Therapies
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Biofeedback
Credit for this report goes to
Child Wisdom.org
Biofeedback
is a treatment technique in which people can balance their
nervous system by using signals from their own bodies. Clinical
biofeedback
techniques have grown out of early laboratory procedures used to
train research subjects to alter brain activity, blood pressure,
heart rate, and other body functions that normally were
considered involuntarily. Physical therapists use biofeedback to
help stroke victims regain movement in paralyzed muscles.
Psychologists use
biofeedback
to help tense and anxious clients learn how to relax. Clients
learn by watching monitoring instruments attached to their body
that record changes in their physiology. Initially, these
monitoring devices are used to measure subtle body changes and
make them apparent to the client, who begins to learn how to
better control these responses. Eventually, the client attains
better self-regulation without the aid of these devices.
Chances are you have used
biofeedback
yourself. If you have ever taken your temperature or stepped on
a scale, you are using a simple kind of
biofeedback.
Like a pitcher learning to throw a ball across a home plate, the
biofeedback trainee, in an attempt to improve a skill, monitors
the performance. When a pitch is off the mark, the ballplayer
adjusts the delivery so that he performs better the next time he
tries. When the computer display flashes, the biofeedback
trainee makes internal adjustments, which alter the signals. The
biofeedback therapist acts as a coach, standing at the sidelines
setting goals and limits on what to expect and giving hints on
how to improve performance.
Research has demonstrated that
biofeedback
can help in the treatment of many conditions, especially
stress-associated illnesses. We now know that we have more
control over so-called involuntary body functions and states of
consciousness than we ever thought possible. Clients usually are
taught some form of relaxation exercise. They learn to identify
the circumstances that trigger their symptoms. Clients are also
coached on how to avoid or cope with these stressful events.
Biofeedback
is not magic. It cannot by itself cure disease or make a person
happy. It is a tool that reminds client and doctor alike that
thoughts and feelings profoundly influence physical health.
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