Biofeedback-assisted Relaxation Training Research Articles

Effect of biofeedback assisted relaxation training on blood glucose levels in a type I insulin dependent diabetic a case report

Treatment of unstable Type I insulin dependent diabetes in a female client using relaxation training, biofeedback and stress management is described. Both average and standard deviation of blood glucose values decreased during treatment and improvements were maintained at one year follow-up with constant or slightly decreased insulin dosage. The results are discussed in the light of describing factors which may predispose diabetics to success in relaxation based treatment programs.

Reduction of blood glucose levels in chronically ill Type 2 diabetics by brief biofeedback-assisted relaxation training.

Reduction of blood glucose levels in chronically ill Type 2 diabetics by brief biofeedback-assisted relaxation training.

Reduction of blood glucose levels in chronically ill Type 2 diabetics by brief biofeedback-assisted relaxation training.

Reduction of blood glucose levels in chronically ill Type 2 diabetics by brief biofeedback-assisted relaxation training.

Reduction of blood glucose levels in chronically ill Type 2 diabetics by brief biofeedback-assisted relaxation training.

Reduction of blood glucose levels in chronically ill Type 2 diabetics by brief biofeedback-assisted relaxation training.

Effect of biofeedback-assisted relaxation on blood pressure and cortisol levels in normotensives and hypertensives.

This report examines the relationship between blood pressure and cortisol in normotensives and hypertensives. Both groups received biofeedback-assisted relaxation training. Both groups significantly decreased their muscle tension levels from baseline. Only the hypertensives decreased their blood pressure and cortisol levels after training. Implications for the role of cortisol in the relaxation response and in hypertension are discussed.

Relaxation Training, In Vivo Exposure and Response-prevention in the Treatment of Compulsive Video-game Playing

Abstract The present case study illustrates the successful treatment of compulsive video-game playing in an 18-year old college student. On entering therapy the patient presented with a 5-month compulsion to play video-games with an average playing time of 3—4 hours per day and at an average cost of $5 per day. Treatment components included self-monitoring, GSR biofeedback-assisted relaxation training, in vivo exposure and response prevention, and follow-up at intervals of 6 and 12 months. A 90% reduction in the patient's compulsive behavior was achieved and maintained at follow-up indicating the potential effectiveness of behavioral intervention in the treatment of compulsive video-game playing.

EMG Biofeedback-Assisted Relaxation Training in the Treatment of Reactive Depression in Chronic Pain Patients

Eight chronic pain patients (6 males and 2 females) diagnosed as presenting reactive depression were randomly divided into two groups. Following individual assessment with the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), prescription of antidepressant medication, and electromyographic (EMG) measurement of forehead muscle tension, one group received EMG biofeedback-assisted relaxation training (BRT) and another group conventional medical treatment (TC). A final assessment was carried out on both (BRT and TC) groups immediately after 4 months of treatment. The BRT subjects showed significant reductions in EMG forehead muscle tension, T scores on the MMPI scale 2 (depression), and antidepressant medication following treatment compared to TC subjects. It is concluded that EMG biofeedback-assisted relaxation training is an effective biobehavioral treatment modality for reducing forehead muscle tension, elective antidepressant medication, and reactive depression of pain patients.

The Effects of Sequenced Versus Simultaneous EMG Biofeedback and Sedative Music on Frontalis Relaxation Training

The purpose of the present study was to determine if sequenced administration of music and biofeedback would produce a more efficient relaxation response and training procedure than previous procedures using simultaneous presentation of biofeedback and music. Three combinations of precategorized sedative music and electromyographic (EMG) biofeedback assisted relaxation training of the frontalis muscle were examined. The first condition (Group A, n = 10) examined the effect of EMG biofeedback using auditory mode with simultaneous presentation of music. The second condition (Group B, n = 10) examined the effects of the music followed by the EMG biofeedback assisted relaxation training. The third condition (Group C, n = 10) examined the effect of EMG biofeedback assisted relaxation followed by the music. Results showed mean percentage microvolt decreases of 18.1% for Group A, 43% for Group B, and 33% for Group C. The investigators discuss subjective reports of the participants, consistencies with established theory in brain research and relaxation response training technique, and directions for future study.

Predictors of success in hypertensives treated with biofeedback-assisted relaxation.

This paper describes differences in response in seventeen patients with essential hypertension who participated in a treatment program consisting of electromyograph biofeedback assisted relaxation training. Responders were found to have higher treatment values of urinary and plasma cortisol, Trait Anxiety and forehead muscle tension compared to treatment failures. Responders also sustained greater decreases in plasma, and urinary cortisol after treatment. These data are discussed in light of the ability to predict which hypertensive patients may be most benefitted by a relaxation based treatment.

The Effect of EMG Biofeedback and Sedative Music, EMG Biofeedback Only, and Sedative Music Only on Frontalis Muscle Relaxation Ability

This study was conducted to determine the effects of three conditions— EMG biofeedback paired with music, EMG bio-feedback only, and sedative music only—on the ability of normal tensive adults to relax the frontalis muscle. The mean decrease in microvolts from pretest to postcheck served es the dependent variable for all conditions. Ten subjects made up each group (total n = 30). The resulting change of each group was then compared among treatment conditions. The experimental group receiving both EMG biofeedback and sedative music experienced a mean decrease of 1.18 microvolts (p < .001). The experimental group receiving EMG bio. feedback training only experienced a mean decrease of 0.53 microvolts (p > .05). The experimental group receiving sedative music only to aid relaxation experienced a mean decrease of 1.01 microvolts (p < .01). A one-way analysis of variance revealed no significant difference in the mean percentage of change in microvolts among the three groups. Resulting data showed a trend suggesting that sedative music enhan ced the EMG biofeedback assisted relaxation training.

The Effect of Sedative Music on Electromyographic Biofeedback Assisted Relaxation Training of Spastic Cerebral Palsied Adults

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of sedative instrumental background music on EMG-assisted biofeedback relaxation training of spastic cerebral palsied adults. One group of subjects (n = 3) received EMG biofeedback relaxation training only, while the second group (n = 3) received similar treatment with a sedative instrumental music background. The sedative instrumental background music sewed as the independent variable; the dependent variable was the degree of tension of the finger extensor muscles of the arm of greatest involvement, as measured by the biofeedback mechanism. Each subject received three 20-minute training sessions per week for a 5-week period. Results showed a 32.5% mean decrease of muscle tension in the group receiving only the EMG biofeedback training. The group receiving the EMG biofeedback training with sedative background music demonstrated a mean decrease of 65%. Although results strongly favored the background music condition, the sample size was not sufficient for statistical analysis. Replication is suggested, using a sample size that would permit valid statistical analysis.

In vivo distraction-coping in the treatment of test anxiety.

Two groups (N = 19) of clinically test anxious college students received a common core treatment program of cognitive behavior therapy, progressive muscular relaxation training, and thermal biofeedback assisted relaxation training. The experimental group received an additional treatment component that consisted of in vivo distraction-coping training designed to facilitate focusing attentional processes onto task relevant variables and away from external distractors and dysfunctional self-statements. The overall efficacy of the program was demonstrated with reductions in test, trait and state anxiety, and increases in the rationality of personal belief systems. Performance on an anagram solution task conducted under highly distracting conditions and evaluative interactions was improved significantly, as was motoric performance on a manual dexterity task. In vivo distraction-coping was not found to result in more efficacious treatment as measured by self-report and performance variables.

The effect of biofeedback-assisted relaxation training on blood pressure and selected biochemical parameters in patients with essential hypertension.

The effect of EMG biofeedback-assisted relaxation on blood pressure and selected biochemical parameters was evaluated in 38 patients with essential hypertension. Training consisted of 8 weeks of biofeedback and home practice of relaxation exercises. Mean blood pressure decreased in the experimental group from 144/90 to 133/84 mm Hg while the control group remained unchanged. Statistically significant decreases in the experimental group also occurred in muscle tension levels, in plasma aldosterone, and in urinary cortisol. Both aldosterone and cortisol are secreted by the adrenal cortex. It was concluded that the technique taught to the experimental group produced a reduction in skeletal muscle tension and a decrease in stress responding mediated by the adrenal cortex.

Myofascial pain dysfunction syndrome—how effective is biofeedback assisted relaxation training?

Departments of Oral Medicine, Medicine and Psychology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada

GSR biofeedback assisted relaxation training and psychosomatic hives

Auditory GSR feedback has been shown to be effective in the treatment of phobic reactions. This paper indicates that the technique may be of clinical value in the treatment of non-specific anxiety and the psychosomatic disorders which may stem from it.

Biofeedback-assisted relaxation training for primary dysmenorrhea: A case study

Primary dysmenorrhea is a familiar complaint to medical practitioners. Recently, behavior therapy has been shown to be an effective treatment for the symptoms of dysmenorrhea. The present case study offers biofeedback-assisted relaxation treatment as an effective alternative treatment. The Menstrual Symptom Questionnaire was used to classify dysmenorrhea as spasmodic or congestive. This classification provides homogeneous groups of patients. The patient in this study had an 18-year history of primary dysmenorrhea that was resistant to hormonal and analgesic treatment. After two months of baseline observation, she was given eight sessions of skin-temperature biofeedback and autogenic training. She reported significant reduction of pain and discomfort with the use of biofeedback-assisted relaxation. Desensitization using visual imagery, an important component of previous therapies, was not used. Further examination of the efficacy of biofeedback-assisted relaxation training for the treatment of both congestive and spasmodic dysmenorrhea is suggested.

Symposium: Hardware and software

The five papers presented in this session covered a very wide range of topics from EMG biofeedback training to the timing of events under the control of multiprogrammed real-time systems. The first paper by Pope and Gersten describes a computer-based system for response-contingent EMG biofeedback-assisted relaxation training. The paper describes the basic shaping procedure for the relaxation response, the hardware (a 24K Nova 2/10), and the operation of the shaping program. I feel that the primary audience for this paper will be individuals who are working in the field of biofeedback and are interested in developing computer based systems for their own research and clinical work. The next two papers, plus others given at a previous meeting (e.g., Cohen & Massaro, 1976; Poltrock & Mathews, 1976), should provide the reader with a reasonably complete introduction to computer-based systems for the generation and presentation of auditory stimuli. The paper by Knight is a very nice tutorial presentation of the logic and basic hardware and software requirements for the manipulation of digitized speech. Knight focuses on the problems of using a small computer (4K of memory) to perform such experiments, but I feel that his discussion is applicable to any size system. The presentation by Gillman, Wilson, Morse, and Kent! describes a complete system for the synthesis of speech and non speech stimuli, the recording of digitized waveforms, and the preparation of stimulus sequences for experimental use. The system uses Klatt's (1977) digital speech synthesizer for the by-art generation of speech stimuli. The system is written in FORTRAN IV, and its authors claim that it is portable. However, the hardware requirements are nontrivial. The system requires a fast 32K machine with a large amount of disk shortage and analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters. I have some reservations about the claim of portability, but this system represents an important contribution even if this claim is not true. Study of the write-ups, user manuals, and code (available from the authors) would

Computer automation of biofeedback training

A computer-automated system has been developed for implementing response-contingent training strategies in EMG biofeedback-assisted relaxation training. An on-line minicomputer is programmed to (1) monitor progress within a training session as reflected in EMG signals; (2) compare the progress data with criteria set by the operator at the beginning of the session; and (3) on the basis of these comparisons, periodically adjust feedback gain (sensitivity) and make changes in the within-session training sequence. The system is designed to allow various adaptive training strategies to be software programmable. One of these strategies, a “shaping” procedure commonly employed in EMG biofeedback training, gradually increases the degree of relaxation necessary to produce the desired feedback signal by increasing feedback gain as the subject gets better at relaxing. Implementation of the shaping procedure is described as an illustration of system function. Current system development is guided by principles from adaptive testing and teaching systems to make more of the feedback training process adaptive in function.

A comparison of auditory and visual feedback in biofeedback assisted muscular relaxation training.

ABSTRACTThis study compared the efficacy of auditory and visual feedback in electromyographic (EMG) biofeedback assisted relaxation training of the frontalis muscle.Twenty‐eight subjects, divided into 4 groups matched on baseline frontalis EMG levels and trait anxiety, received 7 training sessions each under one of the following conditions: (1) auditory feedback‐eyes closed; (2) auditory feedback‐eyes open; (3) visual feedback; or (4) no feedback‐eyes closed. The group who received auditory feedback with the eyes closed manifested significant lowering of EMG over session compared to no significant reduction in EMG for the other three groups. EMG changes failed to correlate significantly with changes in self reports of subjective relaxation derived from pre‐to‐post session state anxiety test data. The possibility that the ineffectiveness of visual feedback in this study may be specific to the frontalis muscle was discussed and the need for further research in several areas was stressed.