Questions and Answers: Clinical Biofeedback

What is clinical biofeedback?

The body makes certain physical changes in response to stressful events which can result in distress or disease. Clinical biofeedback provides the patient with a means of learning how to respond less distressfully to these events.

Clinical biofeedback is a treatment method of using sophisticated electronic instruments to measure bodily information such as blood flow, muscle tension, skin conductance, skin temperature, and breathing.

This information (feedback) provides the patient with awareness of biological (bio) information about themselves that they otherwise are not able to detect. By removing this "blindfold" the patient is permitted to learn how to regulate bodily reactions that were formerly outside his or her own control.

When is clinical biofeedback helpful?

Scientific research has demonstrated that clinical biofeedback may be particularly helpful for patients with muscle contraction (tension) headaches, migraine (vascular) headaches, certain circulatory, gastrointestinal, and "psychosomatic" disorders, as well as certain problems related to stroke or spinal-cord injury.

When used as an adjunct to other therapies it has been shown to be very effective in the treatment of low back pain and other types of chronic pain, bruxism (teeth-grinding), certain types of anxiety disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder, phobias, and other generalized anxiety states; as well as some types of high blood pressure.

When may clinical biofeedback be helpful for me?

Prior to using biofeedback as a treatment method, a comprehensive evaluation is conducted by the psychologist who will also be the trainer. This involves a review of the problem, the medical history, a discussion of environmental and social factors, plus a discussion of any additional evaluation procedures that may be needed to determine whether biofeedback will be a helpful tool.

What benefits will I get from clinical biofeedback?

The answer varies with each individual patient and the problem involved, but potential benefits include reduction of pain and other target symptoms, decreased reliance on medications, and an improved capacity to relax deeply and efficiently.

How long does clinical biofeedback training last?

The length of training required depends, of course, on such tings as the severity of symptoms and how long they have been present. Average treatment consists of eight to twelve 45-minute sessions, once or twice a week. Learning to identify the biological and psychological response in its early stages and learning how to more effectively respond is very much like learning a new language. In fact is is learning the language of how the body talks physically in response to both physical and psychological events.

Learning self-control beyond the training sessions is the ultimate goal of clinical biofeedback. This requires that te patient practice in the "real world" what they have learned during the clinical training.

Who practices clinical biofeedback?

Clinical biofeedback is usually a treatment method employed by licensed psychologists, physicians or psychiatrists. Some physical therapists, social workers, speech pathologists, dentists, and other medical professionals use clinical biofeedback as well. However, not all practitioners that advertise the use of biofeedback have had training in this relatively new field. The patient should always ask about the practitioner's credentials before engaging them for service.

The Biofeedback Certification Institute of America (BCIA) is the only nationally recognized organization which provides certification in the use of biofeedback. Ask if your intended practitioner is BCIA Certified.