What is Biofeedback?

Biofeedback is the use of electronic monitoring of an automatic bodily function to train someone to acquire control of that function.

Special sensors check with the body or certain muscles for what they are doing which is then fed back to the therapist and patient. For example, for incontinence, the sensors will check how well the person is doing their pelvic floor exercises or how well they are squeezing the muscles. This can feedback what muscles you are working and what you need to improve on. Therefore the idea behind this is that by harnessing the power of your mind and becoming aware of what is going on with your own body, you may gain more control over your health.

In this series of blog posts, we are going to be looking further into some of the more popular holistic therapies available. We aim to get a better understanding of what each therapy is, what it involves and what it does. But what is Biofeedback? Today we explore the alternative therapy in more detail

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What is biofeedback?

Biofeedback therapy involves training the patient to control their physiological process such as muscle tension, blood pressure and also their heart rate. These processes are usually involuntarily, but patients who use Biofeedback therapy can learn how to completely manipulate them at will. The three main types of Biofeedback therapies are:

– Thermal Biofeedback – measures skin temperature

– Electromyography – measures muscle tension

– Neurofeedback – measures brain wave activity

The therapy can measure a patient’s performance by attaching electrodes to their skin and displaying the processes on a monitor. The therapist reads the measurements and through trial and error singles out mental activities that help regulate the patient’s bodily processes. The therapy is known to treat chronic pain, urinary incontinence, high blood pressure, tension headache, migraine headaches and even stress.

Further information

You can find out more about Biofeedback on our Biofeedback insurance page.  This explains more about the therapy and the insurance required if you are a therapist undertaking this therapy.

Disclaimer: It’s always advisable to contact an holistic professional before undergoing any form of alternative medical treatment. Have you tried Biofeedback?  What did you think?  Join in the conversation on Facebook.