Recently, I have written that the world is waiting for us, the neurofeedback community, to sound off about the value of what we do, something few outside our community appreciate. I have shared here that I believe it is imperative for those of us in the neurofeedback field to do all we can to promote our cause. In this context I have commented upon the immense clinical opportunity cost associated with the lack of widespread acceptance of this breath-taking, clinical-impact service so many of us provide.

A recent New York Times article caused me to reflect further. The article talked about a problem that many university professors have: they have great ideas for new products but little clue about what must done to successfully bring these ideas to market. Universities are creating technology incubators to address the problem by helping professors refine their ideas and evaluate their marketability. The incubators also assist in the many steps necessary to successfully launch products in the market place

The relevance of this concept to the neurofeedback field is striking. The neurofeedback community has for years developed services we know to be extraordinarily beneficial; however, the community has failed to effectively market what it has to offer.

What if those of us involved with neurofeedback were, for a period of time, to regard ourselves as a unified field – an entity – with the goal of more effectively bringing neurofeedback to the market? What if we, collectively, were to systematically develop and utilize the types of services provided by technology incubators? And what if we were to enlist the brilliant technology of the Internet to do so?

We all know about the power of the Internet to make communication possible, regardless of the message recipient’s time zone or continent; in profound ways the Internet makes time and space irrelevant. Furthermore, many of us have experienced the way in which the Internet facilitates both real-time and serial collaboration.

Technology incubators, by their very nature collaborative, are almost certainly more efficient and effective when Internet-centric. I believe that we should construct a powerful virtual incubator that could be of immense help in our time-sensitive; critical need to more effectively spread the word about neurofeedback.

Virtual teams could be formed to assist in the tasks necessary to more effectively disseminate our message. Some teams could be composed from the ranks of those of us involved with neurofeedback.  Expertise lacking within our ranks could be paid for by our professional organizations and, perhaps, by a small percentage of the income each of us neurofeedback workers generates. Individuals with necessary skill sets who are not currently involved with neurofeedback might be willing to volunteer time once they understand the issues at play.

These teams could assess proof of concept issues and consider which clinical applications could be most usefully promoted. A team could develop effective public relations messages; others could work to develop the most effective ways to disseminate them. These teams could assess on an on-going basis the effectiveness of our messages and work continually to increase their effectiveness. Still another team could continually assess the ways in which the ever-evolving technologies can assist us in further refining our message content, generation, and dissemination strategies.

At times the neurofeedback field has reminded me of the Tuscany landscape, dotted with the remains of a half-dozen hilltop fortresses, each, in centuries past, isolated and well defended. How often has the neurofeedback field seemed composed of just such individual fiefdoms, each with its own methods of attack and defense? If we are to work collaboratively to get the neurofeedback word out, do we have any choice other than to form more effective and productive alliances? I believe that we can and must do just that. And potentiated by the power of the Internet, I think it is possible to harness the collective genius of the neurofeedback community.

Can a virtual technology incubator be developed to assist neurofeedback in leaving its nest? It will not happen if people read pieces like this, agree with any part, yet skip to the next mail message or next episode of American Idol.

I have written several pieces regarding subjects related to this article. While I have received several back-channel messages commenting upon what has been written, and at least one public message that seemed to indicate I was a communist for writing what I have, it appears that the ideas that I have written about have generated little interest.

Perhaps this has occurred in part because I have failed to make concrete and constructive suggestions about how some of these ideas might be further developed and implemented. If my thoughts on the subject resonate with you, if you have concrete suggestions about how we can translate these ideas into effective action – infusing inert pixels with power – I would appreciate hearing from you.

One last idea about how to get the word out:

How about a prime time reality TV show based upon the trials and tribulations of either a neurofeedback equipment manufacturer or a neurofeedback therapist – or better yet, the interactions of the two?

If you are interested in being considered as a participant, please send photos and a 300 word essay to the address below, outlining why the world is dying to know more about you and the neurofeedback work you do.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 28th, 2011 at 3:37 pm and is filed under Essay. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.