The Role of Biofeedback Equipment in Stress Management

Stress management is a huge subject.  There are many methods of managing stress.

One thing that is constant is that the body reacts to stress in several ways, many of which can be measured using biofeedback equipment.  People who are experiencing stress often have sensations that they can feel, if they are sensitive and present enough without biofeedback equipment.  These sensations may be related to changes in cardiovascular activity like your heart beating faster or more forcefully, blood vessels constricting, muscles contracting, increased sweat, changes in brain activity, or changes in digestive activity.  These changes are related to what is called physiology.  Whether a person feels these changes or not, they are happening.  What biofeedback equipment can do is make the invisible, visible.
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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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BCIA Certification Biofeedback Seminars

How can you determine if the biofeedback provider you are considering visiting is qualified?

One good way is to get a personal referral.  If you know someone who has had success with a biofeedback provider for a similar problem as your own then there is a good chance that you may also get good results and be happy with them too.  There are other things that you can do to get an idea as to their qualifications.  One of the best ways to determine qualification is to find out if the provider is BCIA certified.  What is the BCIA?  BCIA stands for Biofeedback Certification International Alliance.

The BCIA is the organization that establishes the rules for and provides certification in biofeedback and neurofeedback.  Here is their mission: “BCIA certifies individuals who meet education and training standards in biofeedback and progressively recertifies those who advance their knowledge through continuing education.”
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How Biofeedback Training Reduces Stress

The Problem of Stress

Biofeedback training is an effective method for reducing the negative effects of stress.  There are many sources of stress including politics, natural disasters, terrorist acts, work, family, and financial problems, and traffic.  In this world of 24 hour TV and radio news plus news on our computers, we are constantly bombarded with stressful, negative information.  If that wasn’t enough we have smart phones, tablets, and smart watches with us at all times to make sure that we don’t miss anything.  Wherever we are we can stay up on what is happening.  Besides the information we get from news sources, we also get blogs and podcasts.  In addition to these stress sources, the people who we interact with who cause us stress are able to call, text, or email us 24 hours a day 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

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