What Is Biofeedback?

Biofeedback and neurofeedback often get confused, which is why we’re using today’s blog to clarify the difference between the two! Broadly speaking, neurofeedback is a specific form of biofeedback focused on the central nervous system rather than other bodily systems. But, like anything related to science and health, it gets a lot more complicated. 

Luckily, here at NeuraPerformance Brain Center in Denver love sharing our expert knowledge with you! Continue reading to learn more, and contact us for answers to any questions about how brain training can help you today! 

What Is Biofeedback?

Essentially, biofeedback is a way of measuring particular bodily responses to stimuli. The goal is to help you become more aware of how your body responds in different situations. When you understand bodily responses, you can begin to take control over them which can help you manage symptoms that may have been debilitating before. For example, if you suffer from panic attacks, you can use biofeedback to help you better control your heart rate and breathing, so as to help you body remain calm in stressful situations. Biofeedback can help patients relax muscles, reduce pain, and improve their physical and emotional health.

Types of Biofeedback

There are many different types of biofeedback and a therapist will recommend the option that will best fit your needs. Types of biofeedback include:

• Respiratory Biofeedback - this type of biofeedback involves monitoring breathing rates and patterns so as to help patients better control their breathing patterns. 
• Heart Rate Variability - therapists can measure your heart rate by placing sensors on the wrists, chest, or torso. This can be helpful in treating disorders including asthma, depression, and anxiety disorders when the heart rate varies in response to stimuli.
• Galvanic Skin Response - measures the amount of sweat on the surface of the skin and is a good marker of emotional response. Think about how you start to sweat when you get up in front of a crowd to give a big speech — that’s your galvanic skin response at work!
• Brain Waves - this is neurofeedback! We’ll elaborate on how this type of biofeedback works later in the post, but you can think of it like brain training vs. the type of body training that other forms of biofeedback focus on. 

Neurofeedback

Neurofeedback is a specific kind of biofeedback that involves placing sensors on the scalp to listen to your brainwaves. Our therapists process the signal using our computer technology and then analyze the information so that we can better understand how the activity relates to your therapeutic goals We read the information and help amplify certain waves while decreasing others, literally shaping your brainwave activity to a healthy performance. 

Like all biofeedback, the goal of neurofeedback is to address dysregulation problems in the body. Neurofeedback focuses on the brain and nervous system and can help with anxiety, depression, attention deficits, concussions, headaches, and more. 

Brain Training at NeuraPerformance Brain Center

We specialize in brain health, recovery, and brain training. Our state-of-the-art neuraperformance brain center in Denver specializes in several services, including neurofeedback, hyperbaric chamber oxygen therapy, dynavision, gyrostim, and more. We also perform baseline concussion testing and vestibular therapy. Let us work to help you achieve your goals. Schedule an appointment today!