What is biofeedback?
You are actually probably more familiar with biofeedback than you realize. Any time you step on a scale to measure your weight or take your temperature with a thermometer you are using biofeedback. So, what is biofeedback? Simply put, biofeedback is broken down to bio, which means “life” and feedback, therefore life-feedback. Biofeedback is a tool that can measure different parameters of health, stress, and ultimately life.
So how does it work? Biofeedback is a treatment technique in which people are trained to improve their health by using signals from their own bodies.
You might have heard of the “fight or flight” syndrome. For example, let’s say you are angry at your boss. Your body might prepare to “fight” but because you are in a public setting or more importantly want to keep your job, you have to ignore those feelings of anger. Now let’s say this happens over and over again, which let’s face it is not unlikely. This will begin to cause undue stress on your body. Your body has prepared for action and yet cannot act, thus resulting in stressors.
Therefore, biofeedback works to “change” the reaction your body has towards stress.
