How Effective is Biofeedback Therapy?

Many seek relief from bodily pain and distress outside of medical treatments. Sometimes the pain is more to do with the mind than the body. It is a fact that pain lies more in the head than in the actual body and there has been much research to prove that pain can be managed by distracting and redirecting the mind. 

It takes months and sometimes years of practice and many people have been able to do this effectively. This simple technique has become a science on its own and a biofeedback therapist uses this methodology to help patients manage pain associated with various ailments. 

This method of tapping into the various pain management methodology using science and studying the patient’s statistics has given rise to a stream that is parallel to medical science itself and is known as Alternative Medicine. Biofeedback Therapy is practised as an Alternative Medicine technique. 

What is Biofeedback Therapy?

Biofeedback therapy is the science that helps patients control their minds and manage pain associated with illness such as severe joint pain, chronic body pain, migraines, and some other conditions such as Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Insomnia, Anxiety, ADHD, etc. 

In all of these disorders, the patient can benefit by controlling certain aspects of their body through their mind and relaxation of certain muscles along with some breathing exercises. Biofeedback therapy uses many scientific instruments that have sensors in them that are connected to the various parts of the body such as the skin, heart, fingers, arms, and head. 

It then takes record of the patient’s conditions such as normal temperature, heart rate, electrical activity at a state of rest etc. At the time of the pain, these recordings are repeated and the sensors project the elevated patterns of stress on the body onto a computer program. 

When under stress, the temperature rises, there is heart palpitation and sweat, and the electrical pulses also race. The patient can see all this information in the form of a computer program. This can help them see how the body reacts to pain. 

Using this information, a Biofeedback therapist can help the patient relax by doing a bunch of activities and exercises such as deep breaths, controlled muscle relaxation, mind diversion techniques, meditate and controlled breathing etc. 

Based on the exercises, the triggers slowly start to fall and become normal and can be seen altering one by one as the therapist chooses the right activity to manage each distress in the body. This process is called biofeedback as the body adjusts to the feedback that is provided. 

Does Biofeedback really work?

Biofeedback is an alternative medicine technique and is used by many patients along with their medical treatments. It helps patients manage their pain and stress and brings down their dependence on pain medication, mood stabilizers, and stress busters. 

It is an effective technique once the patient is able to identify which action triggers the specific feedback he/she expects from the body and then use that effectively to bring down any external or internal stress or strain on the body.

In conclusion, biofeedback is a good way to help people control their body and mind and can help in pain and stress management. It must be practised along with a certified and qualified biofeedback therapist so as to achieve the intended result. India has some good biofeedback therapists who can help patients control their minds and body.