Biofeedback
Biofeedback is a way that a person can improve their
health by using signals from their own bodies. Therapists use it to
help tense and anxious clients learn to relax. Specialists in many
different fields use biofeedback to help their patients cope with
pain.
Chances are you have used biofeedback yourself. You've used it if
you have ever taken your temperature or stepped on a scale. The
thermometer tells you whether you're running a fever, the scale
whether you've gained weight. Both devices "feed back" information
about your body's condition. Armed with this information, you can
take steps you've learned to improve the condition. When you're
running a fever, you go to bed and drink plenty of fluids. When
you've gained weight, you resolve to eat less and sometimes you
do.
Clinicians reply on complicated biofeedback machines in somewhat
the same way that you rely on your scale or thermometer. Their
machines can detect a person's internal bodily functions with far
greater sensitivity and precision than a person can alone. This
information may be valuable. Both patients and therapists use it to
gauge and direct the progress of treatment.
For patients, the biofeedback machine acts as a kind of sixth sense
which allows them to "see" or "hear" activity inside their bodies.
One commonly used type of machine, for example, picks up electrical
signals in the muscles. It translates these signals into a form
that patients can detect: It provides information on a computer
screen. If patients want to relax tense muscles, they learn to make
internal changes that show up on the computer screen.
Like a pitcher learning to throw a ball across a home plate, the
biofeedback trainee, in an attempt to improve a skill, monitors the
performance. When a pitch is off the mark, the ballplayer adjusts
the delivery so that he performs better the next time he tries. The
biofeedback trainee makes internal adjustments which alter the
signals. The biofeedback therapist acts as a coach, standing at the
sidelines setting goals and limits on what to expect and giving
hints on how to improve performance.
How is Biofeedback Used
Today?
Clinical biofeedback techniques
that grew out of the early laboratory procedures are now widely
used to treat an ever-lengthening list of conditions. As a
mental health therapist I use it to help clients experiencing
stress and
anxiety.
Specialists who provide biofeedback
training range from mental health therapists to psychiatrists and
psychologists to dentists, internists, nurses, and physical
therapists. Most rely on many other techniques in addition to
biofeedback.
Patients usually are taught some
form of relaxation exercise. Some learn to identify the
circumstances that trigger their symptoms. They may also be taught
how to avoid or cope with these stressful events. Most are
encouraged to change their habits, and some are trained in special
techniques for gaining such self-control. Biofeedback is not magic.
It cannot cure disease or by itself make a person healthy. It is a
tool, one of many available to health care professionals. It's a
reminder that behavior, thoughts, and feelings profoundly influence
physical health.
Patients'
Responsibilities
In order to be successful,
Biofeedback places some demands on patients. They must examine
their day-to-day lives to learn if they may be contributing to
their own distress. They must commit themselves to practicing
biofeedback or relaxation exercises every day. They must change
habits. Most important, they must accept much of the responsibility
for maintaining their own health.
This Material was written by
Bette Runck, staff writer, Division of Communication and Education,
National Institute of Mental Health.
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL
HEALTH- Division of Scientific and Public Information-Plain Talk
Series- Ruth Kay, Editor
If you’re interested in
experiencing Biofeedback call Louann at
303-721-0005
