Biofeedback is a non-invasive intervention that helps you and your clinician better understand how stress, negative emotions, and situational factors impact your body. These bodily changes are measured via electrodes and are displayed on a computer monitor that both you and your clinician can see. It provides immediate feedback regarding the level of reactivity in your body. Learning to control these functions can help you to improve your health and stress hardiness.

Typical measures include:

• Muscle tension (sEMG)
• Heart rate variability
• Changes in body temperature
• Emotional reactivity (measured through galvanic skin response)
• Brain activity (EEG)

You will be taught how to use this information to gain better control over your reactivity and involuntary physiological responses that exacerbate pain, stress, and many medical and psychological conditions. Chronic stress and/or the stress of a medical condition can lead to an overactive “fight or flight” response that includes:

• Elevated blood pressure
• Increased muscle tension and pain
• Elevated blood sugar levels
• Irritable or depressed mood
• Fatigue
• Sleep disturbance

You will learn how to:

• Lower your blood pressure
• Decrease muscle tension and pain
• Reduce blood sugar levels
• Improve mood by regulating negative thoughts
• Increase your energy level
• Improve your quality of sleep

Biofeedback Therapy has been found to help with the following conditions:

• Anxiety and depression
• Asthma
• Headaches
• Back pain
• Chronic pain
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder
• Muscle spasms
• Other neurological and medical conditions

Each training session typically lasts 60 – 90 minutes. The total number of biofeedback sessions varies depending on the specific condition being treated. You may begin to experience benefits as soon as the first training session, although typically 8 to 10 sessions of biofeedback training are required. In addition, practicing the techniques at home and in your daily life will facilitate learning and symptom reduction.

Dr. Elaine Borgen is a clinical health psychologist who specializes in Biofeedback and Wellness interventions. Your first appointment with Dr. Borgen will typically consist of an initial assessment that includes a lifestyle evaluation. She often is able to make recommendations after this first visit, allowing clients to start regaining control of your life immediately. The second appointment is typically a biofeedback evaluation that helps both the client and Dr. Borgen better understand how the client’s body physiologically manifests stress and negative emotions, and to measure the client’s general reactivity to the circumstances of his or her life. Based on the results of this evaluation, Dr. Borgen and the client will work together to develop a comprehensive and personalized treatment plan for the client.

For additional information regarding the benefits of biofeedback therapy, please refer to the website for the Association for Applied Psychology and Biofeedback at www.aapb.org.