Biofeedback Therapy: Uses and Benefits


Bethany Thomas
Core Spirit member since Feb 19, 2021
4m read
·Sep 21, 2021

The present time is an age of instability, chronic pain and anxiety, a crazy pace of life, and total fatigue. The human body, often, cannot withstand such a load on the psyche. And as a result, there are various failures in the nervous system which lead to the development of chronic diseases.

However, you can learn to manage your psycho-emotional state with the help of the new modern biofeedback method.

Biofeedback therapy = modern computer technology + modern scientific knowledge about the structure of the brain + effective psychotechnology

Indications for the use of biofeedback

Biofeedback therapy is becoming an increasingly versatile method of diagnosis and treatment in various areas of human health.

Biofeedback therapy is actively used in psychology, psychiatry, neurology, cardiology, gastroenterology, urology, pediatrics, geriatrics, restorative medicine, stress management, education, sports, art, etc.

The list of diseases with which it effectively works is constantly expanding.

Who needs biofeedback sessions?

  • Patients suffering from various chronic diseases
  • Executives and office workers to prevent stress and improve performance
  • Children to improve concentration, learning, and behavior correction
  • Athletes to improve their performance in sports and reduce the risk of injury

List of diseases for which biofeedback therapy is used:

  • Tension headaches
  • Migraine
  • Panic attacks
  • Phobias
  • Psychosomatics
  • Post-stroke disorders
  • Depression (reactive, unipolar)
  • Insomnia
  • Anxiety disorders
  • Vegetovascular dystonia
  • ADD / ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
  • Bruxism, tinnitus
  • Hyperhidrosis
  • Neurotic and anxiety disorders
  • Post-traumatic stress syndrome
  • Chronic fatigue syndrome
  • Postoperative gait and muscle tone disorders
  • Chronic pain syndrome
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Scoliosis
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Psychoimmunological disorders
  • Hypertonic disease
  • Raynaud's disease
  • Peptic ulcer
  • Irritable bowel syndrome
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Diseases of the musculoskeletal system (posture disorders, scoliosis, osteochondrosis, flat feet);
  • Premenstrual syndrome, menopause
  • Erectile dysfunction (impotence)
  • Diabetes mellitus I and II types
  • Thyrotoxicosis
  • Alcoholism
  • Addiction
  • Tobacco smoking
  • Preparing pregnant women for childbirth
  • Difficulties in the intimate sphere

Relative contraindications

  • Gross violations of intelligence, attention, memory;
  • Epilepsy and convulsive conditions;
  • Somatic and endocrine diseases in the acute stage;
  • Psychopathy, personality disorders;
  • Acute infectious diseases;
  • Obesity III degrees;
  • Not applicable to children under 5 years of age

More about biofeedback technology

Biofeedback is a form of individual training of a patient together with a psychologist to achieve quick results, transferring his body and his consciousness to the necessary modes for a healthy and fulfilling life. Using the laws of psychophysiology and modern computer technology, biofeedback is a therapeutic approach for teaching patients to control muscle work, combining knowledge and techniques from the fields of medicine and psychology. This therapeutic method allows the patient to learn to control many physiological functions such as breathing, blood pressure, muscle tension, and emotional background under the influence of stress.

The essence of the biofeedback therapy

Biofeedback is a real fitness for the brain, which in turn controls all functions of the human body.

A biofeedback therapy session is carried out using a special apparatus that "reads" the main parameters of a person's vital activity, sends them to a computer program, and that, in turn, converts signals into images that are intuitive for the patient (sounds, pictures, games, etc.).

The principle of operation of the biofeedback apparatus is similar to the principle of operation of a lie detector. By analogy with a lie detector, the device performs the initial registration and the slightest changes during the treatment session of the following physiological parameters:

  • heart rate;
  • changes in the quality of the heartbeat at rest and during test loads;
  • the level of synchronicity of the heartbeat during inhalation and output, which may indicate depletion of the internal forces of the body;
  • the number of respiratory movements;
  • the degree of the rhythm of breathing, the degree of completeness of inhalation and exhalation by the stomach and chest, an important indicator of vital processes in all organs and tissues of the body;
  • muscle tension in one muscle or two opposite muscles;
  • vascular tone;
  • sweating of the fingers;
  • blood pressure level;
  • peripheral temperature;
  • waves of the electrical activity of the brain, etc.
  • changes in brain activity waves during mental stress, during test loads

Although biofeedback therapy requires rather sophisticated equipment, technology, and an experienced certified specialist, its essence is very simple: it is a treatment-learning playfully.

The brain learns new ways of working using feedback signals. This learning process is very similar to a game: the patient, under the supervision of a doctor, performs certain tasks and sees how far or close he is to his goal.

It is the playful and visual aspects that make biofeedback therapy an indispensable method for working with children and adolescents in terms of effectiveness.

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