Glossary / Lexicon

Biofeedback refers to provision of information to a person regarding one or more physiological processes in an effort to enable the person to gain some element of voluntary control over bodily functions that normally operate outside of consciousness.

It is a training technique that enables an individual to gain some element of voluntary control over autonomic body functions; based on the learning principle that a desired response is learned when received information such as a recorded increase in skin temperature (feedback) indicates that a specific thought complex or action has produced the desired physiological response.

Other /More definition:
biofeedback refers to the use of physiological monitoring equipment to make individuals aware of their own bodily functions, such as blood pressure or brain waves, that they cannot normally access, with the purpose of controlling these functions.

Other /More definition:
Biofeedback refers to a method whereby an individual is provided with ongoing, specific information or feedback about how a particular physiological process operates, so that he or she can learn how to modify that process. Biofeedback is usually used to reduce stress. An Electromyograph can be attached to a person's forehead muscles to provide visual or auditory feedback about the level of muscular function. A person can also be trained in techniques known to reduce physiological aspects of stress, example is a relaxation training that partly involves proper breathing.

There are three (3) stages in Biofeedback training:

1. developing an awareness of the particular physiological response, example heart rate
2. Learning ways of controlling the physiological response in quiet conditions
3. Transfering the control into the conditions of everyday life.

It is a wide array of procedures through which a patient learns to modify or control certain physiological processes. Usually, the physiological process of interest is monitored by an apparatus, and the information is fed back to the patient in the form of an auditory, tactile, or visual signal. The patient then attempts to modify the signal, and thus change the physiological response using a variety of techniques. Moreover, Biofeedback refers to a procedure in which people learn to monitor and control their autonomic responses, such as blood pressure, heart rate, skin conductance, and muscular tension. It is the use of physiological monitoring equipment to make individuals aware of their own bodily functions, such as blood pressure or brain waves, that they cannot normally access, with the purpose of controlling these functions.