What is Biofeedback?
After my brain injuries, and all the treatments I had been through for them, Biofeedback was the technique that made the most significant difference in my road to recovery. Additionally, it is now a technique that I highly recommend to brain injured patients. Biofeedback methods use information acquired from monitoring skin temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, and other body conditions to assert control over the normally involuntary nervous system through conditioning and relaxing.
All three types of biofeedback- thermal, muscular (EMG), and neurological (EEG)– employ some type of computer or monitoring device as well as electronic sensors to give information about what is going on in the body. In thermal biofeedback the device indicates physical changes such as pulse rate, body temperature, and breathing. EMG biofeedback indicates changes in muscular movement, while EEG biofeedback shows changes in brain wave acitivity. The appropriate form of biofeedback for a person’s brain injury depends on the nature and causes of the individual’s symptoms. Biofeedback should be provided by a board certified psychologist (APPBM).
For more in-depth information on biofeedback and how this technique can help your concussion or brain injury symptoms, see the Biofeedback page on my website, or take a look at my newest book Coping with Concussion and Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.