Anxiety is no fun, and anxiety counselling needs to be productive fast.

I see anxiety in my domestic violence education program most frequently related to end of relationship and custody issues, payment of fines and court costs, orders of protection, visitation, parenting, business, and even immigration issues.

We do not have a great deal of time in a court ordered program to explore existential or psychodynamic issues.

We need to get to tools and teach them so that clients can make use of them quickly and regularly. The sooner clients can get a sense that they can manage their feelings, the less likely they are to be violent as a way to feel relaxed, and we are relaxed after violence.

The tools that I use right out of the shoot are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and heart rate variability biofeedback, which actually combines biofeedback and CBT.

Heart rate variability is a computerized tool that gives the client real time feedback about the coherence of their heart beat, actually the coherence of the time between heartbeats, and shows them with an image on a computer screen how quickly their thinking and breathing patterns impact that coherence.

Most folks are intrigued by the computerized process, and have a number of very quick insights about themselves and their physiology as they watch a heart rate variability biofeedback session unfold.

The the biofeedback tool offers a ‘coaching module’ which helps folks get a sense of the thinking and breathing aspects of the heart rate variability training, and most clients notice quickly that following the coaching instructions leaves them feeling relaxed.

That is when I love to point out that nothing in the external world has changed, and that their good feelings are contingent only on their breathing and thinking. Most clients are pretty amazed by that.

The next thing to teach in the anxiety counselling process is that we need to learn to pay attention to the inside of ourselves very frequently, and I counsel people to learn how to pay attention to feelings and implement the heart rate variability biofeedback process on a schedule.

I suggest that relaxation, thoughts of gratitude, deep breathing, heart rate variability biofeedback, and any other healing tool that clients like should be done on a regular basis, perhaps every five minutes for two heart beats.

My point is that we routinely devote large blocks of time to worry and fear, why not give relaxation, contentment, gratitude, and laughter equal time?

And then I will point out that a heart beat by heart beat focus on feelings is actually appropriate because if our heart stops, we no longer have to worry about feelings anymore, right?

Most folks I say that to are struck by the phrase, and perhaps begin to look at why we look at time the way we do, but undoing old habits about negative thinking and feeling can take some time to extinguish, so having a regimented tool to use like heart rate variability biofeedback can be a wonderful resource in anxiety counselling



By: Michael S. Logan, MS

About the Author:

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