Biofeedback

Biofeedback is a skills-based training technique used to teach individuals how to control their body’s reaction to stress.

Specifically, biofeedback is a process that enables an individual to learn how to change physiological activity for the purposes of improving health and performance. High tech instruments measure physiological activity such as heart rate, breathing, muscle tension, skin temperature, and galvanic skin response (sweat gland activity). Information on these measures is provided via a visual display as “feedback” to the individual, allowing a person to better understand the changes that occur during stress and learn how to regulate these functions to manage or abate the negative effects of stress. Over time, these changes can be maintained without the continued use of a feedback instrument.

Biofeedback has progressed over the decades from research into clinical practice. Today, it is a well-recognized tool for self-regulation and stress relief. It is often prescribed as adjunctive care alongside other medical treatments. Biofeedback is commonly used in the treatment of:

• Anxiety
• Asthma
• Chronic pain syndrome, including Functional Abdominal Pain
• Headaches (migraine & tension)
• Hypertension
• Insomnia
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Panic disorder
• Post-traumatic stress
• Raynaud’s
• Tachycardia

For a comprehensive list of disorders, research articles, and efficacy of biofeedback as a treatment modality, see the Consumer link at www.aapb.org

Biofeedback is safe, effective, and non-invasive. The techniques and modalities of biofeedback are grounded in solid empirical evidence and scientific foundation. The national association of Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback has made it their mission to support ongoing research and publication of biofeedback-related studies.