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Become aware of exactly how you feel and what you do specifically that results in significant increases or decreases in biofeedback. Become attuned to your ideal mental / physiological state. In your daily life, try to transfer your awareness to your lifestyle, daily habits and experiences. Also, try to imagine your whole body healing rather than just the presenting problem. With biofeedback, trying too hard seldom works. The principles of stress management are based on yielding, which is passively letting go and allowing your body to heal as it knows best, without mental pressure. Therefore, allow yourself the opportunity to learn your body’s secrets for letting go and healing. Don’t focus on the issue, just go into biofeedback with an image of your healing response and relaxed self. Take mini opportunities to master and benefit from stress management tools throughout the day (e.g., while food is cooking in microwave, while waiting in line at bank, etc.). Check your posture to make sure your sitting or standing tall but relaxed, check breathing, and so on. Fit stress management comfortably in your life. Affirm your success every time you succeed in calming your mind and body. Build small reminders throughout the day to practice your stress management strategies. The most important factor in biofeedback training is to generalize self-awareness and stress-reduction skills out of the office and in daily life. The goal is to develop self-awareness of internal cues about all the ways your body reacts, and to be aware of your thinking and breathing. Then you know what to target, and how to alleviate that response effectively. The ultimate goal is to learn how to reduce stress, anywhere, anytime. Consider a biofeedback stress management program as serious training for making important changes toward better health and self-mastery. You may be asked by your therapist (coach) to examine lifestyle behaviors, and seek more health promoting behaviors. Other factors that may affect your ability to relax during biofeedback include caffeine, tobacco, alcohol, high sugared foods, allergies, medication, history of seizures and/or cognitive deficits, and drug withdrawal. The more you put into the program, the better your therapist (coach) can help you achieve goals. The ultimate goal is to help you get well. You may learn many new skills that are highly beneficial for achieving relaxation & short-circuiting stress, but your motivation is the key to success. Dr. Ben Allen is certified in biofeedback and provides state-of-the-art biofeedback equipment and strategies based on each training modality. |