Biofeedback and Neurofeedback

Accelerate Your Success with Biofeedback and Neurofeedback

In the past, the common belief was that our physiological processes such as body temperature and heart rate were beyond our conscious control. However, modern technology in the form of biofeedback and neurofeedback allows us to monitor our physiology and brain function, and use this feedback to learn to control them. The FennZone's peak performance training provides a faster path to self-improvement by using biofeedback and neurofeedback.

Biofeedback, with the aid of electronic instrumentation, measures muscle tension, breathing efficiency, heart rate variability, and stress indicators in the body. The technology provides instant feedback which enables an individual to learn to control bodily processes that were previously not accessible at a conscious level. With this training, the person learns to become relaxed and focused much more quickly, thereby increasing productivity and wellbeing. The same principle is used in neurofeedback, also know as brain biofeedback. Brain waves are displayed on a computer screen in real time, and the feedback is used to train the individual to improve their brain function.

Biofeedback

Biofeedback is a means for gaining control of our body processes to increase relaxation, relieve pain, and develop healthier, more life-enhancing ways of being. Biofeedback gives us information about ourselves by means of external instruments. Using a thermometer to take our temperature is a common kind of biofeedback. Clinical biofeedback follows the same principle, using specialized instruments to monitor various physiological processes as they occur. Moving graphs on a computer screen and audio tones that go up and down "reflect" changes as they occur in the body system being measured.

Biofeedback training familiarizes us with the activity in our various body systems so we can learn to control this activity to relieve stress and improve health. Trying to change physiological activity without biofeedback is like playing darts while blindfolded - we can't see whether we are hitting the mark or not. Biofeedback lets us know precisely when we are changing our physiologies in the desired direction. The brain learns to move the activity being measured in the right direction for self-improvement.

Biofeedback is not a treatment. Rather, biofeedback training is an educational process for learning specialized mind/body skills. Learning to recognize physiological responses and alter them is not unlike learning how to play the piano or tennis - it requires practice. Through practice, we become familiar with our own unique psychophysiological patterns and responses to stress, and learn to control them rather than having them control us. Even though it takes practice, biofeedback allows us to learn control that otherwise would be unlikely or impossible.

Neurofeedback = Brain Biofeedback

Another powerful strategy we use with our clients is neurofeedback, or brain biofeedback, which tackles brain problems and enhances mental performance without drugs. Some of the most intractable problems of our society – learning and behavior problems, depression, anxiety, and addictions – often reflect deficiencies in the way the brain regulates itself. Neurofeedback is a learning strategy that enables people to alter their brain waves, to influence and fine-tune the brain’s own regulatory mechanisms.

Why does neurofeedback work?
The brain produces small amounts of electrical current as it functions. Microvolt electrical signals are relayed from site to site in the brain by brain cells called neurons. The neurons’ ability to receive and send these electrical impulses results in our actions and reactions.

An EEG (electroencephalogram) is a common method of measuring and recording brain electrical activity and translates the electrical current traveling between the neurons into waves. The speed of the brain waves is called frequency, which is measured in hertz (Hz) or cycles per second. The EEG gives us a way to analyze the brain waves based on their frequency or how fast they are moving. Depending on their hertz (speed), brain waves can be categorized as follows:

BETA (14-38 Hz), ALPHA (8-14Hz), THETA (4-8HZ), and DELTA (0.5-4Hz).

The brain is amazingly adaptable and capable of learning. It can learn to improve its own performance if given cues about what to change. We make information available to the brain about how it is functioning in the moment, and reward it when it makes adjustments to healthier states. When the brain becomes good at regulating itself, the person is alert and attentive, and the brain waves (EEG) show a particular pattern. We reinforce the person to maintain this “peak performance” alert and attentive state. The state is also know as 'The Zone'. The neurofeedback improvement process is much like learning any other skill except it is made faster and much more powerful with technology. The improvements appear to be permanent. The same holds true for biofeedback for other body processes.

Peak Performance

The FennZone programs including the Fennsystem use the fact that a high ALPHA range is our target for dominant brain waves while playing sports and functioning at a high level. It is the ALPHA waves that connect our conscious with our unconscious mind and work best for us as we perform with a sense of being relaxed yet aware and focused. Our staff work with the individual using neurofeedback to train them to achieve this peak performance state more quickly and for extended periods, to achieve the state of excellence called ‘The Zone’.

Biofeedback is used to train the individual to effectively manage their stress, improve the efficiency of their breathing and heart rate, and control other processes that contribute to peak functioning.

The individual is able to achieve 'The Zone" more effectively and for longer periods when the brain and body are functioning optimally. Neurofeedback and biofeedback help you achieve this state, to excel in everything you do!