Conference turris::womannotes-v3

    I have not undergone biofeedback training, but my mother has. And in
    the course of my similar training, I have done some biofeedback
    exercises. I believe that my training saved my life.
    
    My understanding of biofeedback is that it is a combination of eastern
    (meditation) and western (feedback) techniques to help you learn how to
    relax. For example, if your task is to warm your hands the feedback 
    mechanism would be a thermometer. Or if your task is to lower your
    blood pressure the feedback mechanism might be a blood pressure
    monitor.
    
    For me, the relaxation I was able to achieve through my  training led
    to greater physical sensation (I was in chronic pain for years and
    didn't know it -- part of my healing involved recognizing that I hurt
    and where), an easing of my symptoms, and better acceptance of my
    situation. 
    
    In order for my training to be effective, I had to "hit bottom", or at
    least approach it.  I needed to see how bad things could get in order
    to have the discipline to continue practicing. And I do, eight years
    later, nearly every day.
    
    
    If you want more information, please feel free to contact me offline.
    
    Liz

    Biofeedback is a fantastic method for relaxation.  A friend of mine in
    college, a heavily dedicated martial artist, used biofeedback machines
    to achieve total muscle control.  As a result, he could relax as well
    as tense his muscles more effectively (as if he wasn't strong enough).
    
    I am looking into buying a biofeedback machine to do some similar
    exercises.  However, I have been doing some _natural_ (_sans_ machines)
    biofeedback.  By counting breaths, monitoring heartbeat, and generally
    being aware of muscle tension - especially stress spots in the neck,
    abdomen and shoulders - it is easy to relax.  
    
    I suspect that the use of machines makes this exercise much more
    effective.  There is some information on this subject in
    HYDRA::HOLISTIC (DIR/TITLE="Alpha Feedback").
    
    FWIW,
    
    Shawn 

        I'm a little curious about this too.... I've been considering
	biofeedback for a couple of years now.  My problem... I have
	TMJ disfunction and related head, neck, shoulder and lower back
	pains.  In fact, I cannot remember the last time that I have
	been pain free.  The mornings I am the worst... I wake up	
	feeling like I got hit by a truck.  My jaw is usually clenched
	all night long so most pain radiates from that area but it
	reaches my entire body.  My joints often ache all the way to
	my fingers and toes.  It is kinda depressing to be in this
	kinda pain all the time.  It is not severe but it is chronic
	and I wonder if I will ever be free of it.

	The reason I have not tried biofeedback yet is because I am
	the worst after sleeping.  I may learn how to relax my muscles
	when I am awake but how can I stop the jaw clenching when I
	am asleep?

	Physical exercise does help to some extent... I ache less if
	I exercise more but the difference is not as great now as when
	I was younger (I'm now 27).  I do not have arthritis or
	rhematism... I've been to many doctors, there is nothing
	physically wrong with me except for stress and for me, the way	
	to relieve stress is by taking it out on my body.  I cannot
	control it.  

	Anyhow, if anybody has similar problems as me and can tell me that
	biofeedback helps, please respond.  Ideas unrelated to biofeedback
	that might be useful can be sent to me off line or I can start
	another note.

	Karen

    re.3
    
    I am a real believer in biofeedback!  I also have TMJ.
    
    Biofeedback is not terribly effect in combatting TMJ as biofeedback
    requires a conscious will.  It will do wonders for the pain once you
    awake in the mornings, but it will do nothing to combat the problem
    that causes the pain -- the clenching and grinding as the muscles try,
    and fail, to come to rest.  Biofeedback cannot combat malocclusion and
    the resultant muscular adaptation.
    
    I wear an night appliance that allows my muscles to come to rest. And I
    haven't had pain upon awaking since about 2 weeks after I began wearing
    it, except on those nights when I have not worn it.
    
      Annie

	I had a night appliance too... it broke a while back and I cannot
	afford to get it replaced.  John Hancock will not pay for it
	because I've used all my orthodontic coverage.  I tried braces
	to correct the TMJ and it failed.  However, JH will pay for
	this night guard if I get it within 3 months of periodontal
	surgery.  I don't understand the correlation but I do need 
	gum surgery shortly so I will be getting a new guard then.

	I still had the pain though, even if I wear the night guard
	which is why I was curious about the biofeedback.

	Karen

    
    see also
    
    Holistic
    104 - alpha feedback
    
    Dejavu
    1343 - biofeedback, myth or fact
    
    
    -Jody
    

One of my husband's students was incapcitated with migraines for
about 12 years. She had tried everything, and was reduced to
retreating to a dark, quiet room whenever she came down with
a migraine.  My husband found out about it because she was a brilliant 
student who would cut two or three classes in a row, and she
explained her problem.

My husband introduced her to a psychologist he knew who included
biofeedback in his practice. (This surprised me no end, as I had
assumed my husband classed BF with magic and astrology.)

I think she went to the psychologist for four to fix months and
learned to cut off the migraines. 

Send mail if you want the psychologist's name. (He is in the
Worcester, Mass. area.)

    couple years ago, Bob was having some sort of dental surgery.  The doc
    remarked that he wished Bob was not bleeding so much.  A few minutes
    later, he drew back and asked Bob, "how'd you DO that?"  Bob isn't
    sure, but he just thought about it and it happened....
    
    (music from "outer limits")

It's not exactly bio-feedback (since it doesn't involve machines) but I was
involved in an experiment at the Wilford Hall (USAF hospital, San Antonio) that
used self hypnosis on cancer patients with uncontolled pain. 

These were all patients in our radiation therapy program that could not be 
relieved from pain via drugs. The outcome was positive in that a majority of
those participating reported an increased ability to control their pain. Some
were able to reduce the amount of medication they used. This was in 1976 so I
don't remember many of the details. Unfortunately, given the military mind-set,
once the experiment was over it just seemed to go by the wayside. Maybe the
doctor doing it got out or maybe it was too nebulous for the buerocrats. (sigh,I
can't even spell this word well enough to find it in the dictionary). liesl

    Bureaucrats
    

    It does work - more for some folks, less for others. There are lots
    of variations on this theme - Silva Mind Control Method, Indian Yogis
    have been contolling bodily functions for...what?...centuries? What we
    generally get here in the U.S. is the High Tech version, with
    electronic equipment (or at least battery-operated ;-) ) to monitor our
    progress.
    
    Same church, different pew.  It all works. But like everything, what
    you get out of it depends on what you put into it.
    
    --DE