Jenna Prada originally wrote this blog for Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities and modified it for our audience.
Both children and adults can use their body to support their brain, here’s how:
How it works:
Biofeedback is a technique that teaches people to control physiological processes that are usually involuntary such as temperature, heart rate, or brainwave activity. To accomplish this, sensors monitor some aspect of a person’s physiology in real time. Software then processes the data from the sensors into sounds and/or displays it on a monitor so that the person – through increased self-awareness – can learn to influence these activities consciously. Individuals use this feedback to develop relaxation, focus, and stress reduction techniques that allow them self regulate their physiological state.
Advantages for Patients:
Patients might prefer biofeedback to other forms of treatment and support for a number of reasons.
Doing, not talking
When people struggle to articulate their struggles, biofeedback is an accessible approach because of its engaging and non-verbal nature. Most biofeedback programs involve auditory and visual cues, and many have elements of gamification. This combination makes the process fun and unintimidating.
Motivating & confidence building
The concrete nature of biofeedback – seeing a change in heart rate, for instance – is easy for people to understand, and the immediate results of the feedback are motivating. When patients engage in biofeedback, it’s an empowering experience that teaches them that they have control over their own bodies and experiences. It gives them an active role in their personal growth.
Non-invasive, no side effects
Because biofeedback works simply by taking information about the body and relaying it back so that individuals can use the information to learn, there are no side effects associated with any form of biofeedback. What’s more – like with any new skill or subject the impact of learning that occurs with biofeedback tends to be permanent with only occasional maintenance sessions after the initial learning.
Generalizes well
The skills developed through biofeedback paired with the increased self-awareness have clear applications to all aspects of life. For young patients, parents can be involved in the process by encouraging their children to use their biofeedback strategies in situations beyond school: after a conflict with a friend, to calm down before bed, or in a doctor’s office.
How it helps:
Most forms of biofeedback treat a similar set of conditions because all of these conditions are tied up intimately with a variety of our physiological responses: ADHD, anxiety, stress, chronic pain, migraines, peak performance, focus, emotional control, response inhibition, and additional specific medical concerns depending on the modality. Many patients can tell you how these conditions feel in their body. If that’s true, biofeedback can help. If it’s not true, biofeedback can teach this physical awareness and help improve symptoms.
Given this overlap, it makes sense to work with a professional to decide which kind of biofeedback is a best fit for you personally. Considerations include your enjoyment and skill with the modality as well as accessibility. The best biofeedback practitioners are familiar with more than one type of biofeedback and have techniques to make the treatment appealing to a wide variety of people.
Types of Biofeedback
Below is a list of types of biofeedback, what they measure, and a brief overview of what makes each standout.
Galvanic Skin Response (GSR)
What it measures: Skin conductance / sweat gland activity
Of note: GSR offers less detailed feedback than many of the other modalities and can therefore be more accessible because it’s less complex. It is a quick measurement of anxiety and, for anyone who is learning to self-regulate their general arousal state, GSR can be a great fit.
Heart Rate Variability Training (HRV)
What it measures: Variability in the time between individual heartbeats.
Of note: HRV training is among the most widely used forms of biofeedback. It’s common for athletes to incorporate it into their training, and many smart watches use HRV as a proxy for stress. The sensors that are used for therapeutic HRV training are much more sensitive than those that are generally available commercially and offer nuanced feedback on heart health, stress, relaxation, and overall resilience. Heartmath and Wild Divine are both well researched and reliable.
Neurofeedback
What it measures: Brainwave activity.
Of note: You might have heard neurofeedback referred to as brain training. It works just like all other forms of biofeedback, but absolutely requires a qualified professional to identify sensor placement sites and create a responsive training program. The Biofeedback Certification International Alliance (BCIA) is the certifying body for neurofeedback practitioners and only certifies one type of neurofeedback (high frequency or frequency band training) though there are several. If you work with a non-certified practitioner, you should know that they may be using equipment that is not FDA cleared or practicing a type of neurofeedback that doesn’t have a full body of research behind it.
Additional Types of Biofeedback
These biofeedback modalities are more niche in their typical application and are unlikely to be part of a mental healthcare or educational plan.
Electromyography (EMG) biofeedback measures muscle tension and activity. It is often used for managing tension-related pain: headaches, back pain, TMJ, etc.
Thermal biofeedback measures skin temperature and teaches control over blood flow which can help with conditions like Raynaud’s disease as well as stress.
Blood pressure biofeedback measures blood pressure so as to manage hypertension by teaching control over blood pressure through relaxation techniques.
Pulse oximetry biofeedback measures blood oxygen levels which helps manage respiratory conditions and improve breathing techniques.
Electrocardiography (EKG) biofeedback measures the heart’s electrical activity and can be useful in managing heart conditions.
