History of Biofeedback

Biofeedback training helps people improve their health and optimize performance by feeding back signals from their own bodies.  This process of personalized feedback leads to an increased awareness of feelings and sensations in the body. Awareness exercises the ability to control and process the information that is fed back to the trainee.   
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For example, one common biofeedback technique called EMG (electromyography) picks up electrical signals from muscles and translates the signals into a form that people can detect. The EMG is attached to a computer or other device which triggers a flashing light or activates a signal when muscles tense.  As one relaxes tense muscles, the flashing or signals slow or stop. People learn to associate sensations from the muscles with actual levels of tension and they develop alternative healthy habits for keeping muscles only as tense as is necessary for as long as necessary.  Successful training enables people to repeat this response at will without being attached to EMG or other biofeedback instruments.

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Biofeedback techniques provide real-time physiological information about the body generally, and the nervous system in particular.  With training, an individual becomes more sensitive to otherwise subtle body sensations and respective nervous system triggers and develops deeper insight and knowledge about their body.   In time, trainees learn voluntary control over respective functions like heart rate, skin temperature, muscle tension and brain activity, including brainwaves and blood flow.  Successful biofeedback trainees earn self-validation with respect to their unique physiology, and ultimately a better sense of self.   These intuitive skills are essential for optimal functioning, wellness, and resilience. Biofeedback is inherently empowering as it provides the trainee with unique information and ultimately power and control over their body.