointment, you complete a few short questionnaires: the GAD-7 (anxiety; Spitzer et al., 2006), PHQ-9 (depression; Kroenke et al., 2001), Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) questionnaire (significant early life events; Hughes et al., 2017), and a symptom tracker covering sleep, focus, mood, energy, and stress. You also list your medications, supplements, and relevant medical history. In a 60-minute intake interview, we review your answers, history, and goals together.
Why it matters: Brainwave patterns only mean something in context, since the same pattern can reflect different symptom presentations in different people. Your history guides how your brain map is interpreted, because factors like significant life events, chronic symptoms, medications, and recent caffeine consumption can all shift how an EEG looks. Your questionnaire scores also become a baseline for tracking progress.
2. qEEG: Eyes Closed and Eyes Open
What happens: A soft cap with 19 sensors is placed on your head with conductive gel, plus small clips on each ear lobe. We then complete two 10-minute recordings, one with eyes closed and one with eyes open. During this time, your task is to sit still and relax. Recordings are made on the NeuroField Q21, an FDA-cleared EEG system (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2023).
Why it matters: The brain behaves differently with eyes open and closed. With eyes closed, most brains produce more alpha, a calm "idling" rhythm. When the eyes open, alpha usually drops as the brain processes visual information (Barry et al., 2007). Comparing the two shows how well your brain shifts between restful and engaged states, which can offer insight into patterns related to focus, distractibility, or vigilance.
3. ERP: Attention and Reaction Time Testing
What happens: An event-related potential (ERP) is the brain's electrical response to a specific event. During this 15-minute task, you quickly click a mouse in response to some images (such as a "GO" sign) and hold back on others (such as a "NO" sign), a format called a visual oddball task. As a continuous performance test (CPT), it measures reaction time, consistency, and missed responses, while the EEG captures how quickly your brain registers and tells apart each type of image (Polich, 2007).
Why it matters: A resting-state EEG recording shows how your brain idles; the ERP shows how it performs over time. Distractibility, impulsivity, mental fatigue, and brain fog can become more apparent as the task progresses. Pairing your behavioral response (such as reaction time) with your brain's electrical response gives a fuller picture of attention and processing speed.
4. Heart Rate Variability (HRV)
What happens: A small sensor on the left side of your ribcage records your heart rate during the eyes-closed and eyes-open EEG recordings. Heart rate variability (HRV) is the natural variation in time between heartbeats. Because it is recorded alongside the EEG, nothing extra is required of you.
Why it matters: Your brain and body communicate constantly through the autonomic nervous system. A flexible nervous system lets your heart rhythm speed up and slow down as needed to adapt to stress, while lower HRV can reflect a system stuck in stress mode with less capacity to recover (Shaffer & Ginsberg, 2017). Because anxiety, burnout, and trauma show up in the body as much as the brain, HRV adds the body's side of the story.
5. Brain Map Review and Take-Home Report
What happens: Analysis takes about one week. I personally clean the data of artifacts like blinks and muscle tension, interpret it, and compare it to your symptoms and goals. In a 60-minute review (in person or virtual), I walk you through your results, answer your questions, and recommend a plan, which may include a combination of neurostimulation, HRV coherence training, counseling or EMDR, and at-home practices. You also receive a digital report prepared to IQCB guidelines, which includes your brain maps, ERP and HRV results, and a plain-language summary of key findings.
Why it matters: Data is only as useful as its interpretation. The review turns charts and numbers into a plan you can act on, and the report is detailed enough to share with your physician, psychiatrist, or other providers, so everyone involved in your care works from the same information.
Why Combine All Five Parts?
Each part of the brain mapping process observes you from different angles, and together they give a holistic picture of what your brain and body need.
| Part | Question it answers |
|---|---|
| Questionnaires and intake | What are you experiencing, and what do you want to change? |
| qEEG, eyes closed and open | How does your brain function at rest, and how does it shift between states? |
| ERP / continuous performance test | How does your brain handle attention and processing during a task? |
| Heart rate variability | How well is your body's stress response able to adapt and recover? |
| Review and report | What does all this data mean for you, and what is the plan? |
Consider someone whose main concern is difficulty concentrating. The questionnaires describe the problem, but not its source. The qEEG can show which areas of the brain are under- or over-activated at rest. The ERP can show whether attention fades over a sustained task. HRV can show whether the body is stuck in stress or burnout. Each of these is a different pattern, and each calls for a different training plan.
What to Ask When Comparing Brain Map Options
Brain maps vary from practice to practice, so it helps to know which procedures are included and how they shape your treatment plan.
If you are comparing options, ask the provider:
Does your assessment include both eyes-closed and eyes-open EEG recordings?
Is there a task-based measure of attention, like an ERP or continuous performance test?
Is physiological data, like heart rate variability, measured?
How are my history and questionnaires used to interpret the findings?
Who interprets the results, and what are their qEEG credentials?
Will I get a review session and a written report I can share with other providers?
Is there a follow-up map to measure change?
In my practice, each of these is included, and every map is interpreted by me as a QEEG Diplomate and Board Certified in Neurofeedback (BCN).
What a Brain Map Is Not
A brain map has limits worth naming.
Brain mapping is not a medical EEG for detecting seizures, brain injuries, or other neurological conditions, whose administration belong with your physician or neurologist.
Unlike an MRI or CT scan, a brain map measures electrical activity, not the brain's structure. When findings warrant it, I may refer you to these providers for further evaluation.
A brain map also cannot be used to formally diagnose conditions like ADHD, depression, or PTSD. If you need a diagnosis for accommodations at school or work, consult your prescriber, primary care provider, or a psychologist who provides diagnostic testing.
For Healthcare Providers
With a client's written consent, a brain map report can be shared with physicians, psychiatrists, and therapists to support collaborative care.
For clinicians interested in qEEG or neurotherapy, I also offer consultation and mentoring through my clinician training services.
Getting Started
Free 30-minute consultation. We talk through your goals and whether a brain map makes sense for you.
Intake ($150, 60 minutes). A thorough review of your symptoms, current resources, and relevant medical history.
Brain mapping ($800, 90 minutes). qEEG, ERP, and HRV recordings, plus a 60-minute review and take-home report.
Neurotherapy ($175/hour). Neurostimulation and HRV coherence training integrated with counseling, with protocols guided by your brain map. Learn more on the neurotherapy page.
Repeat brain map ($525). After 20 neurotherapy sessions, the same assessment measures your progress.
Curious whether a brain map is right for you? Schedule a free 30-minute consultation to talk it through. For a broader look at how brain mapping fits into whole-person care, read Getting to the Root.
Frequently Asked Questions
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A qEEG (quantitative EEG) brain map records the brain's electrical activity, compares it to a database of people your age, and displays it as color-coded maps showing where activity looks typical and where it stands out. At my practice in Lakewood, CO, a brain map assessment also includes an ERP reaction-time test, heart rate variability measurements, and a detailed review.
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A hospital EEG is typically read by a neurologist to check for seizures or other medical conditions, and an MRI captures images of the brain's physical structure. A qEEG brain map, by contrast, analyzes brainwave patterns to understand how the brain functions, and is used to guide mental health care rather than to rule out medical concerns. When findings warrant it, I may refer you to a neurologist or other medical provider for further evaluation.
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No. A brain map does not diagnose any condition on its own. Combined with your history and symptoms, a brain map highlights brainwave patterns that may be associated with concerns like overwhelm or difficulty focusing. If you need a diagnosis for accommodations at school or work, consult your prescriber, primary care provider, or a psychologist who provides diagnostic testing.
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Brain mapping is safe, painless, and noninvasive. The sensors only record activity and send nothing into your body. You will wear a slim cap on your head, with some gel in your hair and small clips on your ear lobes.
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The brain map assessment takes about 90 minutes, including sensor setup, two 10-minute EEG recordings, and a 15-minute reaction-time test. Results take about one week to process, followed by a 60-minute review.
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Arrive with clean, dry hair and no styling products. Keep your normal sleep and eating routines, and take medications as prescribed. Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and THC until after the recording. You will receive a full preparation guide when you schedule.
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An event-related potential (ERP) is the brain's electrical response to a specific event. An ERP records your brainwave activity during a continuous performance test, in which you quickly respond to some images on a computer screen and hold back on others. Together, they measure reaction time, consistency, and how quickly your brain processes what it sees.
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Heart rate variability (HRV) reflects how flexibly your nervous system shifts between stress and recovery. It shows how well your autonomic nervous system regulates, including your fight-or-flight response, and whether your body may be stuck in stress patterns. These results guide tailored HRV coherence training during neurotherapy.
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A digital report written to IQCB reporting guidelines. It includes your brain maps, ERP and HRV results, and a plain-language summary of key findings. The brain map report is clear enough for you to understand and detailed enough to share with your other healthcare providers.
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Brain mapping is $800, including a 90-minute assessment, a 60-minute review, and your take-home report. A $150 intake is the first step for all services. Insurance is not accepted, and brain mapping is private-pay.
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No. A brain map is required before neurotherapy and optional for counseling and EMDR. Some counseling and EMDR clients choose one for a deeper understanding of their nervous system.
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No. The assessment is done in person at my Lakewood, CO office because it requires sensors and equipment. The review can be in person or virtual.
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No. A brain map is an assessment; neurofeedback is a type of training. At my practice, neurotherapy consists of neurostimulation and HRV coherence training integrated with counseling, guided by your brain map.
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After 20 neurotherapy sessions. A repeat brain map ($525) uses the same assessment so results can be compared side by side.
About the Author
Mark Cadlaon, M.A., LPC (CO), LPCC (OH), NCC, BCN-L, QEEG-DL is a licensed therapist in Colorado & Ohio and is Board Certified in Neurofeedback. Mark’s approach integrates neurotherapy with attachment-based and trauma-focused approaches, helping adults overcome anxiety, burnout, and PTSD. If you are interested in working with Mark, reach out to schedule a free 30-minute phone consultation.
References
Barry, R. J., Clarke, A. R., Johnstone, S. J., Magee, C. A., & Rushby, J. A. (2007). EEG differences between eyes-closed and eyes-open resting conditions. Clinical Neurophysiology, 118(12), 2765–2773. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinph.2007.07.028
Hughes, K., Bellis, M. A., Hardcastle, K. A., Sethi, D., Butchart, A., Mikton, C., Jones, L., & Dunne, M. P. (2017). The effect of multiple adverse childhood experiences on health: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Public Health, 2(8), e356–e366. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(17)30118-4
Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., & Williams, J. B. W. (2001). The PHQ-9: Validity of a brief depression severity measure. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 16(9), 606–613. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1525-1497.2001.016009606.x
Polich, J. (2007). Updating P300: An integrative theory of P3a and P3b. Clinical Neurophysiology, 118(10), 2128–2148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinph.2007.04.019
Shaffer, F., & Ginsberg, J. P. (2017). An overview of heart rate variability metrics and norms. Frontiers in Public Health, 5, 258. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2017.00258
Spitzer, R. L., Kroenke, K., Williams, J. B. W., & Löwe, B. (2006). A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder: The GAD-7. Archives of Internal Medicine, 166(10), 1092–1097. https://doi.org/10.1001/archinte.166.10.1092
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2023). 510(k) premarket notification K221959: Q21 [NeuroField, Inc.]. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cdrh_docs/pdf22/K221959.pdf