Biofeedback

Description of the Strategy

Feedback is a process in which the factors that produce a result are themselves modified, corrected, or strengthened by the result. Bio is commonly referred to as pertaining to self. Hence, biofeedback is a technique in which information about the self is used to modify, correct, or strengthen processes within the self. More specifically, biofeedback is a therapeutic or research technique that involves monitoring an individual's physiological processes or responses, such as muscular contraction or heart rate, and providing information about that physiological process back to the individual in a meaningful way so that he or she can modify the physiological process. In pediatric therapeutic settings, the goal is to help children alter their physiology to a healthier standard. We all use biofeedback every day. Looking into a mirror to guide how makeup is applied or how our hair is combed are examples of elementary uses of biofeedback.

A practical example may be helpful at this point for illustration. One of the causes of pain in children is overactivity of muscles (commonly, muscles in the shoulder, neck, head, or facial area). Increased contractions typically occur in response to stressors encountered in daily life (as if one is guarding or bracing against the stress). Stressors can be mental, physical, or both (the more likely case). When faced with a school deadline that is mentally taxing, a child may end up working frantically on the computer and holding the body in somewhat rigid positions for extended time periods. Before long, it would not be surprising to find the child experiencing muscle aches (and impaired thinking). A pediatrician might prescribe a muscle relaxant, while a physical therapist might use heat, massage, or exercise. A biofeedback approach would begin by monitoring muscles suspected to be involved. Once identified, the therapist would instruct or coach the child in ways to prevent [Page 751]muscle tension from building to excessively high levels in the first place and teach strategies to use when tension levels become high and in need of immediate reduction to alleviate the problem once it has occurred. Many of the problems being experienced by children involve the complex interplay of mind and body, as this situation illustrates. For these (and other) problems, biofeedback may be especially useful.

Biofeedback involves three operations: (1) detection and amplification of a biological response by using certain measurement devices (applied to the skin surface) and electronic amplifiers, (2) conversion of these bioelectrical signals to a form that the child can easily understand (the unprocessed muscle tension signal, for example, sounds much like static on the radio, and changes are nearly impossible to decipher without special signal processing), and (3) immediate feedback of or information about the signal to the child. Nowadays, the information obtained from the sensors is most often relayed to a computer for sophisticated analysis. Using special software, the computer is able to massage the physiological information and display it back on a monitor in a meaningful manner so that the child can learn to modulate the physiological process. Because children are used to watching high-quality video graphics (on TV, in video games, and in movies), biofeedback manufacturers have created similarly high-tech and engaging biofeedback displays to capture and hold interest and to enhance intrinsic motivation. These gamelike formats focus on fantasy, curiosity, and challenge.

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