As I showed in yesterday’s post, Neurofeedback (as well as various other therapies) may be enhanced via the use of other therapies which ‘quieten the mind’, increasing its receptivity to learning. The ROSHI IN-SIGHT Glasses (Personal ROSHI, or pROSHI) are an example of a non-volitional therapy which helps to do this - where the patient does nothing but subject their brain to the inputs of the equipment. Relaxing the mind to make it far more open to change can also be achieved via volitional means. Biofeedback devices are examples where the patient makes cognitive efforts (volitional efforts) to effect the changes desired…
RESPeRATE, emWave, as well as the StressEraser and Journey to Wild Divine, are all examples of Heart Rate Variability (HRV) Biofeedback. Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is the variation in the time between heartbeats. Heart Rate Variability reflects your ability to adapt effectively to stress and environmental demands. HRV Biofeedback teaches you how to pace your breathing to maximize heart function and reduce the stress response. It can also have additional health benefits, such as blood pressure reduction.
Indeed, RESPeRATE was cleared by the United States’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an adjunctive treatment for high blood pressure in 2002.
Another option for HRV Biofeedback is Journey to Wild Divine, a therapeutic game that uses biofeedback sensors to monitor the player’s heart rate and breathing to allow them to control objects in the game. In this system, the biofeedback component comes through sensors you wear on three of your fingers. These sensors measure your Heart Rate Variability (HRV) as well as your Skin Conductance Level (SCL) - SCL measures sweat gland activity, which indicates changes in autonomic nervous system activation and is associated with increased energy, which could be positive (excitement) or negative (nervousness).
The StressEraser works on similar principles to RESPeRATE but is not focused on blood pressure - rather it only claims to help you learn to activate your body’s natural relaxation response.
The Institute of HeartMath’s emWave technologies are similar to the StressEraser - focusing on learning how to deal with stress and creating an optimal, balanced state of mind. Unlike the similar, above mentioned products, the emWave has actually been studied as a treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorders in its own right…
The full text of the study mentioned can be viewed via this link (the emWave was then known as the ‘Freeze Framer’): http://etd.fcla.edu/CF/CFE0001260/Aguinaga_Nancy_J_200608_PhD.pdf
Here are a couple of videos of someone trying the emWave on his son (who is on the Autism Spectrum):
(sources: Sign in ・ Cloudflare Access; Have you done any research on autism?)