What is Biofeedback Anyway?

Kristin Schwartz, PsyD

What is Biofeedback?

Biofeedback is a non-pharmaceutical/non-drug way for us to harness our innate power to manage our own emotional and physiological reactions. Through biofeedback, we help our bodies respond to stress in a way that is healthy and productive. Biofeedback teaches our bodies to stop over-reacting to stress, upset, anger, or fear and start responding in ways that allow the brain to resolve the problems we face. When we are facing distressing situations, imagined or real, our bodies go into a fight, flight, or freeze reaction. This reaction then reinforces and escalates our brain’s emotions and the whole cycle intensifies over and over again until we do something to interrupt the system.

While the reaction in our bodies can be quick and involuntary, we do hold the power to get ahead of, take hold of, and change how we ultimately respond to every situation. For example, this may look like learning how your body responds to trauma triggers and being able to reduce your sympathetic nervous system’s (aka your flight or fight response) reaction to these triggers so that they occur less frequently and are less intense when they do occur. This could also look like learning how to notice your inattention and what helps to increase focus if you deal with inattention or difficulty with concentration.

Biofeedback works through measuring a variety of voluntary and involuntary bodily functions such as respiration (breathing), heart rate, blood pressure, brain waves, and muscular contraction (tension). It works by tracking changes in the body’s physiological response to distress and positively reinforcing the body to resume a more restful state of being. Through biofeedback, we can teach the body and our brains to be less reactive to a variety of situations and stressors. The reduction in reactivity also tells the brain that the emotions we are experiencing are not the complete story, that we are probably not in a life-threatening situation, and that we don’t need to activate our fight, flight, freeze response when there is no true danger to our wellbeing. This reduced reactivity allows the brain to maintain blood flow to the parts of the brain that support reasoned responses (the pre-frontal cortex) instead of emotional reactions (the amygdala).

How Can Biofeedback be Useful for Me?

Biofeedback can be used in a number of settings for a number of different medical and mental health concerns. Therapists can use biofeedback techniques to help you manage symptoms related to your physical and mental health by using a variety of techniques individualized to your specific needs and goals.

Research demonstrates that biofeedback training has been shown to effectively manage symptoms of:

Anxiety or stress, asthma, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), focus and attention, Chemotherapy side effects, chronic pain, constipation, fibromyalgia, headache, high blood pressure, fear reactions, irritable bowel syndrome, Raynaud's disease, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), stroke, Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ), and trauma reactions, among others.

People find that when they do use biofeedback and can learn to regulate their physiological reactions to stress and/or stressors, they feel an increased sense of calm and focus.

What should I expect during sessions?

Biofeedback sessions vary quite a bit based on what you want to achieve and how your provider believes that your goals can best be met. Typically there is some type of monitoring of one or more physiological reactions (such as oxygen level, blood pressure, respiration, brain waves). During biofeedback sessions, a trained provider will attach sensors to you, measuring various one or more of these physiologic reactions through non-invasive means, such as a blood pressure cuff, or pulse oximeter. During the session, you will have the opportunity to learn about how your body responds to stress, joy, frustration, and a variety of other emotional states. You’ll learn what it sounds like, feels like, and how you respond when your body is entering a state of stress, activation of the sympathetic nervous system, and how to stop the cycle through conscious moderation of the physiologic responses. You will learn to harness the power of your body’s response to emotions and promote a healthier and more sustainable response to life’s challenges.

How long will it take?

Each person's protocol will look a little different. You and your provider will design a plan that meets your needs and aligns with your goals. Biofeedback is typically taught over the course of 2-3 sessions each week during the initial phases. After protocols are established, you can practice at home or continue to come into the office for continued training. You will work with your provider, as a team, to determine the right frequency for check ins, changes in the protocols, and to resolve new challenges as they arise.