Starting your journey with Flow

When and how should I use the headset?

• When and how you use your Flow is up to you. Some of our Flow users find the stimulations provide them more energy so they use their Flow in the morning over a bowl of cereal while others find the stimulations leave them more relaxed and find it helpful to stimulate while winding down from the day. We recommend finding a time that works best for you and using it consistently at that timer per the protocol
• There are many behavioral therapy courses included in the App that are proven to support reducing depressive symptoms. We recommend using both the headset and app together for the best results

What do I do first?

• Find a safe and comfortable spot for your Flow sessions
• Make sure your Flow headset is fully charged before use and you have downloaded the Flow App
• The App will lead you through everything from there; from how to activate your headset, to positioning of the headset, test stimulations, behavioral therapy courses and full stimulations

How do I know if it's working?

• The headset will have a little green LED light displayed on the front when charged and on
• Your app will prompt you and allow you to stimulate by pressing a button titled: START STIMULATION
• Once this is activated you should feel the stimulation begin. This feeling is different for all users but has been described as a tingling sensation
• Usually at around 15 tDCS sessions, users have begun to notice a positive change in their depressive symptoms. However, please note everyone is different and some may begin to feel changes earlier and the majority of users continue to feel larger reductions post-15 sessions. These changes have been observed in various tDCS studies

“I usually answer emails, sort Facebook messages and do other work on my phone whilst eating breakfast and stimulating at the same time.”

“The relaxed pace in which the sessions go is brilliant, it helps me realize that in my everyday life, I must slow down. I’m doing this and it’s helping me be calmer generally.”

“I used it for the first week and found it painful. If my skin is oily then I find it does this, but when I give the area a good scrub then the pain goes away.”

“I don’t know how to phrase it properly but ever since I’ve started using Flow I have more energy, less anxiety and generally less depressed but I do feel short spurts of emotions. I read something sad and I feel weepy, or I get angry because of nothing. It feels like I’ve been numb for so long now everything wants to bubble up at the same time.”

“I’m on week 3 and I’ve gone from scoring very high on both depression and anxiety to scoring very minimally. I am also doing other things to help like changing my diet after doing flow’s antidepressant diet and I’ve been doing a 20-30 minute walk everyday. I can’t remember the last time I felt well enough and motivated enough to go outside never mind exercise.”

Day 1

What to expect:
You’ve started your journey with Flow. Congratulations! Depression is hard but we hope to support you and help make things better. 

Things to know for day 1:
Make sure you have the app downloaded, bluetooth enabled, and device fully charged. 

When someone is depressed their brain is physically different than when they are not. As you begin to stimulate your brain with the Flow headset, you are targeting these physical changes in your brain including areas that are involved in concentration, sleep, and process emotional reactions. 

Week 1

What to expect:
At this point you have completed three to five sessions. Way to go! You are well on your way to becoming a Flow expert and likely already have a preferred time/place for using Flow. 

Things to know for week 1:
It is very important to follow the treatment protocol for results. Keep up the great work. 

It is common to feel similar to how you felt at the beginning of your treatment but do know that by following the treatment protocol and using Flow you have begun to stimulate specific areas of your brain that may not be as active when depressed. By activating these areas alongside strengthening healthy habits with the Flow App, you can begin to expect to feel better.

You are supporting your brain to better process emotions, sleep, and even concentration. 

Month 1

What to expect:
At week 4, the Strengthening phase of the treatment begins. By now you should have begun to notice positive changes in your depression and can expect to continue to see more. You will notice that the number of stimulation sessions is now limited to a max of 2 per week. 

Many users find it helpful to space their 2 stimulation sessions out throughout the week. 

Things to know for month 1:
Our treatment schedule is based on a proven to be safe and effective protocol as seen in various tDCS depression research studies. Since we are a certified medical device it is important we recommend only what is proven to be safe and effective. If you would like to continue using your Flow device more times a week we kindly ask you speak with your doctor who may prescribe more simulations.