• Addictions

• Attention Disorders & Hyperactivity

• Attention, Concentration and Focus

• Anger, Behaviour & Interpersonal skills

• Anxiety

• Autism/Aspergers

• Burn out

• Depression

• Dyslexia

• Epilepsy

• Lupus (Erythematosus)

• Fibromyalgia

• Gastrointestinal Disorders

• Headaches / Migraines

• Hypertension (High blood pressure, low blood pressure)

• Incontinence

• Insomnia

• Irritable Bowel Syndrome

• Language / Speech Development

• Learning Disabilities

• Mental Illness

• Obsessive / Compulsive Disorder

• Pain

• Peak performance- Athletes / CEO’s

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

• Premenstrual syndrome(PMS) / Menopause

• Relaxation

• Stress

• Stroke

• Temporomandibular Disorders

• Trauma/Traumatic Brain Injuries

• Vestibulodynia

Dr John Mason Temperature

Anxiety

Level 4 Efficacy (Efficacious)

AAPB Clinical Efficacy of Biofeedback

self-relaxation most in seen as intention conscious cognitively-based the is component central because used modality which little matter may it reduction, anxiety For (1994). Woolfolk and Sargunaraj, Carr, Lehrer, to according disorder same applied when effective biofeedback Therefore, changes. physiological trains monitors only However, cognition. attention of than physiology a less be This techniques. meditation or relaxation progressive equivalent roughly neurofeedback) thermal, GSR, (EMG, shown have studies randomized>Hurley and Meminger (1992) used prefrontal EMG biofeedback with 40 subjects trained to criterion and assessed anxiety over time using the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). State anxiety improved more than trait anxiety. Wenck, Leu, and D’Amato (1996) trained 150 7th and 8th grade students with thermal and EMG feedback and achieved a significant reduction in state and trait anxiety.

Living with Anxiety

Living with anxiety is not a death sentence. Simple strategies can be put in place to help people deal with feelings of anxiety.

Breathe:

Focus on your breath, not the anxiety, and breathe slowly and deeply from the abdomen.

Be aware of yourself:

Is what you're saying to yourself calming you down or making you feel more anxious? Try saying soothing things to yourself.

Do something else:

Shift your focus away from the anxiety. Try going for a walk or doing a task that takes up your attention.

Stay in the present:

Don't worry about predicting outcomes, let the future work itself out.

Lighten up on perfectionism:

Accept your limitations and don't needlessly pressure yourself.

Answer the what-ifs:

So what if you make a fool of yourself? The likely outcome is far less dire than the imagined disaster.

Anxiety Publication References

Khalsa, S. S., Shorter, S. M.,  Cope, S., Wyshak, G., & Sklar, E. (Aug. 2009).Yoga Ameliorates Performance Anxiety and Mood Disturbance in Young Professional Musicians. Applied Psychophysiol Biofeedback, 34(4),279–29. Retrieved from SpringerLink Database.

Burish, T.G., & Jenkins. R. A. (1992). Effectiveness of biofeedback and relaxation training in reducing the side effects of cancer chemotherapy. Health Psychology: Official Journal Of The Division Of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association, 11(1), 17-23. Retrieved from Medline Database.

Hammond, D. C. (2005). Neurofeedback with anxiety and affective disorders. Child & Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 14(1), 105-123.

Hawkins, R.C. II, Doell, S.R., Lindseth, P., Jeffers, V., & Skaggs, S. (1980). Anxiety reduction in hospitalized schizophrenics through thermal biofeedback and relaxation training. Perceptual & Motor Skills, 51(2), 475-482.

Hiebert, B.A., & Fitzsimmons, G. (1981). A comparison of EMG feedback and alternative anxiety treatment programs. Biofeedback & Self Regulation, 6(4), 501-516. Retrieved from Spring Link Database.

Hurley, J. D. (Apr. 1980). Differential effects of hypnosis, biofeedback training, and trophotropic responses on anxiety, ego strength, and locus of control. Journal Of Clinical Psychology, 36 (2), 503-507. Retrieved from Medline Database.

Hurley, J.D., & Meminger, S. R. (1992). A relapse-prevention program: Effects of electromyographic training on high and low levels of state and trait anxiety. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 74(3 Pt 1), 699-705.

Lehrer, P. M., Carr, R., Sargunaraj, D., & Woolfolk, R. L. (1994). Stress management techniques: Are they all equivalent, or do they have specific effects?. Biofeedback & Self Regulation, 19(4), 353-401.

Kerson, C., Sherman, A., Kozlowski, G. (July 2009). Alpha Suppression and Symmetry Training for Generalized Anxiety Symptoms. Journal of Neurotherapy, 13(3), 146 – 155. Retrieved from Infomaworld Database.

Kappes, B. M. (Mar. 1983). Sequence effects of relaxation training, EMG, and temperature biofeedback on anxiety, symptom report, and self-concept. Journal Of Clinical Psychology,. 39(2), 203-8. Retrieved from Medline Database.

Mittenberg, W.,& Petersen, J. D. (Aug 1984). Validation of the Holtzman anxiety scale by vasomotor biofeedback. Journal Of Personality Assessment, 48 (4), 360-364. Retrieved from Medline Database.

McGrady, A., & Horner. J. (Mar. 1999). Role of mood in outcome of biofeedbackassisted relaxation therapy in insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. Applied Psychophysiology And Biofeedback, 24(1), 79-88. Retrieved from Medline Database.

Middaugh, S. J., Haythornthwaite, J. A. , Thompson, B., Hill, R., Brown, K. M., Freedman, R. R., Attanasio, V., Jacob, R. G., Scheier M., & Smith, E. A. (Dec. 2001). The Raynaud's Treatment Study: biofeedback protocols and acquisition of temperature biofeedback skills. Applied Psychophysiology And Biofeedback, 26 (4), 251-78. Retrieved from Medline Database.

Sarkar, P., Rathee, S. P., & Neera, N. (1999). Comparative efficacy of pharmacotherapy and bio-feedback among cases of generalised anxiety disorder. Journal of Projective Psychology & Mental Health, 6(1), 69-77.

Smith, M. S., Doroshow, C., Womack, W. M., Tenckhoff, L., Stamm, S., & Pertik, M. (Aug. 1989). Symptomatic mitral valve prolapse in children and adolescents: catecholamines, anxiety, and biofeedback. Pediatrics 84(2), 290-295. Retrieved from Medline Database.

Schwartz, M. S., & Andrasik, F. (2003). Biofeedback: A Practitioner's Guide. 440-443.

Schachter R.. Enhancing Performance for Anxious Students. Biofeedback, 35(3), 105-109.

Rice, K. M., Blanchard, E. B., & Purcell, M. (1993). Biofeedback treatments of generalized anxiety disorder: Preliminary results. Biofeedback & Self-Regulation, 18(2), 93-105.

Roome, J.R., & Romney, D.M. (1985). Reducing anxiety in gifted children by inducing relaxation. Roeper Review, 7(3), 177-179.

Scandrett, S. L., Bean, J. L., Breeden, S., & Powell, S. (1986). A comparative study of biofeedback and progressive relaxation in anxious patients. Mental Health Nursing, 8(3), 255-271.

Vanathy, S., Sharma, P. S. V. N., & Kumar, K. B. (1998). The efficacy of alpha and theta neurofeedback training in treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. Indian Journal of Clinical Psychology, 25(2), 136- 143.

Wenck, L.S., Leu, P.W., & D'Amato, R.C. (1996). Evaluating the efficacy of a biofeedback intervention to reduce children's anxiety. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 52(4), 469-473.