These six devices were selected by Gary Ames for their research support and professional regard. All are available to consumers and can be a great bargain for quality of life. These gadgets usually produce significant improvements in nervous system functioning which are sustained in the long term after the benefit is obtained.

Temperature biofeedback training with a thermometer.
Learn to relax by increasing the blood perfusion to your fingers or toes. Trial and error learning guides you toward relaxation.
http://www.cliving.org/stressthermometer.htm $19.95

Galvanic Skin Response (GSR). Skin Conductance.
Every time your autonomic nervous system changes the level of arousal or relaxation, the moisture of your skin changes, and this affects the electrical conductivity of your fingers.
GSR 2 – with or without accessories. ~$50 or $150.

http://www.mindgrowth.com/

http://www.toolsforwellness.com/bg101.html

Heart Rate Variability, HRV. When you inhale, heart rate increases. When you exhale, heart rate decreases. Learning to have smooth and strong heart rhythms in sync with breathing is good for mind and body.
http://www.HeartMath.com $295

[http://www.StressEraser.com/] Hand Held, $395

http://www.biocomtech.com/bht.htm. $395

http://www.cardiologix.com

GSR & HRV combined

http://www.WildDivine.com. Lush computer game with 40 biofeedback challenges. Sedate. $159.95.

EEG Biofeedback or Neurofeedback. Brain Wave Training.
Monitoring and interacting with your own brain waves is a powerful method. There is broad applicability to enhance sanity, health, competence, and wisdom. This device will probably improve your life in multiple ways.

The BrainMaster is a good device for consumers, but you may need professional support. Play Attention is a weaker technology but has good remote support. Pocket Neurobics is a bargain with the weakest support. Yahoo has good newsgroup support forums.

Anyone can buy EEG biofeedback units on these sites.

http://www.pocket-neurobics.com – stand alone, PC or wireless

http://www.PlayAttention.com single channel, helmet

http://www.Brainquiry.com – wireless

http://www.futurehealth.org/nfcntral.htm

http://www.toolsforwellness.com/mind-machines-biofeedback.html

http://www.bio-medical.com

http://www.dynamind.com/eeg.htm

You may need a license or prescription to buy other more expensive equipment from a manufacturer or dealer.

HemoEncephaloGraphy, HEG (blood brain image with infrared sensors).
These biofeedback devices monitor blood perfusion or blood oxygenation inside the brain with an infrared sensor on a headband. When you practice at activating certain sites on the head enhance a corresponding function in the brain. HEG devices can be both hand held and computer-based.

There are two kinds of HEG: nir HEG and pIR HEG.
pIR HEG uses a box shaped sensor that is worn on the forehead. It is used only for the frontal cortex, the most human part of the brain.
nir HEG is a headband with flat sensors that can be positioned at different sites on the head to exercise particular brain functions. See http://www.biocompresearch.org/questionaire1.htm

http://www.pocket-neurobics.com HEG and/or EEG

Cranial Electrical Stimulation, CES

This device is not biofeedback. CES sends a very mild current through the brain. Strong research support, FDA approved for anxiety, depression and insomnia. Simply turn it on so you can’t feel it and get a better brain. Generally used for 20-60 minutes per day for a month or two.

http://www.Alpha-Stim.com

http://www.Healthpax.org

http://www.dynamind.com/ces.htm

Some Caution

Biofeedback is generally safe and fun for the whole family. I am all for healing yourself with self-training based on information from your own body. But it is possible to do biofeedback badly. Usually this happens when doing too much too soon and pushing the mind-body to hard. This is especially true when there is greater dysfunction or instability. My caution is like the common sense advice you would get about weight training. The difference is that too much mind-body training can be less obvious.

When there are medical or psychiatric issues it is prudent to work with a licensed biofeedback trainer or therapist near you. Discuss a home training unit and program to get the full benefit from devices. There is no comprehensive directory of biofeedback providers. Try finding one at:

[http://www.isnr.org/isnrlist.htm]

http://www.EEGinfo.com

http://www.bcia.org

http://www.aapb.org (coming soon).

You might also try the web sites of particular software vendors such as http://www.adnf.org/neurofeedback_directory.htm

By: Gary Ames

A very powerful treatment for stress, biofeedback is based on the clinical observation that human beings have an innate potential to control some of their autonomic functions. For example, with biofeedback therapy you can be trained in a matter of hours or days to change the temperature of your hands, at will, by several degrees. You can learn to alter your brain waves, reduce the frequency of asthma or allergy attacks, or manage pain. You can also learn to prevent migraine headaches. As well, various studies have shown that biofeedback therapy can effectively help to reduce some of the complications associated with irritable bowel syndrome, tension headaches, and strokes. This means you can be taught to control, at least to some degree, the supposedly involuntary processes (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate) that increase when you’re under stress.

Biofeedback relies on special equipment with sensors that track skin temperature, muscle contractions, and brain waves. The biofeedback machine “feeds back” your efforts at control in the form of a signal (e.g., a buzz). Once you’re connected to the biofeedback machine, you’re instructed to extinguish the signal. Because you have no idea how to do this, you must rely on trial-and-error to determine how to relax in order to stop the signal. You eventually learn to control your responses to stress without the equipment. Most biofeedback sessions with a trained therapist are scheduled weekly and last from 30 to 60 minutes.

Several different types of biofeedback machines can provide information about the systems in your body that are affected by stress.

Galvanic skin response (GSR) biofeedback measures your skin’s electrical conductance that is related to sweat gland activity. You probably know this form of biofeedback from its use in “lie detector” tests. As a small electrical current is applied to your skin, the GSR equipment measures changes in the levels of water and salt released from your sweat glands. The more emotionally aroused you are, the more active your sweat glands are and the greater your skin’s electrical conductivity is. GSR is frequently used to treat stress, anxiety, phobias, panic, excessive sweating, stuttering, and poor athletic performance.

Temperature feedback utilizes a machine that monitors skin temperature. A sensor is attached to your finger or toe. If you’re anxious or nervous, your skin temperature will drop as blood redirects from your hands and feet to your internal organs and muscles. If you’re calm and relaxed, your skin temperature will rise as blood returns to your hands and feet. Temperature feedback can be invaluable for treating stress, migraine headaches, and circulatory disorders like Raynaud’s disease, which is a condition characterized by excessively cold hands and feet.

An electromyogram (EMG) measures muscle tension. Two electrodes (or sensors) are taped onto your skin over the muscle to be monitored (e.g., your jaw muscle). When the electrodes measure muscle tension, the device produces a buzz, beep, or colored light. You can hear or see continuous monitoring of your muscle’s activity as you learn what tension feels like when it begins to mount. You can learn to eliminate the tension before it worsens or causes problems. EMG is particularly good for treating neck pain, jaw pain, tension headaches, backache, and stress-related conditions like ulcers and asthma.

An electroencephalogram (EEG) monitors brain wave activity. Because alpha waves are characteristic of states of relaxation (versus beta waves, which are characteristic of states of wakefulness), you might find relief from anxiety, stress, and insomnia by learning to increase your brain’s alpha wave activity.

Biofeedback is likely to be more effective when combined with relaxation techniques and cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy. In this way, you can discover how to control your emotional reactions while also exploring how your thinking and behaviors contribute to your stress.

By: George Zgourides