Brian Othmer Foundation
History
Brian OthmerThe Brian Othmer Foundation was created in January 2002, in loving memory of Brian Othmer (1968-1991). Brian’s parents, Siegfried and Sue Othmer, and their younger son Kurt, created the foundation in order to fulfill their vision of sharing the existence of neurofeedback with the world. Through research and exploration, the foundation continues to pursue the nonprofit objectives of research, education, and clinical services in neurofeedback.
Goals
The seminal wish behind the nonprofit foundation is that a parent of an epileptic child, or similarly afflicted child, should have the opportunity to try neurofeedback. At the very least, the foundation aims to increase awareness that neurofeedback exists, and is available as an option for families in need. In searching for therapies for Brian, Sue and Siegfried did not find neurofeedback until Brian was almost 17 years old. The Othmers’ firmly believe that a family with a child in need should never have to wait so long to discover neurofeedback.
Education
The foundation’s primary focus is to promote awareness of the power of self-regulation in general, and of neurofeedback in particular, among the public and healthcare professionals.
Our specific objectives are to:
› Bring new professionals into the field through professional training courses.
› Educate parents of children with special needs about the promise of neurofeedback.
› Promote understanding of neurofeedback among the health professions outside of the neurofeedback field,
to build support for its widespread application.
Research
The foundation’s research objectives are to:
› Gather and organize existing data from neurofeedback practitioners for publication and presentation
in scientific forums.
› Promote new clinical outcome studies in key application areas and to support large-scale controlled studies.
› Explore models of brain function that help us understand the efficacy of neurofeedback, and to develop
appropriate methods of assessment.
› Promote collaborations with universities on brain dynamics, and to encourage graduate student commitment
to this new area of research.
Our Work
Today, the Brian Othmer Foundation is partnered with several other non-profit agencies working to provide education and access to neurofeedback to people in need.