Can the Flow Headset Help with Anxiety? Our Honest Review

This review of Flow for anxiety includes gifted items. 

Healthtech is now firmly entrenched in our lives.

From recording our step count, to monitoring our sleep, big brands and start-ups are offering innovative and sophisticated ways to improve our wellbeing.

Who hasn’t heard of a FitBit, or been bombarded with ads for gadgets such as Zoe?

This technology is increasingly encompassing mental health – offering physical and tactile gadgets that you can wear to help improve mood, and manage anxiety or depression.

Gone are the days of having to sit down and furiously meditate your way out of a low mood, now a small device can do it for you.

Having already tried the fantastic Sensate to help manage our anxiety –  a device that targets the vagus nerve in order to calm and soothe – we were keen to review other innovations in this area.

That’s when we came across an advert for Flow Neuroscience.

Heralded as the wunderkind when it comes to alleviating depression and improving mood, Flow is a small headset that can be worn at home and without prescription. Devised by a clinical psychologist and a neuroscientist, this little gadget uses tDCS (transcranial Direct Current Stimulation) – a weak electrical current – to gently stimulate the brain; encouraging activity in an area thought to become sluggish during depression.

A quick trawl of Flow reviews immediately suggested that this unassuming headset was nothing short of a miracle-maker.

For some, Flow had been an overnight success; helping shift 15 years of depression in just over a week. For others, the Flow headset had been more of a slow burn, yet a gadget that had nonetheless inched open the curtains; replacing darkness with light.

‘It feels like magic’, one reviewer even wrote.

And all this, without an SSRI or Beta Blocker in sight.

Now, while we have both suffered with anxiety throughout out lives, depression has (thankfully) never been one of our overarching symptoms. Rather than apathy or lethargy, we instead experience an unbearable and restless energy – that sense of being ever primed to run.

However, it’s widely agreed that depression and anxiety make for wonderful bedfellows. In fact, they are cousins: different in personality, but from the same source. It’s for this reason that it’s thought that anti-depressants, particularly SSRIs, can help treat both depression and anxiety.

With this in mind, and having read the outstanding reviews of Flow for depression, we immediately began to wonder if the Flow headset could help anxiety. Could this device, with its focus on neuroplasticity and mood stabilisation, rid us off our life-long nervousness?

With nothing to lose, we decided to find out.

How Does the Flow Headset Work?

Firstly, and before we began trialling Flow for anxiety, we decided we’d better take a stab at (at least vaguely) understanding how this headset worked.

Stimulating your brain, via an electrical current, seemed (if we are honest) a little daunting – a little One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

We therefore wanted to know more.

Of course, this hesitancy is ironic, given that we’ve happily taken anti-anxiety medication for years, without ever questioning how it works. Yet, we did our best to get up to speed on all things neuroscience before we gave it a go.

How Does tDCS Help Depression?

In short, the Flow headset harnesses the powerful effects of tDCS (transcranial direct current stimulation) to deliver real and marked results when it comes to alleviating depression.

The therapy is based on the premise that when you are depressed, the activity in the front of your brain (the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) region), is often decreased. Given that this part of our brain is responsible for mood regulation, motivation and how we sleep, such inactivity can prove devastating.

The theory goes that by delivering a weak electrical current (just 2mA) via a headset to the front of your brain, you’re able to kickstart activity again. With this agitation comes the activation of neurones and neurotransmitters, creating new pathways and increasing neuroplasticity (the ability to change your thoughts and habits).

Why these newly excited neurotransmitters have the potential to reduce depression remains contested. Yet the verdict nonetheless remains:tDCS is an extremely effective treatment for depression.

Does the Flow Headset and tDCS Hurt?

The idea of administering an electoral current into your temples seems, understandably, unappealing. Surely this is a treatment that will hurt, at the very least, sting?

Thankfully, and having used Flow for anxiety for nearly 6 months now, I can confirm that this is not electric shock treatment. It does not involve being strapped into an archaic armchair, nor does it involve biting onto a jaw strap.

It’s much more prosaic than that.

The Flow headset is entirely non-invasive and works by sitting lightly on your forehead. The headset includes two saline pads (you replace them with each use), which helps to deliver the current and it’s very comfortable to wear.

In terms of what the Flow stimulation feels like – well, it varies from person to person.

For me, it feels like a very gentle burning, or prickling, sensation – that lessens as the session goes on. It is in no way painful and far from uncomfortable. In fact, I’ve come to quite like the sensation – proof that something is happening; a spark is being fired.

I can very comfortably watch TV or read throughout the stimulation, and as soon as the session finishes, there are no lasting effects at all.

In all honesty, it’s a bit of a none event and far from the ‘electrifying’ experience I’d worried about.

Is Flow Headset Safe to Use?

When I first came across Flow, I was a bit hesitant about administering electrical currents to my brain, without a doctor – or health professional – present.

What if something happened? What if it caused me to have a fit? Or some psychotic break?

What would happen then?

However, and having scoured the scientific research behind Flow, it’s clear that Flow is very safe to use at home – and probably even safer than taking antidepressants.

In fact, Flow is side-effect free, unlike the usual first line of defence against depression – SSRIs.

Having taken SSRIs (Sertraline) for years, I can attest to its awful side effects, especially the start-up effects. Like many, when I first started taking antidepressants, I intially felt much (much) worse. My anxiety was through the roof, I couldn’t leave the house and I suffered with intense insomnia.

It was completely miserable and it took me a long time to recover from the experience.

Flow, however, has no side effects whatsoever. Aside from the tingling sensation you’ll feel when you’re using the device, there will be no other nasty symptoms (aside from eventually feeling better).

Approved by the British Standards Institution (BSI), you can be sure that using the Flow headset is safe and is far less likely to cause issues than, say, anti-depressants.

How Effective is Flow for Depression?

Multiple independent studies have confirmed that tDCS is extremely effective for depression.

In fact, Flow claim that in their own clinical trials, Flow was twice as more effective in treating depression than medication – and a whopping 57% of its users were depression-free at 10 weeks.

It’s been so successful, in fact, that trials are now running to offer Flow via the NHS, and within the perinatal community.

Is Flow Expensive?

We couldn’t write this honest review of Flow Neuroscience and not mention its price.

Sadly, this device is not cheap, despite the company’s best efforts to make it as accessible as possible.

The price of the Flow headset is £399, which includes a 6-week supply of electrode pads (you’ll need to purchase another box for £15 once you run out).

The Flow app is free and you’ll need to download this to use the headset.

Alternatively, you can rent the headset for £79 per month. However, given that Flow suggest you use the headset long-term (for a minimum of 6 – 12 months), this option could prove even costlier.

However, it does seem that Flow are trying to work alongside the NHS, which might result in the headset being prescribed for free in the not too distant future (fingers crossed).

How Do You Use Flow Headset?

So, now that we know how the Flow headset works, how do you incorporate this into your every day life?

Firstly, you’ll need to download the Flow app – a fantastic resource hub that not only tracks your progress and schedules ‘stimulations’, but also offers lessons and advice to aid your recovery.

When you first begin, you’ll be asked to take a questionnaire, which will help score your ‘depression’. As I largely suffer with anxiety (although it does tend to impact my mood), I received a ‘moderate’ score.

The questionnaire is short and simple, and takes into consideration your mood, sleep, appetite, levels of pessimism and focus.Once you’ve completed this (you’ll answer this questionnaire once a week), you’ll then begin your sessions.

Initially, you’ll need to stimulate five times a week, for 30 minutes – this is known as the activation phase.

After three weeks, this will then drop to twice a week, also known as the strengthening phase. The team at Flow recommend that you continue using the headset for 6 – 12 months, even if you are symptom free, just to prevent a relapse.

You can pretty much get on with everyday life as the stimulation takes place. I tend to use mine in the evenings while watching TV, or emptying the dishwasher. The only thing I’d mention is that if you move too far away from your phone, the bluetooth will disconnect and the session will pause – so you’ll want to keep your mobile on you.

My Review of Using Flow Neuroscience for Anxiety

Given the fantastic results seen with depression, we were genuinely hopeful that Flow Neuroscience could help our anxiety.

In fact, Flow themselves claim that 66% of their users have less anxiety in 21 days, and feelings of unease are reduced within 4 weeks.

I should clarify that the anxiety with both experience tends to be more of the generalised kind, also known as Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD). While panic attacks have, and continue, to be a regular feature of our lives, it’s that more incessant, nagging type of anxiety that really plagues us.

It can feel impossible to shift.

Having read about how Flow works to treat depression, I wondered if rejigging and exciting the neurotransmitters in the front of my brain might help things. Perhaps the stimulations would lift that implacable sense that something awful is about to happen; something terrible.

I decided to test it out.

Does Flow Headset Work for Anxiety?

The Activation Phase

I began using Flow a fortnight before our tour to Uzbekistan.

My travel nerves were already in full swing and on top of my everyday anxiety, I felt like I needed to up my game when it came to managing things.

I therefore dutifully donned by Flow headset and completed the first two weeks of the ‘start up’ phase – stimulating my (possibly lazy) dorsolateral prefrontal cortex five times a week. Aside from the slight burning sensation I experienced during the stimulations, the entire process was straightforward and I had zero side effects.

By the time I had finished the activation phase, it was time to head to Central Asia.

Thanks to this looming deadline, I had a difficult time judging the effects of Flow for anxiety – and perhaps placed too much hope on magically feeling better after just a fortnight (Flow note that 77% of their users experience a clinical improvement within 3 weeks – so I hoped to feel at least half way there).

I was a bit deflated to notice I was still just anxious – fizzing with nervous anticipation about our upcoming travels and the thought of leaving my son.

With hindsight, I’d fallen for that faulty logic that beguiles most anxious folk. Rather than tolerating my current emotions or anxious sensations, I’d instead sought a shortcut to them, with the hope of miraculously banishing all anxiety.

When Flow didn’t immediately deliver this, I felt a crushing sense of failure – and with it, rising panic.

With hindsight, I realise that I perhaps didn’t choose to start Flow at quite the right time. With a big trip on the horizon, Mum guilt brewing and a clingy toddler, I didn’t have the patience or correct mindset to see things through properly.

I just wanted a quick fix and when this didn’t come, I freaked out.

Starting Again: The Maintenance Phase

As you might predict, our trip to Uzbekistan was – despite my anxious prophesying – fantastic.

The sights and smells of the country’s beautiful Silk Road cities soon replaced the more extreme anxiety that I’d been experiencing, and I returned home relieved and (momentarily) calm.

However, it wasn’t long before GAD resurrected itself; finding a new target to focus on – a new siren to sound. Work, childcare, illness and the state of the world soon ensured that my anxiety levels were starting to creep up again, and I realised it was time to return to my Flow headset.

As I had already completed the activation phase, I now only needed to use the headset twice a week. I found this a much easier target to meet and tended to do my stimulations in successive days, just to ensure they were done and dusted.

Very quickly, using the Flow headset became a part of my routine and (most importantly) I put it on without fixating on the outcomes. I no longer saw it as a panacea, something that had to cure me within 14 days, but just another weapon in my mental health arsenal that I was willing to give a go.

Seeing Results

Very soon, six weeks had passed and I decided to look back on my progress (tracked via the weekly questionnaire on the Flow app).

The results were incredible.

Slowly, but steadily, my mood had improved and my depression score had steadily dropped. According to the results, my focus was better, my outlook on life had improved and I was experiencing less anxiety.

I was stunned.

Looking back, I realised just how much better things had been. The shift had not been instantaneous, but gradual – a slow chipping away at a low and anxious mood that tainted my days.

I realised that I no longer got such intense dread around 3pm; a time when I’d normally feel unmotivated, anxious and deafened by an inner critical voice.

I also noticed that the voice that would tell me I was a bad mum, every moment I was with my son, had definitely quieted. I was no longer waking up with a feeling of overwhelm or dread about what the day might hold.

In short, life no longer felt so heavy – so full of anxiety, worry or doubt.

Improving my Anxiety with Flow Neuroscience

So, the million dollar question – did the Flow headset help my anxiety?

The answer is yes absolutely, and no – not entirely.

There is no doubt that Flow has had a considerable and measurable impact on my mental health. Not only do my scores on the Flow app suggest this, but I feel it.

My GAD, something that used to gnaw away at my sense of wellbeing, has definitely diminished.

I also find that I’m less likely to ruminate, and feel much more motivated to implement helpful approaches to worrying. In fact, and perhaps this is the most important part of my journey with Flow, instilling good practices when it comes to my mental health has felt much easier.

I have started meditating again, running, going to yoga and focusing on what I can change, rather than what I can’t.

In this respect, Flow has been the little lift off over the stile that I needed.

However, has my anxiety disappeared? Did Flow cure my anxiety?

No, not quite.

I still live with anxiety and definitely have days when it rears its head (especially the week before my period). If I’m not strict with myself, I can fall into old habit loops of worry and rumination. I’ve also still experienced nocturnal panic attacks – something I hope will gradually fade.

However, imposing boundaries and choosing not to spiral when it comes to my anxiety has been so much easier – I can still see the wood for the trees. This something I definitely credit the Flow headset with.

Verdict: Does Flow Neuroscience Work for Anxiety?

I wanted this review of using Flow for anxiety to be as honest as possible, especially as I know so many of us with anxiety are desperate to ‘fix’ it.

I therefore want to stress that (in my case, at least) Flow has not been a silver bullet in terms of entirely ‘curing’ or eliminating my anxiety. While the results that Flow delivers for depression are incredible, they are perhaps less dramatic when it comes to anxiety.

Despite the stimulations, the agitation and the revitalising of my neurotransmitters, my anxiety (alas), persists.

However – and this is the important part – my attitude towards anxiety and my ability to deal with it has changed, tremendously.

It’s this flexibility in thinking that has dramatically improved my mental health.

I don’t think it would be hyperbole to say that many of us with anxiety tend to experience low mood – its symptoms can be devastating and they can leave us feeling hopeless. When we reach this state, it’s really difficult think logically about anxiety – or to put in place any techniques or practices that might help alleviate it.

Taking a breath and pushing through anxiety’s storm clouds feels impossible.

However, Flow has significantly helped to relieve this sense of paralysis – leaving me feeling happier, more optimistic and motivated to make positive changes.

With this better mood has also come a change in my perspective. My anxiety – once looming and unmanageable – is now something I can do something about; something I can live alongside.

Yes, my anxiety is still there, but I can cope with it so much better.

And for this reason I would say that Flow Neuroscience is extremely helpful in reducing anxiety.