Biofeedback
Biofeedback is another tool that is available within my practice. It is particularly useful for those who are interested in immediate feedback as to how their bodies respond to the benefits of focused breathing and meditation. Small sensors are placed on one hand and physical response is indicated on a computer screen. The sensors measure temperature change of your fingers. The software programs that I use measure the galvanic skin response.
Biofeedback is a complementary and alternative medicine technique in which you learn to control bodily functions, such as your heart rate, using your mind. The biofeedback sensors teach you how to make subtle changes in your body, such as relaxing certain muscles, to achieve the results you want, such as reducing pain.
In essence, biofeedback gives you the power to use your thoughts to control your body, often to help with a health condition or physical performance. Biofeedback is often used as a relaxation technique. Gaining control over the body cannot be achieved without gaining control over the mind since it is assumed that the mind and body share a symbiotic relationship. The synergy between the two makes it imperative that both the mind and the body, together, as a united whole are targeted. Biofeedback attempts to do just this and reduces not only physical signs of stress but also the mental stress involved.
As a biofeedback trainer, I have found 2 software programs that work best in my practice. One was developed by Drs Andrew Weil and Deepak Chopra. I also utilize software from HeartMath.
