Biofeedback for Mental Health

First, I would like to commend the folks at the Carter Center for their ongoing efforts to draw attention to mental health concerns while reducing the stigma that is associated with them and to PsychCentral for the great work they do. Thanks also to everyone who has taken the time to share their own insights by joining the “blog party”. What a great concept!

In my role as Education Manager at the BFE, I have had the opportunity to learn about the work of many mental health professionals around the world who have incorporated biofeedback and neurofeedback into their practices. Our field has such great potential but remains virtually unknown to so many. 

So what is biofeedback?

The AAPB (Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback) website sums it up nicely:

“Biofeedback is a process that enables an individual to learn how to change physiological activity for the purposes of improving health and performance. Precise instruments measure physiological activity such as brainwaves, heart function, breathing, muscle activity, and skin temperature. These instruments rapidly and accurately "feed back" information to the user. The presentation of this information — often in conjunction with changes in thinking, emotions, and behavior — supports desired physiological changes. Over time, these changes can endure without continued use of an instrument.”

Approved May 18, 2008 by:
Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (AAPB)
Biofeedback Certification International Alliance (BCIA)
International Society for Neurofeedback and Research (ISNR)

Quite simply, biofeedback is like a window into the self. A good example to illustrate this is stress. In today’s fast paced world we are all familiar with stress and the negative impact it can have on our health. Most people can identify when they are feeling stressed, but may not be aware that during stressful periods their heart rate speeds up, their respiration rate increases and their muscles may be tense. With knowledge of these physiological changes comes the power to regulate them.  

Biofeedback has been widely used by a variety of health professionals in the treatment of disorders such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, trauma and PTSD to name a few.  In fact the focus of the upcoming North Carolina Biofeedback Society’s annual meeting (for which we are a sponsor) is “Trauma and the Mind-Body Connection”.  The conference, taking place November 2-4, 2012, provides a great opportunity for mental health providers to learn how they can incorporate biofeedback into their practice.

Other good resources are the AAPB (Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback), the ISNR (International Society for Neurofeedback and Research) and the BCIA (Biofeedback Certification International Alliance). All three websites provide a wealth of information for professionals as well as anyone interested in learning more about this fascinating field.  Also, check out this link for a crash course on biofeedback: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1u1v3xRCqu8 

A Bit About Us...
The BFE Learn From the Best program provides continuing education via conferences, seminars, workshops, internet courses, and software for professionals around the world. Content is developed independently by International Research & Education Project teams. Financial support comes from the Biofeedback Federation CIC, a non-profit Community Interest Corporation located in the UK. For more information, visit the BFE Online Shop. The next BFE Annual Conference is scheduled to take place February 11-15, 2014 in Venice, Italy.

Please feel free to contact me if you would like more information.

Carol Meyers

Education Manager

education@bfe.org

June is PTSD Awareness Month

As you may or may not know, June is PTSD Awareness Month in the US. The full impact of the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is not yet known. The US Congressional Office states that, "Through September 2011, about 740,000 veterans from overseas contingency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan had been treated by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). That number is slightly more than half of all recent veterans eligible for care by VHA."The report goes on to say that, "One in four recent combat veterans treated at VHA from 2004 to 2009 had a diagnosis of PTSD."

National Center for PTSD

A great resource for those suffering from PTSD and their family members is the US Department of Veteran's Affairs National Center for PTSD website. It is full of information about PTSD including a list of symptoms, explanation of various treatments and some basic coping strategies. There is also a Professional Section that provides training materials for health professionals along with information and tools to help with assessment and treatment.Sadly, there is not much about biofeedback/neurofeedback on the site other than brief mentions of biofeedback as an adjunctive treatment or a means to relax.

Click Here to view a video on Dr. Russoniello's methods.

Over the years, the BFE has had the pleasure of working with a host of professionals who are using biofeedback and neurofeedback to treat clients with post traumatic stress disorder. Among them is Dr. Carmen Russoniello, Ph.D., a former Marine machine gunner and decorated Vietnam combat veteran. Dr. Russoniello implemented a biofeedback program for Wounded Warrior Marines at Camp Lejeune. The novel biofeedback intervention involves EEG and heart rate variability feedback and includes the use of virtual reality (VR). He recently presented a 1-hour webinar for the BFE:

The Central Autonomic Network and Combat PTSD: Assessment and Intervention

is now available as a recording in the BFE online shop.

PTSD in the General Public

Dr. Daniel Hamiel is an Israeli psychologist who has done extensive work in treating children with PTSD. In a past issue of Psychophysiology Today, Dr. Hamiel wrote an article titled "There Are the Best Laid Plans, and Then There is Biofeedback". The article summarizes his work with a group of adolescents who survived a terrorist bomb attack in a discotheque in Tel Aviv. Click here to read the full article.

Learning More About Biofeedback/Neurofeedback for PTSD

For health professionals who want to learn more about the potential of using bio/neurofeedback for PTSD, a good place to start is your local or regional biofeedback society. Attending an annual conference is a great way to learn more about the field and the potential applications in your practice.