Biofeedback

When a client begins biofeedback sessions, they may learn to recognize the physical signs of stress they experience in their bodies. For some, stress might be shown through increased muscle tension and heart rate. Others may find their breathing rate increases. A biofeedback practitioner can utilize visual and auditory feedback to help individuals recognize various stress and anxiety responses in the body (hence the term, “bio-feedback”).

After identifying these bodily responses, the healthcare professional guides the individual to retrain themselves to respond differently to stimuli. Using electrodes or sensors on the skin, heart rate, temperature, breathing rate, and other physical signs of stress can be monitored. Using the monitor as a reference point, individuals can work with their practitioners to relax their minds and bodies in stressful situations.

The monitors often display vital signs and other information that provides cues, such as sounds or flashing lights, which indicate physiological changes. Over time, individuals can learn to control their physiological responses to stress, using their learned techniques to lower heart rate, slow breathing, and decrease other automatic stress responses.

By learning to control stress's physical and psychological effects using biofeedback, individuals can learn to relax their minds and bodies and better cope with the symptoms. If you’re interested in biofeedback therapy, you can meet with a practitioner to discuss your symptoms and treatment goals. From there, you and the practitioner can decide if biofeedback is a fit for you. 

During your first biofeedback session, you may discuss your medical history, current symptoms, and any medications you are taking. The practitioner can explain how the biofeedback process works and what tools or medical devices are used to monitor specific bodily functions, as supported by the Association for Applied Psychophysiology.

Once the practitioner sets up the equipment, you may have electrodes or sensors placed on different areas of the body, such as the neck or scalp. You may also hold a sensor in your hands. These sensors are connected to a computer that shows your heart rate, breathing rate, body temperature, muscle tension, and other vital signs. 

Monitoring these bodily functions can allow you and your practitioner to identify your body’s automatic responses – such as muscle tension or increased perspiration—and learn how to adjust these responses. You may be taught various techniques to control your body’s responses from there. These techniques could include breathing exercises, meditation, guided imagery, or progressive muscle relaxation. 

Biofeedback can have various benefits, including improved mental and physical health. For example, people who have conditions like ADHD, anxiety, stress, headaches, arthritis, chronic pain, or asthma can benefit from biofeedback. Individuals interested in biofeedback can receive a type of biofeedback specific to their needs. Different types of biofeedback include the following. 

Electromyography (EMG)

Electromyography (EMG) works by placing a sensor on an individual’s muscles, relaying the level of muscle tension in the form of audio or visual data. This biofeedback technique can help people better understand how they process stress, what incites muscle tension, and how to better relax themselves. EMG can be particularly beneficial for people who experience migraines, chronic pain, or other stress-related symptoms. 

Thermal biofeedback

With thermal biofeedback, individuals learn to change the skin temperature of their hands by using guided imagery and other mental training. People engaging in thermal biofeedback may wear a monitor on their finger or hold a sensor in their hand that tracks their temperature. They can also adjust their body temperature as they learn to track or monitor their hand temperature. This strategy may be helpful for individuals looking to improve their mental and physical health, providing benefits that buffer stress, tension, and migraines and improve school and work performance.

Neurofeedback or electroencephalography (EEG)

Neurofeedback¹ monitors a person’s brainwaves and relays that information through audio or visual data. Neurofeedback is non-invasive and can involve engaging in an activity like watching a movie or playing a video game. While partaking in the activity, a machine monitors brainwaves that occur as a result. 

Once the individual and practitioner understand which types of stimuli produce the desired brainwaves (for example, alpha waves, which are associated with peacefulness and meditation), they can work to train the brain to be in that state more frequently. This type of biofeedback may be helpful in improving mental health and behavioral conditions, including attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD),² anxiety, depression, epilepsy, insomnia, addiction, schizophrenia,³ and others. 

Often, the goal of biofeedback is to make desired changes to the body’s functions by training the mind. Clients may work on relaxing certain muscles, focusing on specific thoughts, slowing heart rate, or reducing pain. Some of the functions that people can learn to control include:

• Blood flow
• Blood pressure
• Heart rate
• Body temperature
• Brainwaves
• Muscle tension
• Pain levels or perception of pain

Biofeedback therapy can have a ripple effect on a person’s life. Someone who becomes stressed about public speaking may utilize biofeedback to control their stress responses and improve their public speaking fears. By becoming more confident in their public speaking abilities, individuals may take on greater responsibilities at work, enhancing their career and overall self-esteem. 

Someone who utilizes biofeedback for another condition, such as migraines or chronic pain, may find that the benefits from biofeedback allow them to have a more positive outlook on life. Additionally, biofeedback does not cause side effects, unlike some other medical treatments.

Biofeedback is often recommended for anxiety, eating disorders, and muscle spasms. However, the treatment is not limited to stress-related conditions, and research can shed insights into how this treatment benefits clients. 

Recent studies indicate that biofeedback can be helpful for men experiencing urinary incontinence after receiving a prostatectomy. The same research suggests that biofeedback could benefit clients recovering from a stroke or experiencing fecal incontinence. 

Other studies indicate biofeedback may benefit Reynaud disease, a painful condition restricting blood flow to the hands and feet. This treatment modality may also reduce pain for those with fibromyalgia and help people with insomnia fall asleep more easily, according to the same source. Finally, biofeedback may reduce the risk of cardiac events due to its ability to lower blood pressure and decrease the body’s stress response.