Biofeedback (BFB) is currently one of the most common non-drug rehabilitation therapies. It can be compared to a physiological mirror that can help a person to consciously control certain functions. It consists in redirecting data received through sensors attached to the human body, which the device is able to translate into a picture or sound that is more familiar to human perception.
Basic information
The biofeedback method (BFB) is primarily a universal principle of human interaction with various systems of his body. Some household appliances work in the same way, for example, an iron. There, feedback is used as a temperature regulator. The same system is used by the human body to regulate mentaland physiological processes.
The essence of biofeedback therapy is to build an additional data channel that reflects the vegetative functions of the body and allows you to control them. It became possible to carry out such manipulations quite recently, only after the creation of a certain kind of electronic devices that could reflect minimal changes in physiological characteristics simultaneously with the experiment.
History of creation and development
Only at the end of the sixties of the last century in the United States for the first time appeared the term biofeedback. Biofeedback has actually been used as far back as the thirties on rats. Scientists have found that animals change the performance of their organs when rewarded or punished. Experiments have shown that using this technique, it is possible to teach the subject to produce a certain amount of gastric juice or maintain a certain level of blood pressure. The impact can also be exerted on the heart and other internal organs. After some time, it was decided to test the biofeedback method on humans. This made it possible to understand that a person is able to fix the indicators of his body simply by learning about the deviation, he does not need rewards and punishments for this.
The very first documentary publications appeared in the forties and they related to the ability to control cardiac activity. A little later, writings on the use of the myogram as a parameter for teaching people to relax became available. This made it possible to treat pains of neuromuscular origin. And only at the end of the last century noticed the benefits of biofeedback as a psychotherapeutic method. At the moment, studies of this type of effect on the human body are still being conducted. However, this type of therapy is already being used very successfully in various areas of medical therapy, which allows minimizing or eliminating drug treatment of patients.
Characteristics of psychotherapy
The biofeedback method in psychology is applicable as a relaxation and behavioral component. The basis of this principle was the relationship between the mental and vegetative functions of the human body. Feedback is arranged using a sensor. This is a device capable of recording and converting all data regarding any changes in physiological parameters.
Meaning muscle tension, temperature, skin resistance, contraction of the heart muscle, blood pressure, and so on. All these indicators are actually related to the emotional state of the patient and his task of the method is to change them in the right direction. This allows a person to learn how to direct self-regulation of his body, with the aim of further influencing the pathological processes occurring in it.
Varieties of BOS
At the moment there are two main types of communication, it is direct andindirect. By direct biofeedback is meant a process carried out on that function of the body that does not work correctly, and this is precisely what the pathology itself is expressed in. That is, if a person has hypertension, then the effect affects only the level of blood pressure.
And indirect biofeedback is called the one that affects all indicators, even if they do not directly relate to a person's disease. The most commonly used biofeedback treatments are skin temperature and electrical resistance. The fact is that it is these characteristics that best reflect the psycho-emotional state of a person. With increased tension, these indicators are low, while relaxing the body, on the contrary, they increase.
BOS devices
For modern computer systems, it is absolutely not a problem to use any indicator of the work of the human body, including the encephalogram and electrocardiogram. There are different devices: some register only one indicator, while others take into account several at once. According to some researchers, the most effective is still a system that can reflect several characteristics at once. For this, software and hardware systems were specially developed that operate on a PC basis.
Software
Designed and specialized software aimed at teaching self-regulation in the process of interesting games. Basically, such equipment is used as a separate BOS for children. MethodBiofeedback, of course, is also effective at the level of its hardware use, but the doctor also has an impact on therapy. In other words, the psychotherapist can be called the main link between the method itself and training. It is on the level of professionalism of the doctor that the subsequent results of the patient's treatment depend. The computer in this process is only a means of building a therapeutic relationship that helps the patient to learn new things and change their behavior.
The physician's role in biofeedback therapy
The doctor must immediately prepare the patient for this type of treatment. He holds motivational conversations, inspires hope that everything will work out. The doctor also explains the essence of the method, by what mechanism it works, provides basic information about the pathological process that occurs in the patient's body. It is also the doctor's task to explain why this technique should help the patient.
When training begins, the therapist must analyze the information that the equipment gives out and the information received from the patient himself. Based on these data, he explains to the patient how best to use them. The doctor is also required to give advice on the person's behavior, and suggest experimentation to find the best method of controlling bodily functions in a particular case. It doesn't matter if there are positive results of experiments or not, he motivates the patient by talking about their presence.
BFB benefits
Whenthe patient manages to master the skills of managing his body in the office, he needs to transfer them to everyday life. Here the psychotherapist needs to develop an active attitude towards therapy in the patient, to increase his responsibility for the he alth and significance of the person himself. Some of the benefits of biofeedback include:
- person personally takes an active part in therapy;
- method is safe and harmless to he alth;
- virtually no side effects (only in very rare cases).
Mechanisms of action
It has been noticed that when exercising with the use of BFB, a person begins to develop biochemical and physiological reactions that are opposite to stress reflection:
- a-brain rhythm becomes stronger;
- blood pressure drops;
- heartbeats become more rare;
- peripheral vascular resistance decreases;
- body needs less oxygen;
- muscle electrical activity is getting lower;
- decreased levels of renin, cholesterol, catecholamines and cortisol;
- endogenous opioid system is working in a more enhanced mode;
- reduced vascular reactivity.
In other words, this method helps a person improve his ability to resist stress. Since the patient himself actively participates in therapy, his personal reserves are opened to combat pathology. In the process of treatment, a person begins to realize the mechanism of the body's work and howmake the pathological process positive for him. If a person succeeds in self-regulation, his well-being becomes better, self-esteem and adaptation skills increase. The positive emotions gained from seeing positive results motivate the person to fight the problem harder, which increases the chance of recovery. The result of such treatment is a decrease in fixation on the experiences of the patient, which in turn affects the reduction of hypochondria and the level of aggression. The patient develops faith in himself, his strength, and he begins to look at life more positively.
Efficiency of the methodology
At the moment it has been proven that the method of biofeedback after a stroke, with sleep disorders, migraines and other diseases is very effective. Particular importance should be given to the treatment of psychosomatic diseases: biofeedback copes with this task much better than other types of therapy.
A great influence on the effectiveness of practice is the ability of a person to look at the world differently, to change his thinking. If you choose the right management program, you can get rid of depressive and obsessive states, hyperactive reactions, block fears and tension. Through this technique, patients with anxiety conditions can increase their self-control, which allows them to better adapt to the outside world.
BOS-IP device advantages
At the moment, a personal device that performs relaxation therapy is very common. It allowscreate a connection based on the electrical resistance of the skin. This is one of the most advanced biofeedback devices. Among the main advantages of this device are the following.
- High sensitivity equipment. In other words, a person sees the most insignificant changes in the state of skin resistance. This characteristic directly reflects the psychoemotional state of the patient.
- It is easily attached to the hand, and it can be used not only by right-handers, but also by left-handers.
- Built-in modern acoustic indication method with continuous sound and simulated heart rate. At the same time, it is possible to visualize and voice the results of changes in the psycho-emotional state of a person. This greatly simplifies the work of the therapist.
BOS-IP application method
The doctor can work with the patient individually or gather a group of up to eight people. The patient during the session should sit or lie down. Practice has shown that classes in a sitting position are better remembered and the acquired skills are then much easier to transfer to everyday life. Before the start of the lesson, the psychotherapist conducts conversations, first explanatory, then simply learns about the condition and well-being of patients. Training lasts no more than half an hour. The interviews take approximately 15-20 minutes. It is worth conducting trainings from 2 to 5 times a week. The general course is usually 10 to 15 lessons.
Conclusion
The biofeedback method was discovered in the last century and is now actively used tonon-pharmacological treatment of various diseases. It is especially effective for the treatment of psychosomatic disorders. Such therapy allows not only to cope with the disease, but also to increase the patient's self-esteem, change his view of the world in a more positive direction.
It is most often used in psychiatry, but is also effective in other medical fields. With the development of modern technologies and the advent of personal computers, it was possible to optimize it not only for the treatment of adults, but also for the treatment of children. Treatment takes place in the form of a game and is very interesting for kids.
