Center Programs > Biofeedback

Biofeedback is the use of computer technology to record physiological activity that is normally outside conscious awareness (e.g. heart rate, breathing rate, and muscle tension) and to display this activity to the person being recorded. During treatment in the office, the goal of biofeedback is to build awareness of patterns of physiological stress. Outside the treatment setting, clients are able to utilize cognitive and behavioral techniques to reduce such stress.

At the Center for Psychological Services, biofeedback is used as an adjunctive treatment to cognitive-behavioral therapy to treat a variety of medical, psychological, and behavioral conditions, including hypertension, headache and jaw pain, anxiety, and ADHD. Supported by ample research, biofeedback has been shown to reduce symptom severity of these conditions.

Research examining biofeedback to control medical conditions such as hypertension, headache, and jaw pain, suggests significant symptom relief through the use of biofeedback. Research suggests that biofeedback is as good or better than any medication for controlling headache and jaw pain related to excess muscle tension.

Benefits of biofeedback are not limited to the office. Follow-up studies several months after ending formal biofeedback treatment show that people who continue practicing cognitive-behavioral techniques often experience symptom relief.

Regarding high blood pressure treatment, research supports biofeedback as being consistently effective for blood pressure reduction and maintenance. In fact, the biofeedback device used by the Center for Psychological Services is the first non-pharmacological treatment approved by the FDA for controlling hypertension.

Research on biofeedback to control psychological and behavioral conditions such as anxiety and ADHD suggests significant symptom reduction, particularly when used in combination with cognitive-behavioral techniques. For example, breathing techniques learned through biofeedback, combined with techniques to re-direct anxious thoughts, often reduce physiological and psychological symptoms associated with anxiety.

Additionally, children with ADHD who practice biofeedback that reinforces inhibited moments (stillness), show significant improvement in attention as rated by parents. For more information about biofeedback and research, please visit the website for Applied Psychology & Biofeedback at www.aapb.org.