Biofeedback

A practical guide to the clinical use of biofeedback, integrating powerful mindfulness techniques. A definitive desk reference for the use of peripheral biofeedback techniques in psychotherapeutic settings, backed by a wealth of clinical research Introduces mindfulness and acceptance techniques and shows how these methods can be incorporated into biofeedback practice Step-by-step instructions provide everything a clinician needs to integrate biofeedback and mindfulness including protocols, exemplar logs for tracking symptoms, and sample scripts for mindfulness exercises Includes scientifically robust treatment protocols for a range of common problems including headaches, hypertension and chronic pain

A mind-body approach to taking control of your physical and emotional health. Biofeedback is the process of training your body to control its involuntary actions, such as breathing and heart rate. Minor changes to these actions can significantly improve physical and emotional well- being. In Biofeedback and Mindfulness in Everyday Life, Harvard Medical School faculty member Inna Khazan pairs biofeedback techniques with mindfulness practice to address some of life’s most common ailments— from anxiety and fear to stress and insomnia. She begins with a description of basic physiological information, explaining concepts such as breathing and overbreathing. In Part Two she dives into the practice of mindfulness. And in Part Three she zeroes in on applying this mind-body approach to an array of common problems. Khazan’s approach outlines simple solutions for readers who want to improve the way they respond to challenges. She guides them through increasing their resilience and emotional flexibility while empowering them to take back control of their overall health.

The definitive text in the field, this comprehensive volume provides state-of-the-science coverage of biofeedback research, applications, clinical procedures, and biomedical instrumentation. With contributions from leading experts, the volume offers a unique combination of practical know-how and scholarly expertise. A wealth of information is presented in an accessible, streamlined style, including helpful glossaries throughout. Featured are detailed protocols for helping patients cultivate lower physiological arousal and for addressing an array of specific clinical problems: headaches, temporomandibular disorders, Raynaud's disease, essential hypertension, neuromuscular problems, elimination disorders, and much more.

This comprehensive volume is widely regarded as the definitive practitioner resource and text resource in the field of biofeedback and applied psychophysiology. Leading experts cover basic concepts, assessment, instrumentation, clinical procedures, and professional issues. Chapters describe how traditional and cutting-edge methods are applied in treatment of a wide range of disorders, including headaches, temporomandibular disorders, essential hypertension, pelvic floor disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, tinnitus, and others. Applications for optimizing physical performance among artists and athletes are also reviewed. A wealth of information and empirical research is presented in an accessible style, including helpful glossaries. New to This Edition *Incorporates significant technological developments and new research areas. *Expanded focus on specialized applications, such as electroencephalographic (EEG) biofeedback/neurofeedback and heart rate variability biofeedback. *Chapters on surface electromyography, quantitative EEG, and consumer products. *Chapters on cognitive-behavioral therapy and relaxation training. *Chapters on additional clinical problems: anxiety disorders, asthma, work-related pain, traumatic brain injury, autism spectrum disorders, and substance use disorders.

Biofeedback training is a research methodology and training procedure through which people can learn voluntary control over their internal physiological systems. It is a merger of mUltiple disciplines with interest deriving from many sources-from basic understanding of psychophysiology to a desire for enhanced self-awareness. The goals of biofeedback are to develop an increased awareness of relevant internal physiological functions, to establish control over these functions, to generalize control from an experimental or clinical setting to everyday life, and to focus attention on mind/body integration. Biofeedback is explored in many different settings. In the university, biofeed back equipment and applications can be found in the departments of experi mental and clinical psychology, counseling, physiology, biology, education, and the theater arts, as well as in the health service (student infirmary). Outside the university, biofeedback may be found in different departments of hospitals (such as physical medicine), private clinics, education and self-awareness groups, psychotherapy practices, and elsewhere. Its growth is still expanding, and excite ment is still rising as a result of biofeedback's demonstration that autonomic functions can be brought under voluntary control and that the long-standing arti ficial separation between mind, body, and consciousness can be disproven.

In this book, I have attempted to evaluate critically the very large literature which has accumulated in the area of biofeedback over the past 10-15 years. As might be expected in any area of psychology with clinical possibilities, the literature divides itself into two main categories-fundamental research studies and therapeutic studies. It is now apparent that the clinical applications of biofeed back have far outstripped their fundamental research bases, with the inevitable result that the initial wave of enthusiasm may be replaced with an unnecessarily severe skepticism. Either extreme position is unjustified. Biofeedback does rep resent an important new approach to the elucidation of the role played by internal systems in the adjustment of the organism to its environment. But its potential will only be revealed if its use in practice is soundly based on fundamental research. There are promising signs that this is being realized so that there is cause for optimism. Aubrey J. Yates Perth, Australia A Note on the References With the exception of no more than two or three papers, all the references in this book have been obtained and read. However, many of them were published in journals which will not be readily accessible to the reader who may be interested in consulting more directly particular articles which attract his attention.

The chapters of this book were prepared as task force reports under the aegis of the Biofeedback Society of America (BSA). The impetus for the present generation of task force reports can be dated back to 1982, when John D. Rugh, as President-Elect of the Society, announced that the updating of the task force reports would be given high priority during his term as President. An ad hoc Task Force Committee was appointed in 1983, and the committee set the following objectives: (1) solicit a widely based stream of input from all segments of the Biofeedback Society of America, (2) establish a peer review system to assure the highest degree of scholarship and an unbiased approach, (3) select for area authors only individuals who have profound knowledge of the area and who have demonstrated the ability to extend understanding by reviewing and criticizing the literature, (4) prepare all reports according to a standard ized format, and (5) publish all the reports simultaneously. Input came from several sources. Many people responded with ideas and suggestions to an announcement in the BSA Newsletter that the task force reports were being revised. In 1984, a symposium was conducted at the BSA annual meeting, which included round table dis cussions and dialogues between task force report authors and the BSA membership.