Burnout:
a control loop that no longer switches off
You are still functioning, but the battery no longer charges. A holiday changed nothing, and an antidepressant does not answer the question of what has fallen out of rhythm in your stress system. We measure it, in the nervous system and in the hormones, and build the way back from there.
- Free
- No obligation
- Reply within 2 business days
- Outpatient · Bad Aibling
- Non-invasive
Free & non-binding · usually a reply within 2 business days · confidential
Prefer to talk? Call us: +49 (0)8061 398-0
You held on for a long time, perhaps too long. First came the tiredness, then the inner emptiness, the irritability, the feeling of standing beside yourself. Advice like “just switch off for once” no longer helps, and the label of depression feels wrong even though the heaviness is real. We take that seriously. And we look closely instead of handing you a prescription.
Exhaustion syndromes are among the most common reasons for prolonged sick leave in Germany, with helping and high-tempo professions especially affected.
Symptoms have a map
Chronic overload keeps the salience network, the gatekeeper that decides what matters, in constant alarm: you stay inwardly restless even though your body is drained. At the same time the central executive network loses strength, focus and deciding become hard, and the limbic network overreacts. This pattern is held in place by two body systems. The stress hormones: after months on alert the cortisol curve flattens or shifts, the morning starts without momentum, the evening finds no rest; an exhausted executive network under a disturbed cortisol axis is a hormone case first, which is why the daily profile belongs in the assessment. And the autonomic nervous system: the sympathetic side dominates, heart rate variability drops, the vagus no longer finds the brake; heart rate variability and brain activity show two sides of the same state, and the vagus is the entry point where regulation begins.
For an overview of the six brain networks and a first orientation, see the Brain Network Analysis.
The assessment first, then your program.
Everything begins with a structured assessment: history, existing findings, questionnaires on exhaustion, sleep and mood, clinical examination, lab work with a cortisol daily profile and thyroid, a heart rate variability measurement. A qEEG brain mapping is added when we want to see how your brain works at rest, and it is the basis once neurofeedback becomes part of the plan. From this we build your program. Neuromodulation is one building block in it: neurofeedback and biofeedback to relearn steering your own arousal, taVNS to calm the stress system via the vagus nerve, and where the profile suggests it tDCS. Beside it stand sleep, movement in the right dose, micronutrients and psychological support for the patterns that led into the overload. If you already take a medication, it stays unchanged until the prescribing physician decides otherwise with us.
Our aim stays the same: to restore functional balance, with as little medication as possible and a life with high quality of life as the measure.
You don’t have to decide anything today. A 15 to 20 minute conversation is enough to know whether an assessment is worth it for you.
Free & non-binding · usually a reply within 2 business days · confidential
Who it is for, and who it is not for
A good fit if …
- Medication or therapy has not been enough so far
- You are looking for a measurement-based, non-invasive path
- You are open to outpatient treatment in Bad Aibling
Less suitable if …
- You expect a purely remote or online treatment without on-site diagnostics
- You expect a guarantee — serious medicine cannot give one
In an acute crisis or having suicidal thoughts? Please seek immediate medical or emergency help — in Germany call 112, or the free 24/7 helpline Telefonseelsorge 0800 111 0 111.
The first consultation is free. We discuss the scope, duration and cost of any program openly afterwards, outpatient, here in Bad Aibling.
What the research shows
Peer-reviewed work on Burnout and the relevant procedures, graded by evidence level. No study proves an individual outcome.
In short: for some procedures the evidence is solid, for others still early. Where your case stands is settled in the assessment, and the program follows from it.
HRV biofeedback for stress and anxiety: meta-analysis
Remote HRV biofeedback for mental health: systematic review & meta-analysis
HRV biofeedback for resilience in healthcare workers: RCT
Neurofeedback to reduce burnout in surgical residents: pilot study
taVNS for stress regulation: EEG and questionnaire study
Prefrontal tDCS and autonomic/neuroendocrine response to psychosocial stress
More studies across all conditions: Science & Studies.
Best supported are biofeedback and heart rate variability training for stress regulation; for targeted neuromodulation in burnout the evidence is young, and effects differ in size. Whether your system needs sleep, hormones or the network first is what the assessment tells us, and the order follows from that.
A real doctor. A real clinic.
Dr. med. univ. Julian Douwes · Medical Director
Part of Clinicum St. Georg, under the medical direction of Dr. med. univ. Julian Douwes. Outpatient, evidence-graded, without medication as the first step — tailored to your profile. More on our program.
- 30+ Years of clinical heritage
- 90+ Countries patients travel from
- 30,000+ Treatment sessions delivered
In three calm steps
Burnout: let’s talk about your path.
In a free consultation we clarify whether and how our measured program could fit you — no obligation, fully confidential.
Free & non-binding · usually a reply within 2 business days · confidential