hi..
has anyone had any neurofeedback? How was it? Was it worth the price? What kinda symptoms/disorders did it help?

I do it but not with any special machines like an EEG machine, and so on. What I do is basically put my hand on my heart and slow my breathing and heart rate during panic attacks, relaxation techniques and so on and yes it helps me because instead of thinking about whatever it is that has triggered the panic I am focusing on something tangible - me and my body and what my body needs at that moment. finding a trigger does no good if I am passing out from a panic attack while looking for the trigger because I can't take care of the trigger -problem while I am dizzy and passed out so I turn on my relaxation music, put my hand on my belly or heart and consciously pay attention to my breathiing making it deeper and longer so that my body is getting more air, with more air going into my body my heart doesn't have to work so hard or fast. I also use it for pain control because I go through muscle spasms daily and so on associated with my physical health problems.

Biofeedback also known as neurofeedback can help any disorders just because it helps to control heart rate and breathing rate. its basically does the same thing as relaxation visualizations - relaxes the person and brings that person back into focusing on their physical bodies as a way to control many things such as anger, panic attacks, and how a person reacts to physical pain. Some people can actually decrease their breathing rate by taking in more oxygin and slowing their heart rate to the point where they have less bleeding during surgery and a faster recovery rate after surgery.

It is easy to learn hopw to do. all you need to do to learn biofeedback if you don't have the money for the machines it to practice various relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises and progressive relaxation and while you are doing them hold your hand on your belly and concentrate on making the breath go deeper and longer. You can also put your fingers on a pulse point and concentrate on your breathing and you will soon notice what types of breathing and activities make the heart go faster and slower.

This topic has come up a couple times here so you might be able to find more information by reading some of the past threads on this topic also.

Ah, it is aka biofeedback. I hadn't heard of neurofeedback before.

Yeah I've heard of it mostly in terms of stress. They did studies on biofeedback for guys who were at risk of heart attack. They got a 'beep' warning when their heart rate went up and they learned strategies for reducing their heart rate. To teach them to become more aware of the state of their heart and do something about it, basically. They had good results.

Yeah, you can use it for other things (like anxiety) too. I find that doing mindfulness meditation nightly teaches me to be much more aware of how tense I am feeling during the day. The nightly practice also means that it is much easier for me to do something about it (ie relax) once I have become aware of it. Can use it to help regulate intense emotional responses too.

[JustBen]

Biofeedback and neurofeedback aren't the same thing. While biofeedback measures heart rate, breathing rate, and galvanic skin response, nuerofeedback specifically measures brainwaves. Whereas biofeedback is generally used to help people relax and manage anxiety, etc. nuerofeedback is more typically used to help people improve certain kinds of concentration or reduce epileptic symptoms.

Ah, thanks for that.

Do you know if they have done studies on using it for epilepsy?

[JustBen]

Yes, they've done studies. The results were reported in an issue of Scientific American Mind a few months ago, but I can't remember where the original study was done...if I get some time later I'll look it up.

If I rememebr right, it works by somehow training the person to control brain activity. When the seizure tries to move back and forth between hemispheres, the training kicks in and stops it or slows it down. I don't think it eliminates anything, but it does reduce the severity.

[JustBen]

Wow, there was quite a bit more than I thought.
Here's a good place to start if you're interested.

Thanks!

Cool. so there is more of a difference then I was told by a past therapist who taught me how to do them. She told me that they were the same thing because in order to slow the breathing and heart rate and so on the person has to control their thoughts which in turn controls how the electrical impulses work in the brain.

Thanks.

[JustBen]

Yeah, I can see why your therapist would see it that way. In that sense, all biofeedback is neurofeedback because the central nervous system controls most bodily function. With what you're doing, the feedback comes through physiological changes that you can observe without technical assistance. The advantage of going and getting hooked up to the machines is that you can get feedback about areas of brain activity other than those that control your physiology.

[kimmydawn]

I had biofeedback, and it's up there in the top 10 of the best things I've done for myself in this life. It really helped the panic that much.

Good luck!

KD

maybe one of these days Ill go get one of those machines. LOL Thanks again.

[LMo]

Good info, Ben. My T suggested that I look into trying neurofeedback. I bought a stupid little biofeedback machine and software, but I found it more frustrating than not doing it at all. I'm really looking for ways to control my anxiety, because I feel that in my case, it's within reach - I should have to power to control it, because it's really not severe and I have the motivation. I called a couple of neurofeedback clinics and it's awfully expensive, so I'll see what I can include in the budget. I'm really eager to give it a shot and see how I respond to it.

[JustBen]

Yeah, from what I've seen, the treatment can be costly. The machinery is over-the-top expensive, so they've got to recoup their costs there. Also, even though it's proven to be helpful for a bunch of problems, most insurance plans won't cover it.

Does anyone know what kinds of clients neurofeeback works for? I know its good for ADD, anxiety, depression etc, but aren't there more finite criteria or work being done on what types of clients won't respond to neurofeedback. Right now, its sounding like a magical pill for all those with these sympoms. It can't be that true...can it?

as far as I know being able to control breathing heart rate and reactions to stress (what the gaol of neurofeedback is for) is good for everyone regardless of if they have a mental problem or not.

Everyone experiences stress of some form or another be it on the home front, in work situations or in mental and medical situations. so I personally believe everyone can benefit in some way from using it.

As for professionals I have yet to meet one that tells a client not to think about their breathing and so on to calm themselves.

actually im talking about neurofeedback.. which is different from biofeedback. Neurofeedback involves using the training of brain waves using VERY expensive technology.

[(JD)]

IDK why one would choose the more expensive neurofeedback vs the basic biofeedback...which a T could do in a regular session, imo. Learning what parts of your body you are holding your stress/emotions within is a good thing, imo!

Through biofeedback I was able to prove to my oral surgeon that I could handle the pain of the after surgery and physical therapy required for a good result. (People tend to clench etc, which would negate the surgery.) I was able to see if I was, and to learn when I was so I could NOT clench

[OneAndMany]

I don't know specifically who it does work for. I can tell you that I'm on a yahoo group for parents of children who have been adopted who have attachment issues. There are several children (at least) who are between the ages of 5 and 10 who have done neurofeedback with very good results. These children all suffered from PTSD. The neurofeedback did not transform them overnight into happy children with no issues whatsoever, but it did lessen the symptoms so that the kids could function much better and therefore manage the remaining issues better than before. The parents all seemed to think that it had been worth the money.

Hope that helps--

Elizabeth

I was talking to a past therapist of mine, WAY past she was number 4 or 5 of my history of 19 therapy professionals. She still teaches relaxation, hypnotic techniques and biofeedback and neurofeedback.

She said that anyone can do it. With or without the machinnes and yes Boifeedback also uses machines.

The difference in the machines is one only moitors and counts brathing rate, heart rate and blood pressure and the other counts breathing rate, heart rate blood pressure and brain activity both are simular to what they use in the hospital ICU where they monitor coma patients and critically ill patients for brain activity - no brain actibvity means the person is brain dead.

she still teaches both ways to her clients with the machine and without the machine, and has found that there is no difference in her clients. they have the same numbers and brain activity when watching the machines and trying to control the numbers as they do hooked up to the machines but turned away from it and are controling their breathing rate or heart rate and thoughts by concentrating on a focus word and counting their breaths on their own and slowing them down.

She says that all people no matter age and so on can benefit from doing boifeedback and neurofeedback.

The only dangers she sees is if the cords have a short and that should not happen if the person watches the cords for normal wear and tear just like they would when using their personal sterio, radio and so on.

I also asked her if having a mental disorder made a difference in being able to do biofeedback and neurofeedback, if it would cause any problems and she said no. In fact certain disorders such as dissociatives actually pick up on how to do it faster because they already have learned how to unconsciously focus their mind and breathing and so on in order to dissociate out of their abuse situations and into their mental safe places. I of course laughed at that and she asked "so you have stopped denying the diagnosis huh" and that of course took us off onto other things.

But anyway at least now I know that theres no reason that I HAVE to have an expensive machine because I am already doing the processes without it. And no harm can come to anyone (me) by doing this with or without the expensive machines.