Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with biofeedback

Anti-anxiety options are giving me fits

Anonymous — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 07:10:16 -0800

Questions about mindfulness CBT and biofeedback. Recently my medical professional and I determined that my sustained attention problems may not be adult ADD as originally hypothesized and may more likely be an anxiety disorder manifesting in some atypical ways. I have enrolled in mindfulness + cognitive behavioral therapy. I also have access to (I am a student) relatively inexpensive biofeedback facilities on campus that are aimed at reducing stress, anxiety, and increasing focus. Would it be "overkill" to engage in both simultaneously and/or would I get different benefits from both? I know you are not doctors, but I'm curious here.

Biofeedback. What's the deal?

kmtiszen — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 22:00:36 -0800

BiofeedbackFilter: What can expect from Biofeedback in regards to a nervous disorder? My doctor has recommended biofeedback as treatment for a nervous tic that I've been experiencing at different levels of severity for a long time now. I really don't know much about the process, but I'm kind of worried it's one of these new-agey treatments that only work if you believe they work. Does anyone have experience with biofeedback and do you think it will be beneficial in helping me control the anxiety/tics?

Any reputable information out there on biofeedback?

amileighs — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 08:50:22 -0800

Blinddatefilter: Help me not look stupid! Next Tuesday I have a date. Apparently the guy does research into biofeedback using EEG machines(?). However I know next to nothing about this type of technology. (If it helps, I have a background in philosophy.) The internet is such a mix bag of information. I was hoping someone semi-knowledgeable could point me to some good resources. Please help me bone up in advance, so I can at least ask a few intelligent questions. Thanks!

Say "smile", and the world smiles with you.

weapons-grade pandemonium — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 13:18:30 -0800

Do you know of any examples where facial animation is used as a medical biofeedback interface? A few years ago, I came up with the idea of using animated faces, like this, in biofeedback applications. Since we all have grown up watching faces and reacting to them, the learning curve has been well travelled, making animated faces the ultimate in user-friendly graphs. Imagine teaching a deaf child how to speak by having him/her interact with an animated character. The character reacts, mimics mouth movements, and changes expression based on the child's vocal output. So the child's verbal success is reflected in, for example, the happy expression on the model. The same program could be used to lower a heart patient's blood pressure, or treat virtually any other disorder where conventional biofeedback is used. I approached several companies that use facial animation, like Pixar, but they won't touch ideas like this for fear of infringing their own R & D. It seems to me that both technologies (animation and biofeedback) are well developed, and putting them together in medical applications would be easy, extremely useful, and have many advantages over conventional biofeedback techniques. I have not heard of anyone doing so. Have you?

Biofeedback-controlled video game from 1997-98?

mrbill — Sun, 22 May 2005 12:30:48 -0800

Back in 1997-98 (when the Computer City chain was still around), I remember seeing a "mind controlled" game for the PC on display, and one of the titles involved steering a downhill skier. I presume this was more biofeedback (as you stuck your index finger on a little sensor) than actually "brain wave" reading.. Anyway, does anyone remember the name of this hardware/software system?

Presumably it didn't sell too well. Pointers to any other current similar systems (USB biofeedback sensors, etc) appreciated.

Biofeedback Advice

mecran01 — Fri, 26 Mar 2004 11:34:33 -0800

I've been reading about biofeedback lately, specifically as a tool for relaxation and increasing my ability to focus for longer periods of time. Has anyone had any experiences with using biofeedback in this way?

I have a new ibook, and I'm tempted to get Wild Divine, which, despite all the new-agey trappings, looks like it would make a cool biofeedback system.

I've also seen the GSR2 for sale on Ebay.

So I guess what I'm asking is, behind all the marketing is this genuinely useful, can I do it on my own, and are there any good biofeedback tools that are affordable that work with or without OS X? ah poop. Came across quite a bit of discussion of biofeedback in various usenet groups. Apparently there aren't a lot of good double blind studies out there supporting it, at least as an ADD treatment.