Emotional & mental health clinic

BIOFEEDBACK & NEUROFEEDBACK

Biofeedback is a process of learning to influence one's physiological processes, with the goal of improving optimal functioning, wellness, or health. Biofeedback provides information about the immediate status of an individual's physiological process, so that the individual can learn to recognize the status of that system. The goal of biofeedback is for the individual to gain increased control, or influence, over the functioning of that system (Gilbert & Moss, 2003; Sherman, 2004). 

It allows individuals to be actively involved in the control of their own physiological and emotional processes (i.e., self-regulate), first aided by equipment that measures physiological activity and later without the use of such instruments (Wheat & Larkin, 2010). 

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BIOFEEDBACK & NEUROFEEDBACK

Major Uses of Biofeedback

 
Biofeedback is used in many ways ranging from diagnosing clinical symptoms to exploring self-awareness, states of consciousness and personal growth. Most commonly, biofeedback is used for: ​

  • Demonstrating for the client the mind-body relationship (e.g. that every thought has a corresponding somatic reaction and vice versa). 
  • Changing beliefs so that clients can become more active participants in the self-healing process. 
  • Mastery training of self-control.

       (Adapted from; Peper et al., 2009).

References:
Gilbert, C., & Moss, D. (2003). Biofeedback and biological monitoring. In D. Moss, A. McGrady, T. Davies, & I. Wickramasekera (Eds.), Handbook of mind-body medicine for primary care (pp. 109-122), Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. 
Sherman, R. (2004). Pain assessment & intervention: From a psychophysiological perspective. Wheat Ridge, CO: Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback. 

​Wheat, A., & Larkin, K. T. (2010). Biofeedback of heart rate variability & related physiology: A critical review. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, 35, 229–242.doi: 10.1007s10484-010-9133-y. 

​Yucha, C. & Montgomery, D. 2008. Evidence-Based Practice in Biofeedback and Neurofeedback. Wheat Ridge, CO: Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback. 

Peper, E., Harvey, R., & Takabayashi, N. (2009). Biofeedback an evidence based approach in clinical practice. Japanese Journal of Biofeedback Research, 36(1), 3-10. 

Some of the most effective self-regulation and biofeedback applications that are evidence based include the treatment of headache, hypertension, stress-related disorders, attention deficit disorders, epilepsy, abdominal pain, asthma and, urinary incontinence, etc. (Yucha & Montgomery, 2008). 


Successful Treatment Includes:

  • Assessing physiology as a diagnostic strategy, 
  • Explaining the illness processes and healing strategies that are congruent with patients’ perspective, 
  • Reframing the patients’ illness beliefs, and 
  • Training with homework practices to generalize the skills. 

​Biofeedback instruments measure muscle activity, skin temperature, electrodermal activity, respiration, heart rate, heart rate variability, blood pressure, brain electrical activity, and brain blood flow. Research shows that biofeedback, alone and in combination with other behavioral therapies, is effective for treating a variety of disorders, ranging from headache to hypertension to temporo-mandibular to attentional disorders. (Adapted from; Yucha & Montgomery, 2008).