When individuals leave an addiction recovery centre, they are often equipped with five to 10 different calming techniques to practice independently. However, without a clear way to determine which methods are truly effective for each person, recovery can become an uncertain process of trial and error.
Dr. Terry Spokes, Clinical Director of The Winslow — the first private residential addiction recovery centre in Singapore — sought to address this challenge. By integrated the Neeuro SenzeBand and MindViewer into the program, the team was able to introduce a more personalised and data-driven approach to recovery.
The Winslow's Neurocognitive Rehabilitation programme integrates psychotherapy with neurorestorative interventions, including EEG-guided neurofeedback, cognitive remediation, and mindfulness-based recovery techniques.
In one case, a client's entire recovery plan was revised because the SenzeBand and MindViewer revealed something no one had previously noticed: he required guided audio support to benefit from calming exercises, rather than practicing the technique independently.
This is not a story about complicated brain science. It is a story about one tool that helped people find what works for them.
At The Winslow, the core challenge of addiction recovery is helping each person find their own sustainable way to manage difficult emotions without reaching for alcohol, medication, or other substances. Every client responds differently to calming techniques, and what works well for one individual may do very little for another.
Before integrating the SenzeBand and MindViewer, Dr. Spokes and his team relied primarily on what clients reported about their own experience. This created two persistent difficulties: it was often hard to convince clients that techniques such as breathing exercises or guided audio had any real, physical effect on their nervous system, and it was equally difficult to determine objectively which approach was the best fit for each person. Without something visible and concrete to demonstrate the impact, some clients remained unconvinced, and progress stalled.
When Dr. Spokes began exploring EEG neurofeedback tools for his program, client experience was a primary consideration. Patients at The Winslow often come in carrying significant anxiety, and the prospect of a clinical-looking device can heighten that unease.
Equally important was its accessibility. Dr. Spokes tested the device with his own staff and family before bringing it to any client and found it intuitive enough that therapists without specialised neuroscience training could use it in a meaningful and clinically relevant way.
Integrating the EEG-guided neurofeedback transformed the way Dr. Spokes and his team conduct one-on-one sessions. With the device in use,
both therapist and client can observe changes in brain activity in real time as different calming techniques are practiced, whether breathing exercises, guided audio, or visual imagery.
When a technique is effective, the brain shifts from a more active, alert state, associated with what scientists call beta activity, into a calmer, more settled state known as alpha. For clients, seeing that change happen in their own brain builds a level of confidence that verbal reassurance alone rarely achieves. For therapists, it removes the guesswork from the process: when several approaches are tested in a single session and one produces a clearly stronger response, the path forward becomes evident.
In Dr. Spokes' words, the EEG- based neurofeedback gives clients "confidence that they're doing it correctly and that if they continue to do it, it's going to help them."
Drawing from his experience at The Winslow, Dr. Spokes shares two essential recommendations for healthcare providers exploring neurotechnology:
He also keeps its application focused within his expertise, using it not for diagnosis, but to better understand which therapeutic approaches work best for each individual.
The Winslow is Singapore's first private residential addiction recovery centre and the only programme of its kind licensed by the Ministry of Health. Led by Senior Consultant Psychiatrist and Medical Director Dr Munidasa Winslow, former Chief of Addiction Medicine at the Institute of Mental Health, the centre delivers evidence-based, individualised care for substance use and behavioural addictions within a fully discreet residential environment.