Biofeedback mechanism.

Biofeedback is a form of alternative medicine that involves measuring a subject's bodily processes such as blood pressure, heart rate, skin temperature, galvanic skin response (sweating), and muscle tension and conveying such information to him or her in real-time in order to raise his or her awareness and conscious control of the related physiological activities. Image File history File links Biofeedback_EN.gif Summary Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Biofeedback ... Image File history File links Biofeedback_EN.gif Summary Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Biofeedback ... Alternative medicine has been described as any of various systems of healing or treating disease (as chiropractic, homeopathy, or faith healing) not included in the traditional medical curricula taught in the United States and Britain.[1] Alternative medicine practices are often based in belief systems not derived from modern science. ... A sphygmomanometer, a device used for measuring arterial pressure. ... Heart rate is a term used to describe the frequency of the cardiac cycle. ... Galvanic skin response (or GSR), also known as electrodermal response (EDR) or psychogalvanic reflex (PGR), is a method of measuring the electrical resistance of the skin and interpreting it as an image of activity in certain parts of the body. ... Perspiration (also called sweating or sometimes transpiration) is the production and evaporation of a fluid, consisting primarily of water as well as a smaller amount of sodium chloride (the main constituent of table salt), that is excreted by the sweat glands in the skin of mammals. ... In biological psychology, awareness describes a human or animals perception and cognitive reaction to a condition or event. ...

By providing access to physiological information about which the user is generally unaware, biofeedback allows users to gain control over physical processes previously considered automatic. Interest in biofeedback has waxed and waned since its inception in the 1960s; at the beginning of the 21st century it is undergoing something of a renaissance, which some ascribe to the general upswing of interest in alternative medicine modalities. Neurofeedback has become a popular treatment for ADHD; electromyogram (muscle tension) biofeedback has been widely studied and accepted as a treatment for incontinence disorders, and small home biofeedback machines are becoming available for a variety of uses. Its role in controlling hypertension is becoming recognised ^[1]. Physiology (in Greek physis = nature and logos = word) is the study of the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of living organisms. ... Automatic refers to any self-operating machine or automaton. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969. ... 20XX redirects here. ... Alternative medicine has been described as any of various systems of healing or treating disease (as chiropractic, homeopathy, or faith healing) not included in the traditional medical curricula taught in the United States and Britain.[1] Alternative medicine practices are often based in belief systems not derived from modern science. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... DISCLAIMER Please remember that Wikipedia is offered for informational use only. ... Electromyography (EMG) is a medical technique for measuring muscle response to nervous stimulation. ... Look up incontinence in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Types of biofeedback instrumentation

Electromyogram (EMG)

An Electromyogram is the most common form of biofeedback measurement. An EMG uses electrodes or other types of sensors to measure muscle tension. By the EMG alerting you to muscle tension, you can learn to recognize the feeling early on and try to control the tension right away. EMG is mainly used as a relaxation technique to help ease tension in those muscles involved in backaches, headaches, neck pain and grinding your teeth (bruxism). An EMG may be used to treat some illnesses in which the symptoms tend to worsen under stress, such as asthma and ulcers. Electromyography (EMG) is a medical technique for measuring muscle response to nervous stimulation. ... Relaxation techniques are used by people who wish to relax, for a wide variety of reasons. ... A profile of a smile, exhibiting significant wear, especially on the maxillary incisors. ...

Peripheral skin temperature

Sensors attached to your fingers or feet measure your skin temperature. Because body temperature often drops when a person experiences stress, a low reading can prompt you to begin relaxation techniques. Temperature biofeedback can help treat certain circulatory disorders, such as Raynaud's disease, or reduce the frequency of migraines. The physiological process behind the temperature drop associated with the stress response is quite simply vasoconstriction (blood vessels narrowed by the smooth musculature in their walls) In medical terms, stress is the disruption of homeostasis through physical or psychological stimuli. ... Raynauds disease (RAY-noz) is a condition that affects blood flow to the extremities which include the fingers, toes, nose and ears when exposed to temperature changes or stress. ...

Galvanic skin response training

With Galvanic skin response training, sensors measure the activity of your sweat glands and the amount of perspiration on your skin alerting you to anxiety. This information can be useful in treating emotional disorders such as phobias, anxiety and stuttering. This is the method most commonly used by lie detector machines. It is the most popular form of biofeedback, with over 500,000 hand-held GSR2 units having been purchased by consumers since the early '70s; it is also one of the biofeedback methods used by Calmlink and the video game series Journey to Wild Divine. Galvanic Skin Response meters are also now gaining popularity in hypnotherapy and psychotherapy practice where subtle physiological changes indicating emotional arousal can be more easily detected than by observation alone. Galvanic skin response (or GSR), also known as electrodermal response (EDR) or psychogalvanic reflex (PGR), is a method of measuring the electrical resistance of the skin and interpreting it as an image of activity in certain parts of the body. ... A gland is an organ in an animals body that synthesizes a substance for release such as hormones, often into the bloodstream (endocrine gland) or into cavities inside the body or its outer surface (exocrine gland). ... “Stutter” redirects here. ... This article is about the forensic instrument. ... The GSR2 is one of the first consumer biofeedback devices designed for the general public in 1976 to teach stress control. ... This page may meet Wikipedia’s criteria for speedy deletion. ... Journey to Wild Divine is a biofeedback video game system promoting new age ideals. ... Galvanic skin response (or GSR), also known as electrodermal response (EDR) or psychogalvanic reflex (PGR), is a method of measuring the electrical resistance of the skin and interpreting it as an image of activity in certain parts of the body. ...

Electroencephalography (EEG)

An EEG monitors the activity of brain waves linked to different mental states, such as wakefulness, relaxation, calmness, light sleep and deep sleep. This is the least common of the methods, mostly due to the cost and availability of an EEG machine. “EEG” redirects here. ...

Neal Miller, a psychology Ph.D and neuroscientist who worked and studied at Yale University, is generally considered to be the father of modern-day biofeedback. He came across the basic principles of biofeedback while doing animal experimentation conditioning the behavior of rats. His team found that, by stimulating the pleasure center of a rat's brain with electricity, it was possible to train them to control phenomena ranging from their heart rates to their brainwaves. Until that point, it was believed that bodily processes such as heart rate were under the control of the autonomic nervous system and not responsive to conscious effort^[2]. Neal E Miller was born in Milwaukee in 1909. ... Neuroscience is a field of study which deals with the structure, function, development, genetics, biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology and pathology of the nervous system. ... Yale redirects here. ... This article is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... The limbic system is a group of brain structures that are involved in various emotions such as aggression, fear, pleasure and also in the formation of memory. ... Electricity (from New Latin Ä“lectricus, amberlike) is a general term for a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. ... Training refers to the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies as a result of the teaching of vocational or practical skills and knowledge that relates to specific useful skills. ... Heart rate is a term used to describe the frequency of the cardiac cycle. ... Electroencephalography is the neurophysiologic exploration of the electrical activity of the brain by the application of electrodes to the scalp. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

The Miller group was one of three major approaches to understanding the limits of self-regulation of the body. Voluntary control of the autonomic nervous system had been considered impossible, only controlled by conditioning. Other threads of inquiry leading to "biofeedback" emerged from clinical attempts to use mind/body self-regulation techniques in healthcare. Elmer Green, PhD of the Menninger Foundation produced some of the original research on the limits of human self-regulation of normally unconscious processes and applied these techniques successfully to migraine headache and hypertension. Barbara Brown, PhD actually coined the word "biofeedback" during the early days of the field, as the Biofeedback Research Society was being formed. Other early pioneers were interested in "consciousness" and looked at EEG self-regulation as a way to approach mind vs. brain distinctions - see the work of Joe Kamiya, PhD. Other early efforts were directed toward examining the claims of yogis and other meditators for demonstrated mind/body control and markers of states of consciousness.^[3] See Elmer Green et al Beyond Biofeedback and Barbara Brown Stress & The Art of Biofeedback for some early writings. The Biofeedback Research Society evolved into the Biofeedback Society of America and more recently the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, a scientific and professional society for the field. This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Barbara B. Brown (died 1999) was a research psychologist who popularized biofeedback and neurofeedback in the 1970s. ... EEG can mean: Electroencephalography - the method and science of recording and interpreting traces of brain electrical activity as recorded from the skull surface or the device used to record such traces Emperor Entertainment Group - A Hong Kong entertainment company. ... Consciousness is a quality of the mind generally regarded to comprise qualities such as subjectivity, self-awareness, sentience, sapience, and the ability to perceive the relationship between oneself and ones environment. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Hemoencephalography (HEG)

An HEG is a method of functional infrared imaging that indirectly measures neural activity in the brain. There are two known types of HEG, passive infrared (pIR) and near infrared (nIR).^[4] Near Infrared HEG relies on the measurement of the differences in the color of light being reflected back through the scalp by the relative amount of oxygenated and unoxygenated blood in the brain. Passive Infrared relies on the measurement of the heat being radiated from the scalp at locations of interest. Please wikify (format) this article as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ...

Biofeedback in art

Biofeedback data and biofeedback technology have been used by Massimiliano Peretti in a contemporary art environment, the Amigdalae project. This project explores how emotional reactions filter and distort human perception and observation. During the performance, biofeedback medical technology, such as encephalography, body temperature variations, heart frequency and galvanic responses, will be used to analyze people's emotional status as they watch video art. Using these signals, the music will change, so that the consequent sound environment will simultaneously mirror and distort the viewer's emotional state. ^{[5] [6]} Amigdalae is a biofeedback based art project by the artist Massimiliano Peretti. ... In psychology and the cognitive sciences, perception is the process of acquiring, interpreting, selecting, and organizing sensory information. ... Encephalography may refer to: Electroencephalography Hemoencephalography Magnetoencephalography Category: ... It has been suggested that Feeling be merged into this article or section. ...

More information is available at the website of the CNRS French National Center of Neural Research [1]

Biofeedback and Religion

Worldwide, exercises to develop biofeedback awareness have been used for centuries by various religious and spiritual orders (Yoga is one example.) For other uses, see Yoga (disambiguation). ...

Criticisms

Not all of biofeedback's uses are well-accepted in the medical community. While biofeedback is widely accepted as a treatment for incontinence, other uses are still controversial. For instance, while many scientific studies have studied neurofeedback as a treatment for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder^{[7] [8] [9] [10] [11]} it is generally felt that neurofeedback is a "promising" rather than "proven" treatment modality ^[12]. EEG biofeedback as a treatment for ADHD is viewed with skepticism in some parts.^[13][14] Additionally, some believe that the use of biofeedback for stress and anxiety is an expensive way to treat difficulties which could be addressed with relaxation training, meditation, and self-hypnosis. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... DISCLAIMER Please remember that Wikipedia is offered for informational use only. ... In medical terms, stress is the disruption of homeostasis through physical or psychological stimuli. ... Anxiety is a physiological state characterized by cognitive, somatic, emotional, and behavioral components (Seligman, Walker & Rosenhan, 2001). ... Look up relaxation in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other senses of this word, see Meditation (disambiguation). ... Autosuggestion is a process by which an individual trains the subconscious mind to believe something, or systematically schematizes the persons own mental associations, usually for a given purpose. ...

Notes and references

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