 What
is biofeedback?
Biofeedback is a way to measure, control and balance your nervous
system. In biofeedback we attach instruments to your body that
measure such things as: muscle tension, heart rate, blood flow
through the arteries, sweat gland activity, and respiration. Biofeedback
is a way to see what is going on in your body (by magnifying signals
with instruments) so that you can learn to consciously control
certain bodily functions you do not usually consciously control.
Biofeedback is short for “biological feedback.
Normally you don’t think about how the blood flows through
your arteries…it just flows! However, if you get migraine
headaches, or have high blood pressure, you might want to learn
to consciously learn how to control vascular changes in the body
(blood flow). Normally you do not have to think about controlling
your heart rate…. but if you have a fast heart rate, or an
irregular heart rate, we want to teach you how to control that.
These things (and more!) are controlled by the “autonomic
nervous system”. This is the part of the nervous system we
don’t usually think about. It does its job automatically.
However, we can learn to control many physiological symptoms by
learning how to control this part of the nervous system. If you
go to a biofeedback therapist she /he
will hook you up and the instruments will connect to a computer.
The computer magnifies what is going on in your body and they guide
you in learning how to control the readings.
Little home units, such as the ones sold on this site, are a good
and inexpensive way for you to start learning how to control your
autonomic nervous system. The Wild Divine game is a very fun way
for both children and adults to learn to calm and control their
nervous systems. Since your ne rvous
system controls everything that happens in your body-mind you will
be improving your health physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Biofeedback is extremely effective for teaching people how to control
pain, headaches and stress. We live in chaotic times. Everyone is
under stress whether they admit it or not! This does take a toll
on the physical body. Even if stress has not taken a toll on your
body it will eventually if you do not learn how to manage it. It
is said that over 90% of doctor visits are from stress related illnesses.
Biofeedback is a skill that would benefit everyone during these
turbulent times. It brings balance and peace to the body-mind.
If you feel that you need more personalized instruction in learning
biofeedback skills find someone in your area that is certified in
biofeedback. I would recommend that you interview a few therapists
on the phone to see who offers what you want and to see whom you
connect with.
Enjoy this exciting and empowering journey!
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