Biofeedback Therapy and It's Meaning

What it is
The practitioner uses a sophisticated electrical instrument to monitor the patient's nervous system and emotional responses. He will allow the patient to observe these changes such as their body temperature and brain wave patterns. The machine is able to measure these changes in the body. The patient is then taught to carefully control these bodily functions by techniques such as relaxation, visualisation therapy, breathing and meditation. This is known as biofeedback training. As the patient becomes increasingly expert as recognizing and altering his responses, he is able to avoid conditions such as anxiety or raised blood pressure. Since many physical changes are related to illness, it is sometimes possible to treat the disease as well.

Who can benefit?
Biofeedback can be effective against stress-related problems such as asthma, insomnia, anxiety and high blood pressure. The therapy also helps people to become more aware of their physical, mental and emotional responses. It teaches people to relax and meditate as well.

How does it work?
After the practitioner has instructed you in a specific relaxation technique, he will show you how to read the meters and to recognize changes in your nervous system. The goal is to help you bring on a state of relaxation yourself. He will choose the most suitable equipment for you and he will explain how it works before attaching it to you, you will be able to hear or see a continuous signal, which measures your responses. Your practitioner might demonstrate that the act of willing alone is not sufficient to bring about any changes in your physical states being measured before beginning the training. You may be asked to try and cause a change, however most people find that the harder the try the more they tense up. The therapist will use a number of special techniques that work at a deeper, less conscious level to help you overcome this problem. Some of these techniques include progressive muscular relaxation, diaphragmatic breathing, autosuggestion, meditation and visualisation.

Researched By Body and Mind