Biofeedback therapy is a valuable component in my counseling practice, because it blends the findings from many research disciplines into a non-invasive therapy that can be used to teach patients to control physiological processes that are often unconscious. Biofeedback therapy involves using electronic instrumentation to obtain information about specific pathophysiological patterns and then developing voluntary control techniques to change those patterns to reduce or eliminate symptoms. This therapy is cost-effective for treatment of chronic, benign problems because it reduces long term medication use, the frequency of emergency room visits and physician consultations. It is often prescribed to those who want alternatives to medication, no side effects, recovery from chemical dependency, or relief beyond medication. These illnesses can often be disabling.
Many people are more receptive to the concept of biofeedback than they are to psychotherapy.
Some patients say they would rather have a disease than a psychosomatic illness. With biofeedback, the existence of an abnormal, stress-related physiological process can be shown by demonstrating the electrical properties of affected muscles or organs. Someone suffering from symptoms is reassured by biofeedback because the process demonstrates the symptoms are not imaginary. Physician Referral A practical way to understand biofeedback is to follow the treatment process. Although biofeedback can be used to treat many illnesses, this article focuses on problems involving muscles.