Biofeedback Therapy is a technique that measures bodily functions, like breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, skin temperature, and muscle tension. It teaches you how to alter these functions through relaxation or imagery.
A form of complementary and alternative medicine, biofeedback therapy is a treatment that enables you to improve your health using the power of your mind. The way biofeedback works is that certain involuntary body functions are measured, and a biofeedback specialist helps you gain control over those involuntary body functions. Some of these functions include: anxiety, headache, blood pressure and stress.
Headaches are one of the best-studied biofeedback uses. Muscle tension and stress can trigger migraines and other types of headaches, and can make headache symptoms worse. There is good evidence that biofeedback therapy can relax muscles and ease stress to reduce both the frequency and severity of headaches. Biofeedback seems to be especially beneficial for headaches when it’s combined with medications.
Several different relaxation exercises are used in biofeedback therapy, including: Deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, Guided imagery, Mindfulness meditation.
Anxiety and Stress. Anxiety and stress relief are the most common uses of biofeedback. Biofeedback lets you become more aware of your body’s responses when you’re stressed and anxious. Then you can learn how to control those responses.
Several different relaxation exercises are used in biofeedback therapy, including:
Deep breathing
Progressive muscle relaxation — alternately tightening and then relaxing different muscle groups
Guided imagery — concentrating on a specific image (such as the color and texture of an orange) to focus your mind and make you feel more relaxed
Mindfulness meditation — focusing your thoughts and letting go of negative emotions
The Manhattan Center for Headache and Neurology invites you to call and schedule a consultation for biofeedback therapy!