Biofeedback

What is Stress?

Simply stated, STRESS is our autonomic nervous system’s response to real or perceived threats. Threats can be as simple as being afraid we will not be able to get our work done before a deadline, that our children are doing poorly in life and will not be self-sufficient adults, that a car will break down in the wrong place at the wrong time, or that dinner will burn in the oven before we make it home. Daily stressors accumulate. Life threatening stressors can trigger a deeper reaction. Threats signal a need for the brain/body to get into action. Physically, a series of chemical reactions in the brain and body prepare us to survive real and perceived threats. We often feel that our thoughts and emotions are out of control. Spiritually, we can experience a sense of disconnection, or even abandonment when the threat is severe. So basically our instincts override perceived control, and not very many of us like that! Stress can contribute to the over-production of cortisol, a hormone that acts as a stress buffer. “Hypercortisolemia” can result in various degrees of sleep disturbance, changes in blood sugar, poor metabolism, mood changes including depression/anxiety/anger, suppressed immune functioning, and memory loss. In daily life it is easy to deny the effects of stress until it reaches this level. This is where (Western/modern) medicine may have interventions for some symptoms, but often fails to address the ability of the person to regain control where it has been lost.

How can we learn to respond rather than react to real or perceived stress?

It is difficult for the outer cortex of the brain to bypass our “reptilian brain”, the limbic system. With diligence, we can develop new methods of satisfying the limbic system’s survival programming by training our mind/body to override our brain. There are three primary methods of relaxation training that can assist in learning to develop some control over the parasympathetic nervous system: diaphragmatic breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and quieting the mind.

What is biofeedback and how can it help?

Biofeedback is simply measurable information about what is going on inside our bodies. For example, when we feel like we are sick and have a high temperature, we can only guess how high it might be such as 99 or 100 degrees. When we take our temperature with a thermometer, we get an accurate reading of our temperature. There are different forms of biofeedback that are used for training relaxation skills. “Coherence training” is a wonderful tool that is simple and gives accurate feedback for progressive relaxation skill training. Also, EEG biofeedback, or “neurofeedback”, helps the brain to gain flexibility in the way it responds to real or perceived stress. Research has shown that the limbic system in the brain can be sensitized to perceived threats, resulting in the activation of the “fight or flight” response.

With a series of training and reinforcement, biofeedback can help trainees to gain confidence in their ability to bypass or counteract stressful reactions.

What is neurofeedback and how can it help?

Biofeedback for the brain, also referred to as EEG (electroencephalography) neurofeedback, or “neurotherapy”, assists the brain in developing its most efficient form of functioning. Bill Scott of “BrainPaint” describes neurofeedback as “training wheels” similar to when a child first learns to ride a bicycle. The effects of gravity cannot be explained to a child, but training wheels help the child to learn how to ride efficiently, how to most effectively unite the body/mind response to the effects of gravity. With neurofeedback, nothing is “done to” the brain: the brain utilizes audio and visual feedback as a mirror effect that shows it how to function more efficiently. This takes practice; however, once trained the brain remembers and can eventually let go of the training wheels of feedback. Neurofeedback training has been found to have continuous benefits unless interrupted by a significant trauma or the accumulation of severe stress.

First practiced in 1963 by Joseph Kamiya, neurofeedback has progressed significantly with advances in technology. Some areas where training has been beneficial include epilepsy, attention deficit disorders (ADD/ADHD), anxiety disorders including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), autism spectrum disorders, substance abuse/dependence, and brain injuries. Like most health interventions, there are different approaches that range from specific brainwave training, to global resiliency training. An industry standard for EEG neurofeedback training in situations of brain injuries is to evaluate functioning with use of a “brain map” in order to target appropriate training. The International Society of Neurofeedback Research has a website with links to research on neurofeedback. (http://www.isnr.org) You can also pick up a copy of “A Symphony in the Brain” by Jim Robbins to learn more about neurofeedback. (http://www.amazon.com/Symphony-Brain-Evolution-Wave-Biofeedback/dp/0802138195)