Biofeedback for stress-related disorders

Treatment protocol for stress-related disorders consists of an initial evaluation combining interview questions with computer technology that reveals your personal physiological responses to stress. This visual picture gives you basic information directly reflecting your nervous system activity. You watch your nervous system in action while you practice how to change your reactions with biofeedback therapist coaching. It is a personally fascinating experience that gives you a tool enabling you to begin to take charge of your body and reduce troublesome symptoms.

After the initial assessment, several treatment modalities are used including computer-assisted stress management and relaxation techniques. One such program is heart rate variability training (HRV), a computer program that utilizes breathing and its impact on heart rate to better balance the autonomic nervous system. Several of these techniques are then practiced at home to help lower the body’s emotional response thereby decreasing stress-related symptoms such as headache, stomach discomfort, and anxiety. After chronic illness or with ongoing stress the body’s autonomic nervous system can respond with hyper-sensitivity and hyper-reactivity to everyday stressors resulting in distressing symptoms. Combining biofeedback with skill-based learning of behavioral and relaxation techniques helps to calm the over-active nervous system, thereby lessening the associated symptoms.

The number of treatment sessions is dependent on: 1) severity of symptoms and 2) follow through on home practice. Average number of sessions is between 3 and 4 when home practice is consistent.

Case examples:

A young woman diagnosed with irritable bowel synrome was concerned about returning to school and sitting through classes without gas pains and bathroom runs. She had one session including HRV training and relaxation techniques. The client reported practicing daily. On our last phone call, one month post treatment, she stated she was doing well, feeling much better with fewer troublesome symptoms, and reported the techniques had actually improved her ability to concentrate in class. What this young lady hadn’t realized was how much her physical symptoms were affecting her ability to perform in school.

A thirtyish year-old woman came to our office troubled by constant anxiety for about five months. Her history revealed she had suffered with panic attacks in the past. After the second session of HRV training she was no longer waking up as often with anxiety and felt her brain was less “chatty” or distracting. After a third session the client was sleeping through the night five out of seven days. She felt she was sufficiently improved to stop treatment after 4 sessions.

A fifteen-year-old male had been suffering with debilitating headache for 6 years, along with poor sleep, fatigue, & hyper-reactivity to stress. After 13 EEG treatments, 4 sEMG sessions, and 4 heart rate variability sessions, he enjoyed significant improvement. He experienced only a few headaches per month; and this was after suffering from pneumonia, taking the practice SAT for 3 ½ hours, and taking final exams. His energy remained good despite increased stress.

Colonic Inertia

Joan, a woman in her 70s, was diagnosed with colonic inertia (severe constipation) and scheduled for removal of the colon because no standard treatments had provided relief and there was danger of a ruptured colon. Surgery would have resulted in a colostomy, a terrible prospect for an otherwise healthy and active person.

Joan came to the Brain wellness and Biofeedback Center of Washington for Heart Rate Variability (HRV) treatment to see if biofeedback would help with her painful situation. Joan was having bowel movements only every three to four days with the help of medication, but with intense pain. After one HRV session with Emily Perlman, in which she responded quickly by changing from chest breathing to abdominal breathing, she felt a “release in her belly” that started, unfortunately while she was riding home on the Metro. She was caught quite off guard, embarrassed, and sympathetic toward her fellow riders. However, to her delight, the next day she was moving her bowels four times a day without pain.

She came for two more sessions to reinforce her new skills and build a repertoire of techniques to prevent a relapse. During the next session she reported a clear and sudden realization about circumstances that led to this painful condition. She was facing a life change that had similar elements to being abandoned 40 years before. With that strong emotional insight her system relaxed. The surgery was cancelled.

Three months later Emily Perlman initiated a follow up phone call during which she reported that she was still moving her bowels regularly and without pain. HRV treatment saved her quality of life.