Biofeedback: Applying the Mind to Health
What is biofeedback?
In biofeedback you expand self-awareness and practice powerful self-healing under guidance. This is often done with measuring devices to train for relaxation. However, the true goal is expanding the dynamic range and flexibility of your physiology. The benefits are enhanced self-regulation and more robust health.
A biofeedback loop starts with monitoring a signal coming from your body. You can monitor muscle tension, hand temperature or brainwave turbulence. Constant updates are fed back to you in a multimedia display. You look and learn. Using this information to get a certain feeling, you then change the signal in a particular direction.
You gain the power to flex and expand your body's functioning. These physiological stretching lessons then go into automatic pilot and are used as needed.
Biofeedback is a mind-body mirror. Specific self-awareness, nourished by intention, becomes self-control. Next comes enhanced homeostasis without further effort. Once you have cleared the trail, the body follows.
Let's do some biofeedback right now. Monitor your pulse. Just feel your heart beating. Without changing your breathing, notice how many times your heart beats during each inhalation and each exhalation. Observe your pattern. Is it 2, 3 or 4 beats per half breath? Now, slow your breathing rate by counting one more heartbeat as you exhale.
Many studies have proven that computerized elaboration of this slower breathing technique has significantly benefits such as lowering high blood pressure. The magic number is usually 6 full breathes per minute. Next try it while walking. Notice the number of strides per breath.
Scientifically sound
The field of biofeedback has progressed by proving that conscious influence is possible over many biological systems and that this practice relieves many diverse disorders.
Scientific literature has well established that holding a thermometer (the signal) to raise your hand temperature (vascular relaxation) prevents 50% of migraine headaches. Biofeedback is more effective than any pill at preventing migraines, especially as medications decline in effectiveness over the years.
Brainwave biofeedback
Using biofeedback with brain signals is called neurofeedback. Neurofeedback is more efficient and powerful than peripheral biofeedback. Neurofeedback can abort migraines. The success rates for resolving migraine are now over 90%. When it works, results seem to endure.
Biofeedback has proven effective in relieving about 150 varied conditions. The only explanation for such broad effectiveness is the power of applied consciousness to self-heal.
The single most popular application for neurofeedback is for ADD. The efficacy is quite high with 85% obtaining 100% remission of symptoms. Complete remission means the disorder is no longer detectable by any means, including brain maps.
Neurofeedback results seem to last forever. There is no homework. As your brain finds a better way to operate, it accepts and adopts the improvements without further effort. As the core problem is cleared, related problems tend to dissolve. Medications can be stopped.
What's it good for?
Here is a short list of the applications for biofeedback in various categories. The quality of evidence varies from rock solid to consistent clinical reports. The positive effect size is usually strong.
Optimal functioning: students, meditators, performing artists, athletes, soldiers, executives.
Everybody: sleep, mental focus, memory, emotional health.
Brain: seizures, stroke, traumatic brain injury, coma, migraine, ARCD.
Lifestyle: drug & alcohol abuse, criminality, eating disorders.
Arousal: stress, anxiety, headache, OCD, anger, PTSD, psychological trauma.
Chronic: asthma, IBS, TMJ, chronic fatigue, immune suppression, fibromyalgia.
Not just kids: ADD, autism, Asperger's, stuttering, Tourette's, tics, learning disorders.
Women: PMS, menopause, hot flashes, pregnancy.
Major: cancer, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, chronic pain, depression.
See www.isnr.org or www.aapb.org for the complete list and scientific references.
Effective
How could one thing be that good for so many different problems? Because the central nervous system is central. Nourishing your mind-body connection with specific awareness and directed intention conditions self-regulatory systems. Your car drives better on all roads after an engine tune up.
I believe that everyone on the planet would benefit from 10 sessions of neurofeedback to optimize mental clarity and upgrade emotional health. Some problems resolve more quickly including garden variety anxiety, migraine, anger, PTSD, PMS and sleep problems. ADD is in the middle but you'll need more sessions for fibromyalgia or autism. Home neurofeedback units are now available for training under the guidance of a professional.
Safe, fun
Biofeedback is remarkably safe. A biofeedback mirror is more benign than a regular mirror. Give an anorexic girl a mirror and she may see enough fat to redouble her diet. Give her 15 sessions of neurofeedback and she will probably begin to ask 'who am I in this world.'
There are cheap and free forms of do-it-yourself biofeedback which are highly effective. And fun. If you want the strongest benefits from biofeedback it is important to employ the best technology. You will derive more rapid, complete and enduring benefits by using the latest neurofeedback software and equipment.
Biofeedback sessions are most often described as pleasant, interesting and relaxing.
Gary Ames is a Licensed Psychologist and Advanced Biofeedback Consultant. For information on business succcess or clinical issues see http://www.AlertFocus.com For more information on migraine headaches visit http://www.EndMigrainePain.com
Gary Ames
28 Rock Hill Road, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004
610.668.3223 - Toll Free 866-562-4868.
More Resources
Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting
More Alternative Information:
Related Articles
Olive Oil: One of the Original Seven Wonders?
Is Olive Oil one of Nature's seven original wonders?According to several resources, Olive oil IS nature's wonder drug. Olive oil is composed of and up to 30mg of Vitamin E, contains Provitamin A (carotene), has up to 83% Monounsaturated Fatty acis (oleic), contains up to 20% Polyunsaturated unfatty acis (Linoleic), and also has up to 23.
Chronic Back Pain
Magnetic Advantage Newsletter FEATURED TOPIC Chronic Back Pain By Bruce Spiegler I had been to three different physicians. The car accident in 1990 had left me with terrible back pain.
Tai Chi Breathing Reduces Residual Air in Ineffective Retention Space
Breathing is the source of life: if breathing stops, do does life. On average, an adult breathe 16-18 times per minutes, each time about 500ml of air exchanged in the lungs.
What Is Thought Field Therapy?
Dr. Roger Callahan is and American psychologist who discovered Thought Field Therapy over 20 years ago.
Ayurveda Approach to Genital Herpes
Dosha theory which help in diagnosis of the diseases.According to ayurveda three doshas or three energetic forces control the activities of the body.
Do You Have Difficulty in Waking Up On Dark Winter Mornings?
Our daily internal body clocks or circadian rhythms synchronise the timing of our wake/sleep patterns and our interactions with the outside world.Our body clocks are naturally conditioned and cued to respond to light signals or 'zeitbeigers' to awake at sunrise and sleep at night.
Magnetic Energy and DNA
Magnetic energy has been in use for reducing pain and for normalizing body functions for hundreds of years. Recently a new technology has emerged that will move the magnetic healing fields in a new direction.
4 Natural Home Remedies to Ease the Pain of Sunburn
At some time or another, we've all experienced the effects of sunburn - be it a light burn or a more heavy burn.Although the sting of regret of inadequate protection (from UV exposure) can be an excellent incentive to plan more carefully on 'future' occasions, it's of little help in soothing the immediate physical sting (i.
The Major Risk Factors of Heart Disease
You should always keep in mind that whatever actions you do today can either help to prevent, delay or minimize the effect of heart disease or worsen it. The key is to control risk factors.
Get Hemorrhoid Relief from Herbal Remedies
Here are four different herbs that can give you hemorrhoid relief and help to get rid of your hemorrhoids. Using these herbs is a convenient and cost effective way to treat your hemorrhoid symptoms.
Flax Seeds, Seeds, and Nuts For Constipation Relief
Here are a variety of home remedies for constipation using flax seeds with other seeds and nuts. They provide the fiber and oils that you need to relieve constipation.
How Can Green Tea Benefit My Family?
No doubt you've heard of Green Tea and the health benefits you can experience from drinking it.Are you giving your family this powerful antioxidant daily?Here is a refresher on some of the benefits you can experience with Green Tea.
A Lifestyle Approach to Remedy Snoring
If you want to remedy snoring, you have to find the underlying cause. Snoring is not an affliction like the common cold, where you wake up one morning and you've just got it.
Whipped Shea Butter & Its Many Uses
Shea butter, also referred to as karite, which means "life" has been used across the African continent for centuries. It hails from Central and Western Africa.
How to Use a Footbath with Herbs
Recently I read a book by William L. Fischer called "Hidden Secrets of Super Perfect Health at Any Age", Book II, 1986.
Cliff Kuhn M.D.s Fun Commandments Unlock Humors Amazingly Powerful Natural Medicine
My Fun Commandments are more relevant today than ever before because I continue to explore and enlarge their scope and impact. They are your wellspring for finding freedom from your pain and illness, navigating swiftly through grief and change, having relationships better than you ever dreamed, ridding yourself of your bad habits once and for all, finding and loving a job of your dreams, and so much more.
The Future of Healing...
Your FUTURE is NOT in a doctor's office or a vial of prescription drugs.Western medicine has done a wonderful job in treating our symptoms and masking the pain of physical imbalances with drugs that cost a small fortune.
Exploring the Mystery of Aromatherapy Through Biotechnology
Aromatherapy originated in Ancient Egypt. About a hundred years ago, a pharmacist from France used an innovative method which led to a breakthrough in aromatherapy techniques.
Eating Junk Food -- The Hidden Price
You probably are very familiar with the benefits you get from NOT eating healthy. You get to eat food that tastes good, you get to be lazy and sit on the couch and veg out and watch TV.
1st Textbook on Sleep Psychiatry
An informative textbook confirming a newly established field: Sleep PsychiatryBook Review by Nikos M. Linardakis, M.