PRESIDIO OF MONTEREY, Calif. (Apr 1, 2026) - The Presidio of Monterey Chaplain Family Life Center recently expanded its counseling services to include neurofeedback brain optimization therapy. The noninvasive brain-training approach supports service members and their families facing stress, trauma and high performance demands.

Neurofeedback therapy uses real-time monitoring of brain activity to help regulate brainwave patterns associated with focus, sleep, stress and emotional regulation. The therapy is offered through the Chaplain Family Life Center, a professional counseling center within the Religious Support Office that provides confidential, non-medical support to service members and their families.

Maj. Daniel Melin, PoM's family life chaplain and a licensed marriage and family therapist, said the decision to pursue neurofeedback training grew out of his professional education and research on trauma and neurodivergence while attending the Chaplain Family Life Training Center. Neurofeedback rose to the top as a tool that could help address challenges commonly faced by military members and families in high-stress environments.

"Neurofeedback gives us another way to support people whose brains are working overtime," Melin said. "Many of the challenges we see in a military environment like sleep disruption, chronic stress and difficulty concentrating, are tied to how the brain is functioning, not a lack of effort or motivation."

At the Presidio of Monterey, home to the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, service members face academically rigorous training and sustained performance demands. Neurofeedback therapy complements existing counseling services by supporting cognitive performance and emotional regulation, contributing to increased readiness and resilience within the military community.

Participants who engaged in twice-weekly sessions for several weeks reported benefits such as improved focus, reduced stress and increased daily confidence.

"When I first started neurofeedback training, I felt defeated, like my brain and life were fundamentally broken," said one foreign area officer language student. "Neurofeedback training gave me hope that I could change the narrative. By trusting the system and working with Chaplain Melin, I have regained my footing and rediscovered the confidence I feared was lost."

One DLIFLC faculty member reported being surprised with how much neurofeedback helped improve her chronic headaches and lower her anxiety and stress levels.

"I would strongly encourage other students or faculty in similar situations dealing with headaches, attention difficulties, stress, anxiety, or sleep issues to give neurofeedback a try," she said. "It has been a valuable and supportive tool for both well-being and performance."

Neurofeedback therapy aligns with the chaplain mission to provide holistic support for spiritual, emotional and relational well-being. Army Regulation 165-1 authorizes family life chaplains to provide clinical counseling interventions in support of Soldier and family readiness. Melin said the long-term goal is to continue expanding the capability to keep up with the demands of the Monterey military community, including military spouses.

"I consider the neurofeedback program to be a great blessing to our whole family," said one military spouse. "Getting into the neurofeedback program has helped me navigate the challenges of military life with much more calmness and focus and it has improved my relationship with my family."

Another military spouse credited neurofeedback with regaining her confidence and sense of regulation.

"For anyone considering neurofeedback, I would want them to understand that functioning well under pressure is not an absence of emotion, but the absence of dis-regulation. There is no substitute for learning to self-regulate; thankfully, there is hope and a faster way to feel better with neuroscience."

Service members and families interested in learning more about neurofeedback brain optimization therapy, individual, marriage and family counseling, EMDR trauma therapy or trauma releasing exercises can contact the Chaplain Family Life Center for additional information. All CFLC counseling services are available for DoD cardholders and dependents. For contact information, visit https://home.army.mil/monterey/my-fort/all-services/chaplains-1