A YMCA brain-wellness program

Brain+

Optimizing the brain. Strengthening the community.

Brain+ is a small-group brain-wellness program from the YMCA of Orange County, built with Neurova Labs.

Short, guided virtual reality sessions are designed to support how you handle stress, how you sleep, and how you feel from one day to the next.

Ask your local Y for Brain+

Bring Brain+ to your Y

Brain wellness, right at your Y.

Brain+ combines small-group virtual reality training, short wellness check-ins, and an optional blood panel, all in a place you already know. The YMCA of Orange County developed the program with Neurova Labs, iXpressGenes, and Greater Than Analytics and ran it first in its own branches. Any YMCA association can now bring Brain+ to its members.

Want it at your Y? Reach out to your local YMCA and ask for Brain+, and share brainplus.org with their leadership team.

For everyone with a brain.

Most of what we carry doesn’t announce itself.

A few hard years. A loss that never quite settled. Months of poor sleep that start to feel normal. Research suggests 60 to 70 percent of adults will experience at least one potentially traumatic event in their lifetime, and most simply carry it and get on with their day. Over time, it can show up as stress that’s hard to shake, low mood, restless nights, and strain at work and at home.

Brain+ is built to meet you where you are. You don’t need a diagnosis, a label, or any experience with virtual reality to take part.

In their own words.

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Our Partners.

About the YMCA of Orange County

Healthy Living &
Community

Brain+ began at the YMCA of Orange County because trust, access, and community are the foundation of the program.

The Y builds healthier communities through health and wellness, child and youth development, swimming, sports, family programs, and more. It is committed to whole-person health for every age, every stage, and everybody, and Brain+ extends that commitment to brain wellness.

A full room of seated adults holding handouts during a presentation at the YMCA of Orange County

Who built Brain+

A collaboration built on outside expertise

YMCA of Orange County. Program owner and delivery.

Neurova Labs. The immersive virtual reality experience. Neurova Labs is a veteran-founded neurotechnology company based in Salt Lake City.

iXpressGenes. The optional biomarker blood panel. iXpressGenes is a biotechnology company specializing in RNA-based blood testing that measures how the body responds to stress and inflammation.

Greater Than Analytics. Outcomes and reporting.

A Brain+ participant in a YMCA shirt adjusts a Neurova Labs headset controller

WHAT TO EXPECT

Come as you are.

Flexible

Each Y decides how to offer Brain+, as part of membership or as a paid program.

Small groups

Groups stay small, so every participant gets real attention.

Measured

Standardized wellness surveys show how you’re doing from Day 1 to Day 30.

Community

Delivered at the Y, by staff who know your community.

Day 1: Get started

Meet your group.

Complete a short wellness survey, meet your Program Coordinator, and get comfortable in virtual reality. No experience with technology needed.

Ask your local Y for Brain+

Days 2 to 5: Small-group sessions

Relaxed and guided.

Immersive sessions led by a trained Program Coordinator. There’s no pressure to perform or share personal stories, and your coordinator handles the technology so you can focus on the experience.

Day 30: Check in

See how you’re doing.

Complete a follow-up survey 30 days after you start. If your Y offers the optional blood panel or sleep tracking, those results come back to you at this stage.