Author: Alex Thompson

Biofeedback Therapy: Types, Uses, and Benefits

With electromyography, sensors are placed at various points on the body and connected to an EMG device. This device detects changes in muscle tension over time by monitoring electrical activity that results in muscle contractions. Keep in mind that biofeedback requires practice, and you should not expect significant changes in one session of training. But with time, you should be able to see positive changes in the impairments for which you are receiving biofeedback therapy.

However, in 2016, scientists reported that the use of EEG biofeedback “significantly reduced PTSD symptoms” in 17 patients with PTSD. Some studies have suggested that EEG biofeedback, or neurofeedback, may help people with ADHD. They propose that combining biofeedback with medication may increase the effectiveness of both.

The therapist can then pause the feedback and show the patient his or her physiological reactivity to the mental task, as well as the extent and speed with which the physiology returned to baseline values. At this point the therapist may explain what the optimal values are for each of the physiological variables being measured as well as how they relate to patient health. For example, the therapist may say, ‘Keeping the green line down below two microvolts means that your muscles are already relaxed’. This may also be related to the patient’s current condition by saying something such as ‘If you practise letting go of the tension in these muscles, then you will experience headaches less frequently or with less intensity’. The therapist may then provide the patient with suggestions of how to use imagery or self‐talk to reduce stress.

Biofeedback training is used in a variety of settings in order to improve academic, athletic and corporate performance, as well to improve health and wellness. This training may follow one of two learning models, each of which provides feedback so that the client learns techniques that help to correct any present malfunctioning. Personal use biofeedback devices often claim to target a number of different ailments, such as migraines, pelvic floor weakness, snoring, depression, ADHD, autism, and sleep disruptions.

Patients are also shown how their physiology is reactive to mental stimuli, particularly stressful situations. This is often done with a psychophysiological assessment including a series of activities and recoveries. First patients are asked to relax, and then they are asked to engage in a stressful activity such as the Stroop Color–Word Test5 or the Serial Sevens Test6 before once again being asked to relax.

How Does Biofeedback Therapy Work?

Hold a deep breath for a count of three, and then slowly breathe out, ensuring you exhale fully. But to experience potential benefits, you must actively participate in the therapy and have the motivation to learn and make changes. Explore Mayo Clinic studies of tests and procedures to help prevent, detect, treat or manage conditions.

Individuals may be referred for biofeedback training as either an alternative or an adjunctive therapy. Current treatment may be producing an insufficient response or even no response at all. Individuals who are intolerant of medication or for whom pharmacological treatment is contraindicated (e.g. the patient is pregnant or may become pregnant, or the patient is breast feeding) may be referred for biofeedback training. Patients who for any reason are not adhering to their current treatment regimen may also respond to biofeedback training.

In this model, it is necessary to understand the patient as an individual. Stress management and other psychotherapeutic interventions may be used in combination with biofeedback training in order to make patients aware of how the stress in their lives has an effect on physiology. This application of biofeedback training, which includes stress management, may be the most successful in treating stress related disorders. Your heart rate speeds up, your muscles tighten, your blood pressure rises, you start to sweat, and your breathing quickens. You can see these stress responses as they happen on the monitor, and then get immediate feedback as you try to stop them. Biofeedback sessions are typically done in a therapist’s office, but there are computer programs that connect the biofeedback sensor to your own computer.

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Also, some people who teach biofeedback may not be certified or have enough training to help you. (c) The study used valid and clearly specified outcome measures related to the problem being treated. Sports psychologist Timothy Harkness used neurofeedback training to help Abhinav Bindra, who won the gold medal in the 10-metres air rifle event at the Beijing Olympics. A person with apraxia of speech finds it hard to say what they want to say correctly and consistently. According to authors of a systematic review published in The BMJ in 2014, growing evidence indicates that neurofeedback could help with ADHD.

1. Biofeedback for some conditions, like high blood pressure and asthma, has been proven to be quite helpful.
2. The principle of information is both complex and, in part, controversial.
3. Galvanic skin response (GSR) training is done to control the amount of sweat gland activity that occurs in your body.
4. Biofeedback is a mind–body technique in which individuals learn how to modify their physiology for the purpose of improving physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.

The goal of mindfulness mediation isn’t to stop your thoughts, but to encounter them and allow them to be. As you breathe through your thoughts, focus on the physical feelings in your body, and then allow them to be. After monitoring, you get feedback about how your breathing changes during certain situations. Some biofeedback experts choose to become certified to show their extra training and experience in the practice. Be aware that some items might be falsely sold as biofeedback machines.

Biofeedback Therapy: Techniques, Benefits, and Effective Treatments

It is also effective for treating addiction and substance use disorders, especially during withdrawal. BT treats common symptoms of drug withdrawal, including anxiety, depression, chronic muscle pain, and restlessness. Biofeedback can also have additional mental health benefits, including learning new techniques for coping with feelings of anxiety and managing emotional responses. Respiratory biofeedback involves wearing sensor bands around the chest and abdomen to monitor breathing rates and patterns. With training, people can learn to have greater control over their breathing rates which can help in a variety of situations including when experiencing anxiety.

The final aspect of biofeedback training is reinforcement by the therapist that the patient is doing a good job and is more in control of his or her recovery and wellness. F. Skinner, who discovered through his research on animals that rewards or punishments could reinforce desired behaviors. In the biofeedback context, behaviors are physiological responses such as skin temperature, skin conductance, muscle tension, and brain waves, while reinforcers are auditory and visual displays of physiological responses. For example, a redder hue may represent a warmer hand, indicating greater blood flow due to increased relaxation.

Medical Professionals

This type of biofeedback is a useful marker for detecting levels of emotional arousal. It’s noninvasive, and there aren’t any side effects or potential complications. The synchronous alpha rhythm ranges from 8 to 13 Hz and is defined by its waveform and not by its frequency. Alpha activity can be observed in about 75% of awake, relaxed individuals and is replaced by low-amplitude desynchronized beta activity during movement, complex problem-solving, and visual focusing.

Don’t stop the medical treatment for your problem without talking to your health care provider. How many treatments you have and how long they last depend on your health problem and how quickly you learn to control your body’s responses. The goal of biofeedback is to learn to use these methods at home on your own without a machine or sensors. A broader review was published[170] and later updated,[22] applying the same efficacy standards to the entire range of medical and psychological disorders.

You may use an electric myographical device attached to your muscles during this form of biofeedback. This device is worn on your chest and has a small wearable monitor that provides you feedback about the rate of your breathing. It then gives you an audible melody that helps you slow your breathing. Slower breathing rates—those less than six breaths per minute—may be beneficial in lowering blood pressure. By practicing with Resparate for 15 minutes, three to four days a week, you may be able to achieve some improvement in your high blood pressure. Your healthcare provider can provide more insight into the frequency of sessions that’s best for you.