Learn to change your heart rate patterns by breathing

Submitted by Abigail Hamilton on Fri, 08/06/2010 - 17:52

Videos are a great way to better understand how biofeedback works to help people learn to control their stress levels. Over at YouTube Somatic Vision founder and engineer Ryan Deluz has posted the first of a series of videos he is making that will help people understand the purpose and experience of the Alive comprehensive training environment. Check it out, and if you find it interesting and useful, make sure to click the subscribe button above the video to the series so you don't miss upcoming videos in the series.

Integrating mindfulness with biofeedback — a new way to enhance results in individual therapy — Part 1 — Introduction

Submitted by sv.adm on Fri, 08/06/2010 - 16:38

By Yuval Oded, inspired by Zindel Segal

As mindfulness and other Eastern spiritual practices are introduced into psychotherapy, both therapists and clients seek for ways to deepen the practice. In the next few weeks I will describe how I integrate Alive biofeedback with mindfulness practices.

“Mindfulness” refers to keeping one’s consciousness alive to the present reality. John Kabat-Zinn, one of pioneers in integrating mindfulness into therapy, says, “when we use the term mindfulness we refer to ‘an openhearted, moment to moment, nonjudgmental awareness’.”

In therapy we often aim at helping our clients to promote acceptance of internal experience. In a wide range of clinical problems, what is common is the avoidance or over-attention to internal experiences such as thoughts, images, emotions and sensations. For example, many clients are not aware of the moment-to-moment fluctuations in mood they are experiencing. A patient may describe his panic attack as lasting 4 days while scientific findings show that the human body is not capable of sustaining such high levels of arousal for long. Anxiety sensitivity, or fear of fear, often causes this sustained attention to anxiety-related symptoms.

more »

Insecurity, Pain and Depression

Submitted by Abigail Hamilton on Mon, 11/30/2009 - 18:46

A new study from Canada again finds a link between anxiety and physical pain/illness, the link that biofeedback products like Alive and Dual Drive seek to address:

Canadian researchers believe teenage anxiety can lead to physical and mental health issues.

Researchers from the Université de Montréal, Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center and McGill University found that insecure adolescents experience more intense pain in the form of frequent headaches, abdominal pain and joint pain.

Moreover, these teens were more likely to be depressed than peers with secure attachments.

Comments from Dr. John Grohol over at Psych Central:

We often try and highlight the connections between one’s mental health and their physical health complaints, to demonstrate that the two are inseparable. Yet another study has been published to show how our insecurity can even impact something as physical as the feeling of pain.

Would love to hear from attendees

Submitted by Abigail Hamilton on Fri, 11/13/2009 - 23:42

Anyone attending the International Peak Performance Symposium on November 16th in Milan? If so, drop us a note about anything that was particularly interesting to you. The conference will focus on modern approaches of neurofeedback and biofeedback with leading international experts in the field — we wish we were able to attend to exchange ideas!

Very interesting use for biofeedback

Submitted by Abigail Hamilton on Thu, 11/05/2009 - 23:09

Meet the Rationalizer, an emotion-sensing system targeted at stress-prone home investors who trade heavily online. Developed as a concept by Philips Electronics, It acts as an 'emotion mirror' in which the intensity of the user’s feelings is reflected.

Research shows that home investors do not act purely rationally: their behavior is influenced by emotions, most notably fear and greed, which can compromise their ability to take an objective, factual stance. This insight led to the Rationalizer concept in which online traders are alerted when it may be wise to take a time-out, wind down and re-consider their actions.

It's generating a lot of commentary (some which pokes fun!) at places like Engadget and while its market seems almost impossibly narrow, I have no doubt the Rationalizer might be a good idea for helping people keep their cool under stress while they worry though the consequences of each fast-moving trade. The real-time skin-sweat measurement the Rationalizer takes is one of the measurement inputs used by Somatic Vision in its products, and this particular measurement reflects the stimulation vs. relaxation biological range. You can watch some videos of the Rationalizer at Engadget.

Zapping migraine pain

Submitted by Abigail Hamilton on Thu, 10/29/2009 - 02:08

According to Dr. Joshua Wootton, a psychologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (a Harvard teaching hospital), a 22-year-old psychology student named Jennifer tried a variety of medications and trigger-point nerve block injections to treat the migraines she had suffered since she was 10, though none of these approaches really worked. Then she found out about biofeedback and meditation.

Read her inspiring story, in which she finds biofeedback training and meditation "completely zap the pain."

Wootten explains his process of using biofeedback to treat migraine pain:

“People can actually see on a computer screen what is happening in real time,” he says. “By increasing their awareness of how their bodies respond, patients can more easily devise strategies for improved response. For headache pain, we focus on musculoskeletal tension and autonomic nervous system dysfunction. Patients can see that by just being in pain they are raising their adrenaline levels and putting further strain on the system, exacerbating their pain and making it less treatable. I teach them an easy form [of relaxation] and ask them to practice it twice a day for 15 minutes each time.”

more »

With or without biofeedback, video games can reduce stress

Submitted by Abigail Hamilton on Mon, 10/05/2009 - 16:44

According to a story in the Washington Post, video games are being proven to offer significant mental health benefits.

After being contacted by a customer who found the popular game "Bejeweled helped her better manage her depression, the makers of Bejeweled hired some researchers to study the possible mental health benefits of the game. The findings show why video games are gaining credibility as a medical intervention for those suffering from stress, depression, and anxiety:

Some games seem to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which can reduce the heightened tension that's a natural response to stress.

The researcher hypothesized that one reason for the apparent mental health benefits of video games is that many people in Western countries find it impossible to switch off; they're always alert and stressed out. When those Type A people try to relax, they get bored because they've come to require a certain level of stressful arousal.

Playing certain video games offers just enough mental challenge to keep such people occupied while putting them into a state of relative mindlessness. That state appears to have salutary effects on stress and other mental problems.

The story also shines a light on the power of biofeedback in gaming, the core concept behind all Somatic Vision games:

more »

Biofeedback is the new best stress-buster for students

Submitted by Abigail Hamilton on Sat, 10/03/2009 - 23:56

Iowa State University has opened a Biofeedback Center for students to help them deal with stress.

Directed by Student Counseling Service staff psychologist Todd Pietruszka, the center is free and open to all ISU students.

The university is first of the three Regents’ universities to offer a biofeedback service to address students’ emotional needs.

The center has adopted technologies like video games and guided meditations to teach relaxation techniques, concentration skills and healthy coping responses. Some important take-aways about biofeedback from the discussion surrounding this new student center:

• Biofeedback is really a way to have a coach. It basically lets you know when relaxation techniques are working.

• A good comparison: When you take your temperature and find you have a fever, you might call the doctor.

A breath of fresh air in the marketplace

Submitted by Abigail Hamilton on Mon, 09/21/2009 - 19:50

Hours after completing an educational article about breathing for stress reduction, it seemed serendipitous to see this display at my local Rite Aid.

Evidence that Somatic Vision is part of a growing number of companies popularizing conscious breathing as the most effective way to relieve stress.

The RESPeRate focuses on reducing blood pressure specifically, whereas Somatic Vision takes a more broad approach to stress reduction and mental performance...but both see the simple act of breathing as the healthiest, most effective path.

Glad to see the idea is spreading!

You can download our FREE article about breathing for stress relief here.

Somatic Vision for everyone

Submitted by Ryan Deluz on Fri, 06/12/2009 - 20:30

Hello friends and visitors!

For 5 years now, Somatic Vision has been working with psychotherapists and biofeedback experts to put a fun — and effective — spin on the practice of biofeedback.

(If you're not familiar with it, biofeedback is the practice of using your body's signals to measure and display its stress levels. Through biofeedback, people can see the progress they are making as they learn to control "automatic" functions such as breathing and heart rate, thereby releasing stress and attaining better mental clarity in difficult situations.)

Now, Somatic Vision is taking its proven approach out of the clinic and and making it accessible to anyone in this busy world who is interested in improving their ability to succeed in stressful situations.

more »