Biofeedback is a process of controlling one’s thoughts and attitudes through the use of instruments that measure brain function. Along with meditation, biofeedback is a useful therapy to reduce stress and improve concentration. These alternative therapies can aid in the improvement of psychological status in people with high-stress careers and those suffering form post-traumatic stress disorder.
Biofeedback-Assisted Meditation
A study in the April 2011 issue of “Explore” evaluated the effectiveness of a biofeedback-assisted meditation program for stress management in hospital nurses. The month-long program enrolled 11 nurses, eight of whom completed the study. The program included 15 computer sessions, 30 minutes each, which used biofeedback to enforce meditation training. Before and after the trial, researchers measured stress, anxiety and quality of life through three well-accepted scales. The study found significant improvement in stress management and the nurses claimed they were highly satisfied with the program. The authors concluded that biofeedback-assisted meditation is an effective tool to reduce stress and anxiety.
Neurofeedback Meditation
Beta waves are a low-frequency measurement of human prefrontal cortex brain activity associated with active concentration. A study published in the February 2011 issue of the “Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine” investigated the benefits of a neurofeedback meditation program on the production of beta brainwaves in 12 adults -- six practitioners of transcendental mediation and six control subjects. The study found that neurofeedback meditation improved self-assessed positive emotions of happiness and love and inhibited stress in both groups. The beta brainwave activities of seasoned meditators, however, were greater than those of the untrained controls.
Therapy for Cancer Patients
A study by the Mind-Body Medicine Research Laboratory at Baylor University in Texas investigated the effects of mid-body interventions to reduce pain, anxiety, insomnia and treatment-related nausea in cancer patients. The researchers reported that relaxation therapies, including biofeedback and meditation, improved the psychological well-being of patients receiving cancer therapy. The study recommended the adoption of mind-body interventions into mainstream oncology care.
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is an anxiety disorder caused by experiencing the threat of death or bodily harm, which is most often diagnosed in military personnel returning from battle. An article published in the September 2008 issue of the “Journal of Clinical Psychiatry” investigated the efficacy of biofeedback and meditation in 82 adolescents who lived through the Yugoslavian civil war in the late 1990s. Changes in PTSD symptoms were measured using the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire after a 12-session program conducted by The Center for Mind-Body Medicine in Kosovo. The study found a significant decrease in PTSD symptoms following treatment and participants continued to show improvement after a three month follow-up.
References
- “Journal of Clinical Psychiatry”; Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Postwar Kosovar Adolescents using Mind-Body Skills Groups: A Randomized Controlled Trial; J. Gordon; September 2008
- “Current Treatment Option in Oncology”; Mind-Body Therapies in Integrative Oncology; G. Elkins, et al.; December 2010
- “Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine”; Neurofeedback-Enhanced Gamma Brainwaves from the Prefrontal Cortical Region of Meditators and Non-Meditators and Associated Subjective Experiences; B. Rubik; February 2011
- “Explore”; Evaluation of a Biofeedback-Assisted Meditation Program as a Stress Management Tool for Hospital Nurses: A Pilot Study; S. Cutshall, et al.; April 2011
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