BIOFEEDBACK/STRESS MANAGEMENT TRAINING AND TWILIGHT LEARNING FOR STRESS-RELATED DISORDERS:

THE SAFE ALTERNATIVE

Biofeedback & Alternative Medicine Centers (BBMC) are multidisciplinary facilities providing comprehensive biofeedback/stress management treatment programs, as well as medical, psychiatric, chiropractic and physical rehabilitation services for a wide variety of problems. Our professional services are covered by most major medical insurance plans. To assist patients in learning about biofeedback and our facility, we provide a one-hour free consultation.

Some of the most frequent problems presented at BBMC involve stress-related disorders. These can include headaches, insomnia, high blood pressure, ulcers, bowel problems, TMJ syndrome, PMS, chronic pain or muscle tension, post-traumatic stress disorder, and the anxiety, depression, alcohol/drug dependency, fears, phobias or even panic disorders that can accompany them.

Actual QEEG Brain Maps
Click On Image to Expand

In cases where medical and/or psychiatric treatment (with or without medication) is not indicated or desired, a safe, pleasant and effective alternative is biofeedback/stress management training. Biofeedback is a treatment process in which safe, battery-operated electronic instruments are used to measure brain waves, muscle tension, skin temperature and/or skin conductance. Any or all of these natural physiological processes may be “disregulated, or abnormally high or low, often creating a brain chemical imbalance and thus preventing proper relaxation and the availability of effective coping skills.

Along with stress management training, changes in these biological processes are presented to the patient in the form of tones or lights. The bio-feedback information if then used by the patient to “self-regulate,” or normalize, brain waves (if too fast), muscle tension (if too high), skin conductance (if too high) and skin temperature (if too low). Self-regulation skills are easy to learn with the use of the biofeedback instruments at our center.

Individualized relaxation/hypnotic tapes with voiced instruction, stereo music and advanced subliminal technology are also recorded and provided to patients in each session (for use outside the center).

Stress Disorders

The later stages of the biofeedback program, called twilight learning, provide patients with the opportunity to record personalized relaxation/hypnotic tapes in their own voice containing both regular and subliminal messages. With one-to-one professional guidance from the biofeedback therapist, these tapes are directed to the patient’s own specific problems, physical symptoms, needs, worries, or desired changes in behavior, and thus are unique to each patient. This is very important since each patient differs in the way stress affects his or her life!

The final stage of twilight learning involves the patient hearing his or her own personalized “autosuggestions” while EEG brain waves are being monitored. The therapist’s voice is heard until the patient deepens relaxation to the “twilight state” level (defined by mostly slow, theta brain waves). By this time, reaching the theta brain wave state is very easy. Once in the theta state, the equipment then automatically switches to the tape in the patient’s voice, delivering personalized suggestions which “target” problematic feelings, attitudes, beliefs, behaviors or chronic worries that literally keep the patient stressed!

EEG (brain wave) twilight learning is important because the theta relaxation state allows much more of the information on the patient’s personal tapes to reach deeper parts of the mind. Twilight learning is safe and controlled by the patient, since the patient writes and records in his/her own voice the scripts that are learned and absorbed by the mind. The “re-scripting” of stress-producing thoughts, feelings, attitudes and beliefs is facilitated through treatment sessions and home practice with “walkman” type cassette players. BBMC's biofeedback/stress management and twilight learning programs for stress-related disorders employ the most advanced technology available and are tailored to each patient’s individual needs. In addition to healthy, stress-free living and restful sleep, biofeedback patients often report numerous other training benefits, as well. These include improved memory and concentration, increased energy throughout the day and evening, decreased physical symptoms, higher self-esteem, improved relations with friends, family and co-workers, and an overall improvement in health and sense of well-being. Moreover, as a highly desirable goal, the reduction or elimination of prescribed medications is often achieved (e.g., tranquilizers, pain killers, sleeping pills, anti-hypertensives).