Body-Brain Balance

Drawing on a unique combination of Biofeedback and Neurofeedback training, Body-Brain Balance seeks to help an individual gain a deeper awareness of the body and mind working together.

Very simply, Body-Brain Balance is an advanced application of the biofeedback process, employing special instruments attached to the body in order to ‘feed back’ information that allows an individual to correct given conditions. Likewise, Neurofeedback uses the same process to help ‘self-regulate’ the brain. Together, they can be employed simultaneously to facilitate an experience of heart and brain synchronization through muscular relaxation, breathing and guided visual focus.

The overall experience can range from deep relaxation to a sense of heightened cognitive awareness. Body-Brain Balance can work in perfect harmony with a regimen of breathing exercises, meditation, contemplation or daily prayer.
A specific example of the Body-Brain Balance would be:
1) Painless sensors are attached to sites on the body and head, used to measure muscle tension, skin temperature, heart, breathing rate and minute electrical signals from the brain. Brain training may occur at one to six sites on the head at one time, although one or two sites are most common.
2) The individual is guided to experience all of these body/mind factors, which are being displayed by the feedback instruments with the goal of synchronizing the body (heart, breathing, etc.) and mind (brain wave patterns). Body responses may be displayed as relevant measures (muscle tension, temperature, heart rate, etc.) while activity of the mind is presented on a monitor as changes in brain wave frequencies.
3) Instruction occurs with verbal guidance from the Body-Brain Balance provider or (visual/auditory/sensory) feedback from a specialized program or game. Session goals may be given or in written form to assist with understanding the procedure, setting of learning goals, skill practice and review of results.
4) A variety of training methods may be employed to facilitate the body/mind synchronization and self-regulation experience. These may include, relaxation training, breathing exercises, meditative practices, guided imagery, visualization, auditory-environmental programs, computer games etc. Having the experience of learning how to adjust to a more comfortable condition and understanding how to maintain that state can become a unique insight.
5) After a period of practice, and developing the ability toward body and brain self-regulation, desired results can be mastered and integrated into daily life.

Body-Brain Balance can certainly help improve your health by giving you specific experiences, insights and skills to improve your health and well-being. Although not designed to address or resolve immediate symptoms, Body-Brain Balance training can be of great value as a means of building better habits that contribute to improved health decisions.

Much like learning about good nutrition and diet, the Body-Brain Balance process can increase your awareness of good and bad habits, which puts you in control of coordinating somatic (body), as well as cognitive (brain) functioning.

There is a long history (over 50 years) of combining biofeedback treatment instruments to gain a positive effect. This is known in research studies as Multimodal treatment. An example of this may be a dual treatment for stress reduction by decreasing muscle tension (EMG or electromyography) and hand temperature training (to increase circulation, blood flow and warmth to the hands). Similar treatment may be used for tension headaches and migraine.

The Body-Brain Balance method is not new in combining Biofeedback (body awareness) with Neurofeedback (changes in brain activity) but is unique in its focus on guiding the individual to improved coordination of heart, breath, muscle relaxation, calmed nervous system and decreased, overactive brain activity.

Learning the Body-Brain Balance method is easy and comfortable. Standard biofeedback training is applied and easily learned. Use of alternating breathing patterns and decrease muscle tension in selected areas of the body generally has the overall effect of decreasing the heart rate, increasing blow flow throughout the body, settling the nerves and slowing brain function. All, generally pleasurable outcomes. Treatment sessions are conducted in comfortable office settings.

Generally no, however well-designed video games can partially assist an individual to learn new things – but there is more to it.

Games and special programs may be employed if they facilitate awareness of what is going on in the body (and brain); help build new skills, provide learning challenges and most importantly, produce the sensation of feeling differently or better when the session is complete.

The Body-Brain Balance method is ultimately designed for individuals to rely on their own inner resources and bring mind/body awareness into everyday reality. That is not to say that computer- type games will not be employed to achieve this goal but it is not the primary focus of the process.

Since the training is not focused on relief of symptoms, sessions can be relaxed and comfortable, focusing on increasing immediate comfort. Training sessions last 1 hour. Individuals may expect beginning to intermediate instruction to be 8 to 12 sessions.

This is up to different providers but given the positive mental and emotional health benefits of the Body-Brain Balance method the question becomes: ‘we don’t know why it isn’t offered?