One such system is the Autonomic Nervous System. The brain's emergency system is then able to send blood to the legs to run, to the arms and hands to fight, or to specific areas in the brain to create an escape plan. This is our major survival mechanism, designed to help us meet emergencies and threats in the physical world. Understanding the Brain Wave patternings of addiction and how our body controls relaxation and vigilance allowed the creation and development of a unique training program for alcohol and drug addiction. The first step in remediating alcoholism is to teach the body to relax.
Relaxation is taught with temperature biofeedback training.
A probe from a fast response, digital display thermometer is taped to a finger. The trainee then closes his or her eyes, and the Neurotherapist uses standardized relaxation phrases to help the person quieten his or her mind and body. A critical component of the process is verbal feedback on the hand s temperature. A decreasing hand temperature is undesirable, while an increasing temperature is favorable. The hand s warming response leads the body to increase the parasympathetic system s relaxation response, and to decrease the sympathetic nervous system s overaroused flight or flight response.