WellSpring Practice Guides

Biofeedback

Biofeedback is a treatment technique in which people are trained to improve their health by using signals from their own bodies. In order to do this, an accurate method of measuring a physiological function is needed, and a variety of biofeedback devices are used to register the level of activity of body systems. These devices use sounds or images to show the level of the response in the body. The information that is ‘fed back’ to them is used to alter responses in behaviour which can then have an affect on the functioning of the client’s body.

Biofeedback practitioners reply on various sensitive and accurate biofeedback machines to monitor and detect a person's different internal bodily functions.

Biofeedback is often aimed at changing habitual reactions to stress that can cause symptoms of pain or disease. Relaxation is a key factor in many cases, especially in response to stressful situations. Feedback of physical responses such as heart rate, skin temperature and muscular tension provides information to help individuals to recognize when they are in a relaxed state. Clients are sometimes taught how to identify the circumstances that trigger their symptoms. They may also be taught how to avoid or cope with the stressful events in their lives. Most are encouraged to change their habits, and are usually taught some form of relaxation exercise.

Biofeedback Devices
A practitioner of Biofeedback technique will use various devices to monitor subtle responses in the body. Some of the devices that may be used are:

Skin Temperature (ST) : registers changes in heat to the skin

Electrical Skin Resistance (ESR) : measures the skin’s electrical conductivity by the amount of sweat produced under stress

Electromyographs (EMGs) : indicates muscle tension

Electroencephalographs (EEGs) : measures brain activity

Electrocardiograph (ECG) : monitors heart rate

The Beginnings of Biofeedback
The word "biofeedback" was first used in the late 1960s to describe laboratory procedures then being used to train research subjects to alter brain activity, blood pressure, heart rate, and other bodily functions that normally are not controlled voluntarily. It had previously not been thought possible that involuntary functions could be altered or influenced. The procedures involved using various devices attached to patients with electrodes or probes which relay signals back to the biofeedback device. The device then produces a signal such as an electronic noise, flash or other visual response. This information could then be used to help individuals to recognise signals that suggest relaxation. Various relaxation techniques can be taught, for example breathing exercises or muscle relaxation techniques to help achieve the desired response for the person and confirmation of reaching the desired state would be received from the device signal.

How Does Biofeedback Work?
Scientists cannot yet explain how biofeedback works, but there is ongoing research into the amount of control we have over involuntary processes. Clients who benefit from biofeedback are trained to relax and modify their behaviour. Most practitioners believe that relaxation is a key factor in biofeedback treatment of many disorders, particularly those brought on or made worse by stress. Individuals differ in the way they respond to stress – blood pressure may become more active in some people in certain situations whereas in others it will remain normal. Many experts believe that these individual physical responses to stress can become habitual. When the body is repeatedly aroused, the affected functions may become permanently overactive, and may lead to disease or pain as a result.

Biofeedback encourages the client’s own responsibility for their health and the recognition that they can make changes to their state of health. This does involve a commitment to examining their day-to-day lives to learn if they may have a habitual response that may be contributing to their own symptoms and a dedication to practising biofeedback or relaxation exercises every day.