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Biofeedback Program
Description . . . .
The following programs are available:
- Inpatient
Patients admitted to the Inpatient Headache
Unit receive biofeedback training
once or twice daily during their hospital stay, as part
of the multidisciplinary program.
Outpatient
The outpatient program typically consists of an initial session, four training sessions for four weeks, and then four sessions of generalization techniques bi-weekly. The duration of biofeedback training is individualized.
For patients living outside the Chicago metropolitan area,
an intensive program, of 2 sessions daily for 5 to 10
days, is available.
The initial orientation session lasts approximately 2 hours. In
this session, the patient is instructed on the physiology involved,
biofeedback instruments, and the goals of training. Each patient
receives a thermal trainer for home practice, charts for recording
home practice sessions, and a set of relaxation exercises.
Subsequent sessions include a discussion
between the therapist and patients about the current status
of symptoms and the progress of the training. A session on
the thermal training and EMG monitor, as well as diaphragmatic
breathing exercises, and general relaxation techniques are
conducted. The final two sessions focus on the generalization
of self-regulation techniques, as well as pain management
and stress management strategies. In biofeedback training,
as in the process of learning any new skill, practice is most
important. The patient is, therefore, requested to practice
daily at home. These home practice sessions are essential
in the process of making the relaxation response (rather than
the stress response) become an integral part of the patient's
newly acquired physiological response.
After the completion of the program,
all patients are scheduled fro follow-up sessions to reinforce
the conditioning process. These sessions are usually scheduled
in conjunction with the patients' clinic appointment. The
aim of biofeedback training is to develop new control skills,
which do not depend on the use of biofeedback instruments,
but rather on self-regulation and automatic response.
Find out  more
about the DHC Biofeedback Program
What is Biofeedback?
The DHC Biofeedback Program
Program Description
Program History
Biofeedback Research and Headache
Program Goals/Medical Coverage
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