BioNeuroHealth Biofeedback & Neurofeedback Center of Redlands

BioNeuroHealth Training Programs are available at offices located in Redlands, Pasadena, and Los Angeles, and we frequently work with individuals from cities such as Redlands, Loma Linda, Colton, San Bernardino, Highland, Moreno Valley, Rialto, Fontana, Riverside, Rancho Cucamonga, Pasadena, Glendale, Burbank, Los Angeles, Culver City, Santa Monica, and Marina Del Rey. Send us a message or an email for more information about booking an appointment with us at the most convenient service location for you!

Biofeedback is the process of learning how to change your body responses to conditions you may experience regularly, such as pain, stress, anxiety, etc. Learning occurs when information about your body, such as muscle tension, the amount of sweat, heart rate, etc. is ‘fed back’ or reflected to you by means of a biomedical instrument, something like taking your temperature. The biofeedback process is painless, allowing you to use the information to correct or adjust uncomfortable conditions or behaviors, similar to the use of a mirror when applying makeup or combing your hair. It can also be a pleasurable experience, as well as an acknowledged and safe means of treatment. The basic Biofeedback training plan is to identify where conditions of discomfort come from and then gain effective skills to control or ‘self-regulate’ a new, positive behavior, ideally minimizing reliance on instruments and medication.

Regularly practicing specific biofeedback skills can certainly help improve your health by making you more aware and helping you change how your body responds to damaging and unhealthy conditions, such as stress. Much like learning about good nutrition and diet, the biofeedback process can increase your awareness, which, in turn, can put you in control of better health choices.

Since the 1960’s, there has been extensive research in Biofeedback, which was quickly applied to many psychological conditions and used in other health-related areas, in fact, there have been many positive outcomes from Biofeedback research in a wide variety of medical fields. In some cases, the biofeedback approach has become a treatment of choice for conditions such as migraine and tension headaches.

Biofeedback has applications in a number of neuromuscular, neurological, cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, psychological and psychiatric conditions. Some of the treatment areas may include Acute and Chronic Pain Management, Anxiety, Panic Disorders, Depression , as well as poor breathing patterns, Heart Rate Variability Training, Migraine, Muscular Tension, Muscle Rehabilitation, Vascular and Muscle Tension Headache, Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMJ or TMD) to name a few. Biofeedback can be used to calm, as well as stimulate the body. It can help reduce pain or discomfort, such as decreasing muscle tension, in the case of relaxation training, however it could also be utilized for the opposite effect of activating body movement, balance and function (increased muscular activity),as in the case of muscle atrophy.

Because many systems of the body (neuromuscular, circulatory, respiratory, cardiovascular, etc) can be ‘trained,’ any number of seemingly unrelated symptoms can be treated and positively affected, for example, cold or sweaty hands, teeth grinding, tension headaches, migraines, nervous stomach, insomnia stress-related disorders and many others.

There are a number of commercial Biofeedback providers and vendors who sell devices that claim to provide quick or temporary relief from discomforting symptoms with no real comprehensive instruction on how to regulate your own body. Well-designed video games can partially help an individual learn new things but there is more to it. Important questions are: Does the game help train you to become more aware of what is going on in your body (and brain); are you building new skills, does it challenge you for the level that you are at? Do you feel better or differently when you are finished? Good biofeedback instruction, with or without the video games, should do all of this. When choosing Biofeedback training make sure that it includes this process to improve your overall health and make you feel better.

The basic Biofeedback treatment should help answer some basic questions, such as: 1) Are you more aware of what caused the discomfort or symptom in the first place? 2) Have you learned to control or regulate what has caused it? 3) Do you feel better? Sometimes, this is not completed in a quick session and it may take a little time to learn. That is normal.

Neurofeedback is a form of Biofeedback that relies on observing, monitoring and learning how to alter brain activity, where the principles of Biofeedback generally apply to the body as a whole. Neurofeedback employs special sensors that are attached to the head to record brain functioning, which then ‘feed back’ information about its activity to help the individual correct conditions that may be experienced. Changes in brain wave patterns can be readily felt and experienced, while observed on instruments, usually projected onto monitors or computer screens. This form of ‘feedback’ treatment is known as EEG Biofeedback or Neurofeedback — a means by which an individual can learn to modulate of self-regulate brain activity.

Neurofeedback is completely safe and there have been many positive outcomes from research studies. Over the years, this research has stimulated an increase in the number of conditions investigated and applications for treatment. In some cases, Neurofeedback has become a favored choice of treatment for conditions such as Attention Deficit Disorder. Since the 1960’s, there has been extensive research in the field, in fact early Neurofeedback studies, such Alpha Training research, were more prominent than early reports of Biofeedback.

Regularly practicing specific skills learned from Neurofeedback training can certainly help improve your health by changing how your brain and body respond to damaging and unhealthy conditions and behaviors. For example, becoming more aware of negative responses to stress. Like the use of other healthy practices, such as increased exercise, good nutrition and diet, the Neurofeedback process can help an individual learn to calm or stimulate brain function, increasing awareness of how to control or self-regulate healthy outcomes.

Although, at first, Neurofeedback procedures may seem complicated, they become repetitious, making it easier to learn and improve control and self-regulation. Neurofeedback, like Biofeedback is based on established learning principles – identifying negative factors, learning new skills, practice and expanded awareness of how the condition can be controlled. All Neurofeedback training is ‘non invasive’ meaning that electrical sensors are not placed inside the body or pierce the skin. There is no electrical stimulation involved and sensors are only used to monitor or read the brain’s electrical activity. Depending on the type or complexity of the condition, comprehension and attention of the individual, actual training may last 10 to 30 minutes. A full training visit is about an hour and the complete extent of training may run from 10 to 40 sessions.

Because of the overwhelming complexity of the brain and its functions, a number of treatments for cognitive functioning can be addressed, such as memory, focus, attention, pain, anxiety, depression, etc.

The brain is highly complex and if pain or discomfort is involved it is important to have more extensive medical or neurological assessments of what is going to rule out more serious complication before attempting the ‘train the brain.’ There are a number of commercial Neurofeedback providers that can produce quick, positive sensations or temporary relief from discomforting symptoms. Sometimes it is only a form of visual/electrical stimulation. The basic aspects of NF training are: 1) What is the origin of the symptom? 2) Have you taken the appropriate time to learn to control or regulate what has caused it? 3 Has there been a positive change – how do you feel? When choosing Neurofeedback training ensure that it includes this process of learning and self-control to improve your overall health helps you to feel better. Sometimes, this is not completed in a quick session – just because we feel anxious or impatient to have something happen it may take a little time to learn.