The 411 on Biofeedback Techniques

                

Biofeedback is a technology-driven alternative medicine therapy that is being used to treat a host of maladies – including anxiety, depression, chronic headaches, ADD/ADHD and other behavioral disorders, as well as organic brain afflictions like seizures, autism and cerebral palsy.

All biofeedback techniques work in the same way – a therapist attaches electrical sensors to a patient's body, and collects physiological information about things like brain waves and skin temperature.  The information is then given back to the patient, usually in the form of some kind of video game, to help teach them new behaviors that regulate their body's mental and physical responses.  Not all biofeedback techniques are the same, however.  There are many different types, each invented to help treat different kinds of afflictions.  Here are the four most common:

1.       Electromyography (EMG) biofeedback techniques.  EMG biofeedback collects information from your skeletal muscles to teach you how to respond to muscle tension with relaxation and stress relief techniques.  It is common in physical therapy to assess those recovering from traumatic muscle injuries.  EMG biofeedback techniques have also been found to be helpful in treating hypertension, chronic pain, incontinence, anxiety, headaches and lower back pain.

2.       Thermal biofeedback techniques.  Thermal biofeedback techniques involve collecting readings on the skin's temperature through sensors attached to your fingers or feet.  Many people's skin temperature drops when they are under stress, so a reading showing low skin temperature can help people learn to better manage their physiological responses to stress.  Thermal biofeedback techniques have also been found to be helpful in treating chronic pain, edema, headaches, hypertension, Raynaud's disease and anxiety.

3.       Galvanic skin response biofeedback techniques.  Galvanic skin response measures how active your sweat glands are and how much perspiration you have on your skin.  This is a prime indicator of anxiety.  Galvanic skin response biofeedback techniques have also been found to be helpful in treating excessive perspiration and stress.

4.       Electroencephalography (EEG) neurofeedback.  Using EEG biofeedback techniques, a therapist records a patient's brain activity and uses the results to help the patient learn to control their brainwaves.  EEG neurofeedback is effective for treating a whole host of frontal lobe-centered afflictions, such as anxiety, stress, and attention deficit disorder.  It is also effective for treating disorders with major behavioral components, such as suicidal behavior and drug addiction, and even treats organic brain afflictions like seizures, autism and cerebral palsy.

5.       There are many more biofeedback techniques, but these are the most common.  While there are no permanent cures, biofeedback provides safe and effective long-term treatment for all of the maladies described above.

NEUROFEEDBACK HOW IT WORKS