Biofeedback Applications in Education

Biofeedback is a process that uses technology to measure and feed back information about a person’s physiology so that they can learn how to gain increased control over it.  It is used clinically in healthcare settings by licensed mental or physical medicine professionals including psychologists, social workers, mental health counselors, physical therapists, chiropractors, nurses, occupational therapists, and rehab therapists.  It can also be used in educational settings.

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Biofeedback and Neurofeedback Applications for Military and Law Enforcement

Military service people and law enforcement officers have a lot in common.  In fact, many military veterans go into law enforcement after their military careers end.  Two other similarities are that both military service and law enforcement involve high stress and require high levels of performance.  Both, at times, can come with daily life or death high-stress situations.  These service people and officers naturally would experience their fight or flight responses being activated more often than most other people. It is also super important that they both perform their duties at a high level.  Many lives may depend on how well they perform.

Biofeedback and neurofeedback can apply to both, helping people manage stress and improve performance.  We don’t have to wait until there is a clinical problem.  These interventions can be used to prevent problems, help people manage stress, and improve performance.

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How to Use Biofeedback Equipment

Biofeedback Equipment is a process that uses instruments that record physiological signals from a person’s body and then display the information so that a person can learn to change the signal that is being measured.  One therapeutic application of biofeedback is for helping people with stress-related disorders.  In this context sensors may be attached to a client and signals including muscle tension, breathing, and heart rate is measured and displayed on a computer screen.  The client with the help of coaching from a therapist learns to control these signals and bring them to a more relaxed level.

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Biofeedback Training for Mental Health Disorders

Mental health disorders including anxiety, PTSD, and depression seem to have become more widespread over the past several years.  Is it that more information has become available and there is less of a stigma for people to seek mental health services?  Is it a combination of effects of the pandemic, mass shootings, and national and international unrest?  Whatever the reason is, the fact is that help is needed.  Biofeedback training is among the many effective tools that mental health professionals can use to help people suffering from mental health challenges.

Psychologists and other mental health providers tend to do a lot of talking and paperwork as a part of their routine.  Some of this can become monotonous.  Biofeedback can introduce technology that helps the clients of mental health providers to learn about themselves.  It helps them to learn how to make real, physiological, measurable changes.  They learn to change how their body reacts to stress using biofeedback.

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Unique Training Options for APA Continuing Education Credit

Most psychologists in the United States need to attend training to keep up with new developments in the field and to remind them of things that they may have learned a long time ago.

There are many options for training including face-to-face programs, online programs, and material that psychologists can read.  There is a multitude of different topics that can be studied.  Since psychologists have to take training, it makes sense to make it something interesting, enjoyable, and useful.  Biofeedback and neurofeedback are subjects that check all of those boxes.  Psychologists tend to do a lot of talking and paperwork as a part of their routine.  Some of this can become monotonous.  Biofeedback and neurofeedback use technology that helps the clients of psychologists learn about themselves.  It helps them to learn how to make real, physiological, measurable changes.  They can learn to change how their body reacts to stress using biofeedback.  They can train their brain to become more regulated through neurofeedback.

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Biofeedback Supplies and Technology

What supplies do you need to have to use biofeedback technology?  Some biofeedback modalities require little or no supplies while others require consumable supplies that you need a ready inventory of.

A Plethysmograph (PPG) sensor which is used to measure Heart Rate, Blood Volume, and Heart Rate variability may use a clip or Velcro band that is permanently attached to the sensor.  In this case, there would be no replaceable supplies needed.

The Electrocardiograph (EKG) sensor measures Heart Rate and Heart Rate Variability.  The EKG sensor uses adhesive disposable sensors that stick to the skin and snap or clip to the electrode cable.  These usually come in packages of 50 – 300.  Alcohol prep pads are used to clean the skin before applying the sensors.

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Stress and Use of Technology

Most people I talk to agree that we are living in very stressful times.  Stress management tools and techniques are more needed than ever.  Books about stress are popular.  I came across an interesting one recently called Tech Stress, How Technology is Hijacking our lives, strategies for coping, and pragmatic ergonomics by Erik Peper, Ph.D., Richard Harvey, Ph.D., and Nancy Faass, MSW, MPH.

The description on the back of the book starts by saying –“Re-envisioning your relationship with technology to reclaim health, happiness, and sanity in a plugged-in world.”

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Biofeedback Training in Miami

This year I started a project of reaching out to all of the HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities).  I want to find out if they are using biofeedback and neurofeedback.  I am interested to find out how many of them are using biofeedback and how they are using it.  If they are not already using biofeedback, I want to introduce it to them and help them begin to find out the ways it can be used.

I have started with the states closest to New York since that is where I am.  This is also where we do most of our training.  I am looking at the schools in Florida next since we have also been doing biofeedback and neurofeedback training in Miami, Florida for many years.

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Neurofeedback Training in Florida

Florida is an important place for neurofeedback.  It is the home of the Florida Biofeedback Society which is based in Boynton Beach, Florida.  This is one of the most active biofeedback organizations in the nation.  It is a resource for potential clients looking for biofeedback and neurofeedback providers.  The website is  http://www.floridabiofeedback.org/  They also have workshops where providers can receive training and continuing education credit.  The Florida Biofeedback Society offers a membership that includes a subscription to its Florida Biofeedback publication, networking opportunities, as well as other perks.

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Neurofeedback Equipment Applications

What is neurofeedback equipment used for?  It is used for assessment, clinical therapy, and performance enhancement/peak performance.  There is also medical EEG equipment that is used diagnostically without the purpose of using the EEG measurement therapeutically.  I will not be addressing medical EEG equipment in this article.  Neurofeedback means that the EEG is being measured and the data fed back to the subject in a way that they can learn to regulate the activity.

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