Biofeedback
What is Biofeedback?
Biofeedback is a method of learning to control our bodies responses to relax more deeply, relieve pain, and develop healthier response styles. Biofeedback involves using electronic instrumentation to monitor specific, often unconscious physiological activities and habit patterns of your body and then "feed back" the information to you. Once you are aware of what your body is doing, you can learn to change those patterns to reduce stress, anxiety, or related physical symptoms.
Each practice includes effective breathing and meditation techniques to induce relaxation and reduce stress. Users can watch vibrant visual backdrops that respond on-screen to their progress, or view the Grapher, which shows their body’s physiology change in real time.
What is Stress?
When we are confronted by situations that trigger an immediate response, “fight or flight,” our bodies go into action, our hearts beat faster, our breathing becomes more rapid, muscles tense, our minds tend to race, and we start to sweat. Our modern bodies react the same to today’s mental stressors (walking into a calculus exam) as they did to historic stressors (being chased by a saber tooth tiger). Stress in a situation that requires you to fight or flee such as a house fire is helpful. However, these physiological responses to many day to day worries and stressors such as grades are not helpful and lead to wear and tear on the parts of your body involved. When stress becomes chronic it can contribute to a number of medical problems.
- One important key to achieving more balance is to set priorities for your life and remind yourself of them often.
- Balance does not have to become another thing on your to-do list. But as you walk through life, simply keep your priorities in the forefront of your mind, and you will likely find yourself getting a little closer to balanced living.
How does Stress affect us?
Throughout our everyday lives, we deal with a variety of stressors, we respond by constantly tensing and relaxing. Over time our bodies become less effective at relaxing in between stressful events. As a result we adapt to increasing levels of tension and physiological activity. we lose our ability to deeply relax and get used to greater levels of tension as the norm. This habituation to unnecessary physiological activity has a wearing effect and can cause such conditions as high blood pressure, headaches, digestive problems, muscle pain, anxiety disorders, and other problems.
- Each day decide to make your top priorities your primary focus. Post a priorities list in your planner or on your calendar in order to remind yourself of what you value most as you schedule your time.
- Learn to relax and breathe.
What is a Biofeedback session like?
During a biofeedback session you will sit in a comfortable chair, in front of a computer monitor. You will place 3 plastic sensors over your finger tips; these will measure galvanic skin response (sweat) and heart rate. You will also be wearing headphones to listen to your biofeedback session instructions. The verbal instructions will help you to breathe deeply, relax, think more positively, and clear your mind of worries. The computer will provide you with “feedback” about how successfully you are relaxing. Feedback is presented in a variety of forms, a simple graph, a kaleidoscope that changes colors, floating balloons or feathers, water pagodas and so forth. Over sessions you will learn to understand and work with your mind body connection quickly and effectively moving into deeper levels of calm and relaxation.
How do I get started?
Before you begin biofeedback, you will need to talk with a counselor who will complete a biofeedback screening and schedule your first biofeedback session.
For your first biofeedback session, your counselor will explain the equipment and help you get started.
You can schedule subsequent sessions with the receptionists on the fourth floor reception desk.
How soon can I expect results?
Self-regulation is very much like having a physical exercise program, the more you practice, the more proficient you become. We recommend that you attend biofeedback sessions once per week and practice the breathing, meditation, and relaxation skills that you learn a few minutes each day. The more frequently you practice, the more quickly you will notice that you are better able to relax within just a few minutes. Within a couple of weeks you may begin to notice changes in how quickly and effectively you can reach a deeper level of relaxation.