Mind Body Seminars

Although more people are now interested in mind body techniques like meditation, mindfulness, and yoga, there is still a great lack of clarity as to what the real effects of these techniques are.  It is also often difficult to know if a person practicing a technique is doing it correctly or getting the maximum benefit they can from it.

Several months ago, I was at a university in New York city visiting a meditation group.  The two people who were leading the group were interested in using EEG biofeedback equipment to measure the brainwave activity of people who were meditating.  They were interested in comparing the EEG activity of a novice meditator with that of a very experienced one.  This is one example of how technology can be used in combination with mind body techniques.  The idea was to see if there is a difference in what is going on in the brain while a person is meditating and does that vary depending on their experience level.

If a person attends a seminar to learn how to meditate, they might be doing their best to follow imagery instructions given by the teacher and may have difficulty experiencing what is being described.  They might also have many distracting and intrusive thoughts. During the training a person’s mind might be distracted and, or their body might be holding tension.  With biofeedback or neurofeedback instruments, evidence of this could be measured and used to help train the person more effectively.

If you are going to conduct any kind of mind body seminar it just makes sense to at least be able to demonstrate the changes that occur in the brain (EEG) as well as the body (biofeedback – breathing, muscle tension, heart rate, sweat, and skin temperature).  The whole program doesn’t necessarily need to incorporate technology but it can be helpful and instructive to both the students and teacher of the class.  Learning how to use this type of technology can be helpful for anyone who teaches any kind of seminars related to mind body work.  It also can be used as an intervention itself.  Biofeedback and Neurofeedback are interventions that use the technology and education therapeutically for symptoms including headaches, insomnia, anxiety, depression, ADHD, and pain.  They are an excellent adjunct for people who teach diaphragmatic breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery, autogenic relaxation, meditation, and mindfulness as well as other mind body techniques.

For more information on biofeedback and neurofeedback visit: www.biofeedbackinternational.com

Harry L. Campbell

914-762-4646

Harry@biofeedbackinternational.com