[window on my mental health] I have been having some issues with attention span and having thoughts (especially problems) get stuck in a repetative loop.[/window on my mental health] I’ve read a bit about biofeedback, but I don’t know anyone who has done it or knows more about it than I. There just so happens to be an English language shrink center down the street from me that specializes in Biofeedback. I am thinking about going, but I was just looking for random strangers opinion on the matter, as well as for info on where I can find out more about it.
Tom - what exactly would you like to know. There is a Biofeedback lab at the college I teach at, as a matter of fact it is two floors down from my office.
Biofeedback is a tool used by doctors and psychologist/psychiatrists to measure any of a number of factors in cognition on the biological level. It can tell us how your thought patterns are functioning in terms of any one of a number factors and states.
You would like to get tested for ADD. This is something that would be better measured through a very simple written test. If you would like to be sure, a dopamine screen could be done for biologic origins to ADD. Email me if you’d like more pointed info…
I actually worked for a biofeedback company for a few years.
Attention span and concentration training is difficult and will take many sessions. Biofeedback sessions aren’t usually cheap either.
If you’re going to do it, I recommend trying hand warming first. There are plenty of things you can use to measure the temperature of your hands. Find something that will give a fairly accurate readout and can show changes relatively quickly (there are numerous liquid crystal stickers designed for this. You can probably find one mounted on a card or adjustable band for less than it will cost to ship it to you. Radio Shack and the like occasionally carry a thermistor with digital readout for about $20). This is a good introduction to biofeedback and a good test on whether or not you’ll be able to benefit from it.
Overall, it’s good but if you can get yourself to sit zazen (zen meditation) it will be a lot cheaper with most of the benefits and none of the drawbacks.
I had a session once as part of my regular talk therapy. I thought it was very interesting - the point was a relaxation exercise, and I can see how it would have worked, teaching myself to relax and all, until her “look at the lovely warm sand” story included “and then you see somebody who loves you unconditionally” and all the lines went through the roof. Oh well.
TomcatMore precisely, the system is basically a feedback device which can be used to learn control of certain neurological activity. Thermistors, lcd thermometers etc are feedback devices which can be used to learn control of vascular dilation and constriction.
The first biofeedback session is usually spent not trying to bring the readings to a target, but trying to effect them at all. ‘I’m sitting here, looking at my brainwaves and nothing’s happening. What do I do?’
But, somebody who has spent time learning autoperipheral handwarming already knows how to control the readings. It’s just a matter of using that skill on a different function.
