The science behind Flow

Ever wondered how Flow actually works?

Flow sends a gentle electrical current (tDCS) to the prefrontal cortex — the part of the brain that regulates mood — helping it rebuild the healthy patterns depression slows down. Watch the brain light up.

Prefrontal cortex Mood Sleep Focus Fear
Prefrontal cortexMoodSleepFocusFear
How it works

How tDCS changes the brain

  1. The starting point

    Depression slows the brain

    Depression dampens the mood circuits in the prefrontal cortex, making it harder for the brain to regulate how you feel.

  2. Gentle activation

    A 30-minute session

    A weak electrical current passes through the scalp to the prefrontal cortex, gently waking up the area linked to mood, sleep, focus and anxiety.

  3. New connections

    Neurons that fire together, wire together

    Repeated stimulation encourages neurons to form stronger, healthier connections — the basis of neuroplasticity.

  4. Week 3 · patterns shift

    Most people feel the change

    As the circuits strengthen, the brain rebuilds the patterns it needs. By week 3, most people notice a real difference.

  5. The change stays

    The new wiring lasts

    The rewiring built over a course of treatment holds — so the benefits continue beyond your sessions.

What's in the treatment

Three parts, working together

No medication, no clinic visits — 30 minutes a day, from home.

1

The headset

Uses gentle electrical stimulation — transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) — to activate the part of your brain that regulates mood.

2

The app

Guides you through each 30-minute session, with behavioural-therapy exercises drawn from clinical research.

3

The check-ins

Weekly check-ins using clinical depression scales track your progress and adapt the treatment to you.

Animation of tDCS stimulating the prefrontal cortex

Depression changes how your brain works. Flow helps change it back.

Depression isn't just a chemical imbalance — it's a shift in how your brain functions. Flow uses gentle electrical stimulation (tDCS) to target the part of the brain linked to mood.

Neuroplasticity — the brain's ability to rewire itself — is one of the best-established principles in modern neuroscience.

Over time, your brain rebuilds the healthy patterns it needs.

What the data shows

77%

report a clear improvement by week 3

Flow real-world data (n=14,383, Apr 2025)

57.5%

reached full remission by week 10 in our clinical trial

Woodham, R.D. et al. Nat Med (2024), RCT n=174

~95%

experience no side effects at all

Flow real-world data

25

years of tDCS research behind the method

20+ clinical trials

Backed by 20+ years of tDCS research

The method behind Flow isn't new — transcranial direct current stimulation has been studied for over two decades across more than 20 clinical trials.

It's now used by the NHS to treat depression, where around 80% of patients reported a decrease in their depressive symptoms.

Crisis Team, NHS Leicestershire

Flow
Is it right for you?

Take a 2-minute quiz to find out if Flow could help with your symptoms of depression.

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