Biofeedback training is a system of educating a subject to acquire specific skills that can enhance and strengthen the mind-body connection. This training regimen, which teaches the person to recognize their body's physiological responses and changes, is not unlike leaning to play tennis or the piano. This training is also called neurotherapy and can be a significant part of behavior treatment plans, which offer non-pharmacologic alternatives to address a person's symptoms.



Sometimes referred to as neurofeedback training, biofeedback training is a learning process that utilizes electronic feedback machines to help a person learn to how manage their internal physical responses, of which most people are not even aware. Ever since the late 1960's, biofeedback treatment has been used to help people improve their peripheral blood flow, modify their muscle activity and tone, control their heart rate and blood pressure, as well as many other physiological responses which are commonly thought to be beyond a person's voluntary control.

Biofeedback training is done under the supervision and with the help of qualified biofeedback therapists who instruct the patient in the different techniques that help them understand and respond to information that is "fed back" to them from a biofeedback device. This feedback information helps the person understand how to take control over their autonomic bodily functions, such as blood pressure, heart rate, circulation, digestion and even perspiration, and then observe the changes that happen as they apply the learned biofeedback techniques.

In many instances, this training can be integrated with other types of therapeutic methods to help achieve the desired results. Biofeedback therapy is often very useful for conditions of chronic pain and it is a very appealing therapy for those who deal with chronic pain because often they are able to reduce the amount of prescription or over-the-counter medications that they need to take to control their pain levels.

Another common use of this type of training is with patients who suffer from incontinence or constipation. As well, there are many instances of successful use of neurotherapy for treating high blood pressure, stress, tension and migraine headaches, just to name a few of the many uses. In addition, there have been many reports that a biofeedback program of therapy can help athletes recover from injuries and help surgery patients to recover more quickly from some types of surgical procedures.

One of the primary reasons why many people are attracted to the concept of a biofeedback program is that it provides a non-pharmacological option to reducing various symptoms of illness and disease. This means that many different health problems and issues can be dealt with without the concern of drug side-effects or drug interactions. Biofeedback therapy is also quite a flexible approach and it can be custom tailored to an individual's needs and also to specific psycho-physiological profiles.

Biofeedback training is also gaining in popularity because of the fact that is it not only a totally non-invasive approach, but that it also is completely pain-free. Neurofeedback challenges the person to take control of their brain functions and then learn to become self-adaptive to the stimulus in and around them. The result is that they can become truly empowered to master the mind-body connection, facilitating better control over their health.