Biofeedback therapy
Biofeedback therapy is a technique that utilizes sensors attached to the body to help individuals become more aware of and gain control over physiological processes. This therapy involves monitoring various bodily functions, such as heart rate, muscle tension, and brainwave patterns, and providing real-time feedback through visual displays or sounds. With training, practitioners can learn to control these functions consciously, which has been shown to help reduce the frequency and severity of conditions like migraines and tension headaches.
In a typical session, sensors may be placed on different parts of the body, and participants engage in mental exercises or imagery to facilitate changes in their physiological responses. Biofeedback is also used to address other issues, including anxiety, chronic pain, high blood pressure, and insomnia. A more specialized form, neurofeedback, focuses on retraining brainwave patterns and is often used for disorders like ADHD and anxiety, although it remains a topic of debate regarding its effectiveness due to limited clinical trials. Overall, biofeedback therapy offers a non-invasive approach for individuals seeking to improve their health and manage various physical and psychological challenges.
Biofeedback therapy
DEFINITION: Therapy involving the use of sensors attached to the body.
Overview
Biofeedback is the body’s cued response to its physiologic state. These responses include scratching an itch, grabbing a snack when hungry, and using the toilet when feeling the urge.
With biofeedback training, however, a person is cued by sensors attached to the body. These sensors measure heart rate, the temperature of extremities, the muscle tension in specific muscle groups, or, in neurofeedback, the kinds of brainwaves a person is emitting. This information is conveyed by visual displays or sounds.
Using imagery and mental exercises, one learns to control these functions using the feedback provided by the sensors as a gauge of success. With practice, a person can learn to “tune in” without instruments and to control these functions at will. Mastering and using these techniques can reduce the frequency and severity of headaches and migraines.
Modes of Action
In a biofeedback training session for headaches, temperature sensors are attached first to the hands, then to the feet, and finally to the forehead, if needed. The goal is to increase blood flow away from the brain by raising the temperature in the hands and feet and eventually lowering it in the temples. Other sensors might monitor a person’s electrodermal or galvanic skin response, that is, how easily one sweats or gets goosebumps, because this affects their ability to alter their skin temperature.
In biofeedback, warming up one’s hands and feet might involve imagining oneself basking in the sun on a beach while listening to a script such as “I feel warm. My hands are growing warm and heavy.” Both the image and the script would be personally tailored to evoke a vivid and relaxing mental image. After the training session, the person would be sent home with this recorded script and small thermometers for daily practice.
In the twenty-first century, biofeedback training continues to be used to treat tension and migraine headaches. The American Migraine Foundation and the National Headache Foundation have stated their belief that biofeedback training can reduce the frequency and severity of headaches and is a valuable tool for alleviating the pain and inconvenience of headaches. Biofeedback training is used for other conditions as well, including anxiety, stress, chronic pain, high blood pressure, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome, and attention-deficit disorder.
Neurofeedback
Neurofeedback, also called electroencephalogram (EEG) feedback, is the most controversial form of biofeedback therapy, mainly because so few controlled clinical trials have been able to assess its efficacy. Neurofeedback involves “retraining” brainwave patterns. Although controversial, it is experiencing a resurgence of interest in the treatment of a variety of disorders, including depression, attention-deficit disorder (ADD), anxiety, epilepsy, insomnia, traumatic brain injury, substance abuse disorder, and alcoholism.
In a neurofeedback training session, several sensors that measure the brain’s electrical activity are attached to the scalp. The person relaxes and plays a video game, which is controlled only by the brainwaves, and which responds favorably to brainwaves of the desired pattern. As the person plays the game, the trainer observes the EEG, which is transmitted to a separate video terminal. Most practitioners recommend a minimum of twenty sessions to obtain significant, long-lasting results, although improvement is usually noted early on if the treatment protocol is right for the patient.
Bibliography
Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback. aapb.org. Accessed 15 Aug. 2023.
"Biofeedback and Relaxation Training for Headaches." American Migraine Foundation, americanmigrainefoundation.org/resource-library/biofeedback-and-relaxation-training. Accessed 15 Aug. 2023.
Mullally, William J, et al. "Efficacy of Biofeedback in the Treatment of Migraine and Tension Type Headaches." Pain Physician, vol. 12, no. 6, 2009, pp. 1005-11.
"Neurofeedback and Biofeedback for Mood and Anxiety Disorders: A Review of Clinical Effectiveness and Guidelines." NCBI, 13 Nov. 2017, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK531603. Accessed 6 Sept. 2024.
Walker, J. E. "QEEG-Guided Neurofeedback for Recurrent Migraine Headaches." Clinical EEG and Neuroscience, vol. 42, no. 1, 2011, pp. 59-61.