Biofeedback
Biofeedback is an interesting way of harnessing the mind's power to control what previously had been thought to be involuntary body functions, such as blood pressure and brain wave activity.
Biofeedback is now used to treat a number of medical conditions, and stress is one of them. Since stress is involved in depression, biofeedback may provide some benefit.
How Does It Work?
Scientists aren't totally sure how biofeedback works. The University of Maryland Medical Center explains that, during a biofeedback session, electrodes are attached to the skin. Then readings, or information, are relayed via the electrodes to a monitor that translates the physiological data into a tone, a visual meter with varying degrees of brightness, or a computer screen that shows the data as lines moving across a grid.
The biofeedback therapist then guides the patient through a series of mental exercises, looking for the ones that will create positive change, which is then shown on the monitor. As patients focus on relaxation, positive changes in blood pressure and brain waves occur.
Essential
Neal Miller, an American experimental psychologist, did the groundbreaking work in biofeedback during the 1950s and 1960s. At the time, no one believed that the human mind could be taught to control the autonomic nervous system. Miller proved them wrong!
Benefits for Depression
As with other therapies you have read about in this chapter, biofeedback gives you control over how your body responds to different situations. There is a significant feeling of loss of control in depression, so by using biofeedback techniques, you can regain that sense of mastery over your body and its reactions. Control your reactions, manage your stress levels, and you may be able to relieve the symptoms of depression.
