A Basic DEFINITION of Biofeedback
courtesy of Pamela Smale Williams LPC, LMFT (pamelasmalewilliams.com) in Plano, Texas
Pamela's ANGER
Management Workshop information, Class offered JUNE
28th
Sat. 1-4PM
Please note, Neurofeedback & Biofeedback are not offered by Path Ways Counseling at this time. Please
consult EEG Spectrum for list of providers.
For Cognitive Behavioral treatment of ANXIETY DISORDERS,
call for an appointment at 972-596-1338 in Plano, Texas.
"What's Biofeedback Like?
How does it help me to reduce Stress?
"The detection of information about a person's Biological functions, (such as heart rate,
breathing rate, skin temperature, and amount of muscle tension), picked up by surface
electrodes (sensors) and electronically amplified to provide "feedback"
(usually an audio-tone and/or a visual read-out) to the patient, about those functions."
Biofeedback training uses the information
that has been monitored from the sensors attached to a muscle
on the skin's surface, or to the skin only for thermal or other
readings. With the help of a trained Clinician, the patient can
learn how to make voluntary changes in those biological functions
and bring them under patient control.
In many cases Biofeedback
such as Ritalin for A.D.D.,
Anti-depressants, blood pressure medicines, muscle relaxants, and anxiety medications,
and may even enable a patient to discontinue their medication completely.
LENGTH OF TREATMENT
A typical minimal length of treatment is 10 sessions. Frequently the average is 15-30 sessions,
but this can vary widely based on patient response. Neurofeedback sessions work best when
treatment is scheduled 2-3 x weekly for most. This rate can be accomplished by sessions in the same
day with short breaks in between sessions. Ask your therapist for his/her recommendation. The body
learns to change best with sessions closer together. Biofeedback sessions may be scheduled
1x weekly. This commitment can allow the patient to obtain a powerful, lasting skill that creates
long term change.
for disease
related causes of the presenting symptom.
(Example: it would be important to rule out the presence of a tumor before assuming it is stress that is causing your
headaches).
HOW IS IT USED?
A baseball pitcher learning to throw a ball across home base, and attempting to improve a skill, is
monitoring "Performance". When the throw is off, the pitcher adjusts the throw next time.
So too, the biofeedback patient. When a patient is "hooked up" to a biofeedback device, a visual
and /or auditory cue lets him/her know to make an
internal change which then changes the signal.
This training provides a patient with the information he needs to change the particular biological
function,
such as decreased muscle tension to control headaches for example.
The Biofeedback therapist "coaches" to provide goals and directs how to improve performance.
Biofeedback equipment, often computerized, is used to pick up the often imperceptible sensory
information given
from, in this example, muscle groups; it is then given back or "fed back" to the patient and therapist in a recognizable
format (audio tone, visual graph or game) so that the appropriate internal changes can be made. This results in
voluntary
control of the muscle group by the patient where before only unconscious control existed.
What this means to the patient is, s/he is learning to lower AUTONOMIC AROUSAL and thus reduce...
Muscle tension, Heart rate and breathing rate while blood flow is increased (which helps blood pressure) and thereby
the symptoms of
Stress,
which can be fatal over time.
Biofeedback and Neurofeedback therapies are NON-INVASIVE techniques that utilize the innate capacity of a person
to exercise greater control over his / her own life and is focused on healthier, enhanced living rather than disease.
Psychology.com listing for Pamela Smale Williams LPC, LMFT.