stress management

The effects of alpha/theta neurofeedback on personality and mood

Alpha/theta neurofeedback has been shown to be successful both in treating addictions and in enhancing artistry in music students. How its effects are mediated are not yet clear. The present study aimed to test the hypothesis that alpha/theta neurofeedback works inter alia by normalising extreme personality and raising feelings of well being. 12 participants with high scores for Withdrawal (as measured by the PSQ) were given either alpha/theta neurofeedback or mock feedback and their personality and mood were assessed. Withdrawal scores on the PSQ-80 were not found to change in either group but significant effects were found for the Profile Of Mood States (POMS), with real feedback producing higher overall scores than mock feedback (P = 0.056). Real feedback caused participants to feel significantly more energetic (P < 0.01) than did mock feedback. Sessions of real feedback made participants feel more composed (P < 0.01), agreeable (P < 0.01), elevated (P < 0.01) and confident (P < 0.05), whilst sessions of mock feedback made participants feel more tired (P < 0.05), yet composed (P < 0.01). These findings suggest that, whilst 9 sessions of alpha/theta neurofeedback was insufficient to change personality, improvements in mood may provide a partial explanation for the efficacy of alpha/theta neurofeedback.

Case Study of Trigeminal Neuralgia Using Neurofeedback and Peripheral Biofeedback

Introduction. Trigeminal neuralgia is characterized by brief episodes of extremely intense facial pain often radiating down the jaw. These episodes can occur spontaneously or be triggered by light touch, chewing or changes in temperature. The pain can be so intense as to be completely disabling. This case study concerns a 46 year-old nurse with a 15-month history of trigeminal neuralgia. She had been maintained poorly on propoxyphene napsylate/apap 100/650 mg (Darvocet-N100) over the previous year. Her neurologist's next planned intervention was to sever the trigeminal nerve. Method. Over a period of nine months, this client had 10 peripheral biofeedback training sessions (including dynamic EMG biofeedback) and diaphragmatic breathing in conjunction with a program of stress management and counseling. She also received 29 sessions of neuro-feedback (including T4, C3, C4, C3-C4 and T3-T4). C3 seemed to be the most effective placement for sleep maintenance issues, and T3-T4 seemed to be the most effective placement for pain issues. Results. The client experienced a substantial reduction in pain and bruxism as well as improvement in sleep quality. Symptom reduction fluctuated with life stress issues and with adjustment in both peripheral and neurofeedback protocols. The success of this treatment allowed the client to avoid radical surgery (severing of the trigeminal nerve) and to discontinue use of propoxyphene napsylate/apap 100/650 mg. In a 13-month follow-up, the client reports having an active life style and managing her pain quite well on 20 mg of tramadol (Ultram) every 12 hours as long as she uses her self-regulation techniques. Conclusion. This case study suggests that a multi-modal approach of neurofeedback, peripheral biofeedback, stress management and counseling was clinically efficacious in treating the symptoms of this difficult and painful condition.

Effects of biofeedback-assisted attention training in a college population

A program of stress management employing open-focus attention-training workshops was developed at Baruch College to bring the benefits of stress reduction to students. The purpose of the research reported here was to evaluate the results of the open-focus attention-training technique. Open-focus technique without biofeedback training was used for two semesters. Biofeedback training was incorporated in the third semester. In the first study, changes in grade point average (GPA), stress-related symptoms, and physiological measures were examined. The experimental subjects' stress data for this study was reported previously (Valdés, 1985). In the second study, changes in the same variables for experimental and control subjects were evaluated. Students in the control group showed decreased GPA, while those who participated in open-focus training showed a trend toward improved GPA. Stress-related symptoms associated with anxiety and management of emotional problems showed significant posttraining improvement, as did physiological measures in all of the biofeedback modalities in which the experimental subjects were specifically trained. The results support the hypothesis that the workshops were successful in reducing stress levels, and suggest that further controlled research be conducted to verify these findings, and to identify the most effective components of the training procedure.

Biofeedback and meditation in the treatment of psychiatric illnesses