Grimard Wilson Consulting, Inc. 

Biofeedback involves the use of instruments to mirror the psychophysiological processes an individual is not usually aware of to bring them under voluntary control.  - Bio means biology. - Feedback is giving information back to the person who is generating it.

It’s EEG biofeedback or brain feedback. The practice of neurofeedback is based on two tenets. 1) mental states are reflected in the brain electrical activity as measured by the electroencephalogram (EEG) and 2) this activity is trainable. 

The client sees their brainwave activity on a screen and then alters their mental state to change their brainwave activity to achieve rewards. It entails learning to self regulate brain patterns to achieve and maintain mental states.

Since brain wave activity changes reflects system changes at the thalamus-basal ganglia cortex interchanges, clients are actually learning self regulation of a dynamic and complex neural system. 

Changes in neuronal behavior reflected in brain wave activity. Protocols for rewards are based on the client’s goals. 

Biofeedback is a natural biological activity. We see it in our own activities, like learning to ride a bike. Our brain assimilates data and adjusts so we can balance by correcting our position etc. For centuries, many ancient art forms have been directed at controlling our brain states like martial arts, yoga and meditation. 

A quantitative electroencephalograph describes the spectral characteristics of an EEG. It describes differences from a normative data base not visible looking at the raw EEG data. It also compares the characteristics of the brain waves from different parts of the brain to see how communication within the brain is working.  The frequency of brain wave patterns allow the neurofeedback trainer to set up training programs to help clients increase ability to self regulate and improve their mental states.

HRV is one example of biofeedback. The patterning of heart rate is shown to you real time so you can slow down or increase heart rate. In doing so, you impact the balance between the sympathetic (stimulating) and parasympathetic (slowing) response of the autonomic nervous system.