Your Experience, if any, with Biofeedback?

[Mike03]

Some health/mental health websites I've visited over the past week in search of answers to how to cope with muscle-contraction headaches have praised biofeedback as a method to cope not only with headache but chronic pain, depression/negative emotions, and so forth.

I've had some but not great success with meditation. Yoga has helped me enormously, but due to a recent knee injury, I can't do it right now.

It would be fascinating to know if anyone here has tried biofeedback for any specific purpose and, if so, whether or not it has helped you deal with anything, regardless of the specific purpose for you having learned biofeedback (although, please share what it was, if you can).

Also, can you recommend a biofeedback system or machine? I've been using just yogic breathing techniques in combination with a finger pulse-reading machine that tells me what my heart, breath and pulserate are, but it is very primitive.

[Frosty1]

1. Not exactly biofeedback but I thought this was an interesting post.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=276x1649

[SPKrazy]

2. Have had training in GSR, muscle tension, and temperature

and have equipment that will do whatever needs to be done in that area.

I will tell you that after all the training and expense, you are essentially training people to do what you are already doing.

The finger pulse machine isn't so primitive unless you are talking about wanting to do neurofeedback which is another animal altogether.

My use of equipment is generally to give a person feedback about how their body is responding to their own efforts to control breathing, heart rate, skin temperature, and muscle tension.

Yeah, one can set up rhythms, pictures, etc to help guide the person and :yawn: that is boring... the real deal is when the person learns what causes their heart to slow, muscles to relax, temperature (skin) to rise. Autosuggestion, relaxation training, autogenics, hypnosis, etc. are all techniques that I've used to help people discover that.

Unless you are interested in neurofeedback which can get pretty pricey, although there are some units that go for around $1000 that are self trainers in this. I'm no expert in that area and would say that while you can learn a lot for yourself, I would seek someone who is certified through BCIA in neurofeedback or biofeedback.

[darkstar]

3. How cool this all sounds....

Biofeedback can be applied to anything, right? I mean, we usually associate it with relaxation and alpha states, but what are their any more novel applications you are aware of?

Plus, I'd be curious to see what you think about hemisphere-sync approaches to creating alpha states. I've read about those from time to time, but learning to create your own via the feedback route seems more profitable.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemi-Sync

:hi: