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Have you ever wished you could simply will your symptoms to
disappear? With biofeedback you may be able to do just that by using
the power of your mind to reduce stress and help improve your
health. What is Biofeedback?
Biofeedback is a type of mind-body therapy that enables you — in
mind-over-matter approach — to use your thoughts and mind to control and
influence your body. Biofeedback is based on the scientifically confirmed idea
that individuals have the ability to regulate several body processes that were
previously thought to be purely automatic in the body.
How does biofeedback work?
During a session, a biofeedback therapist uses
instruments to record, measure, and display a patient’s physiological
information. This data may include heart rate, muscle tension, blood pressure,
blood flow, finger temperature, respiration rate, sweat gland activity and other
critical body functions. The “feeding back” of this real-time information gives
the patient body awareness, enabling them to gain conscious control over their
physiology by implementing skills acquired in training.
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Biofeedback makes individuals aware of their various body systems so they can
learn to control them, relieving stress and improving health. With the
“feedback,” an individual knows when their body is in the desired state and
ultimately learns to obtain this state on their own –with no feedback. |
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What is a typical biofeedback session like?
In a typical biofeedback session, a patient sits comfortably in a chair and
is hooked up to the biofeedback instruments with sensors attached to the surface
of the skin at various locations (usually fingers, shoulders, back, head).
Patients then see or hear visual or auditory cues that indicate change in
whatever is being measured (tension or heart rate, for example). Patients then
try through learned techniques to control their bodily reaction, and see how
well they control it through the instrument’s display response.
In addition to the biofeedback, patients learn self-regulation and relaxation
skills like body scanning, progressive relaxation, diaphragmatic breathing,
autogenic training, and visualization. These techniques are critical in learning
to control one’s body and as with any new skill, require practice. So patients
will be asked to practice some of these skills at home during the week.
Ultimately, after repeated biofeedback sessions and practice at home, patients
learn to recognize these physical changes without the need for instrumentation.
How many biofeedback sessions will I need? The number of biofeedback sessions
depends on an individual’s needs and condition. Typically biofeedback training
ranges from 4 – 12, 1-hour, weekly sessions. The patient ultimately decides how
long treatment lasts.
Skills learned through biofeedback training will last a lifetime and can be
used to continue self-regulation forever!
| What conditions can biofeedback help? |
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* Anxiety
* Headaches
* Migraines
* Chronic Pain
* TMJ/Jaw Pain
* Insomnia
* Hypertension
* IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)
* General Stress and
Other Stress Related Conditions |
Individuals who experience any of the above conditions and are motivated to
gain more control of their body’s response to stress – instead of having it
control them – would be great candidates for biofeedback. In addition,
biofeedback works well in synergy with other forms of therapy and can be a great
addition to an individual’s treatment plan. |
