FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• What does Biofeedback mean?
• How long has Biofeedback been around?
• How long has Biofeedback been offered at BYU?
• What is stress?
• Who can come to the Biofeedback Lab?
• Does it cost anything to come to the Lab?
• How can I make an appointment to come to the Lab?
• How can I cancel an appointment that I have scheduled but cannot make?
• What kinds of stress-related symptoms are Biofeedback helpful for?
• Can I come to the Lab more than once a week?
• How many times should I come to the Lab before I can expect to notice a difference?
• What do I need to bring with me when I come to the Lab?
• Can I bring a friend with me?
• Can I bring my wife/husband with me?
• How long is a session?
• Will anyone know that I have come to the Lab?
• What can I expect in the first session?
• What instruments will I be hooked up to and what do they do?
• Does the Biofeedback & Stress Management Lab offer workshops on stress management?
• Who do I contact to request a stress management/relaxation skills workshop?
• Are there other resources I can use to learn how to relax and manage my stress more effectively on my own?
• How can I go about purchasing relaxation resources for myself or someone else?
• Where can I learn more about Biofeedback?

What does Biofeedback mean?

Bio means body, therefore Biofeedback literally means feedback from the body. Thus, one of the objectives of Biofeedback training is to help a person become more aware of his/her internal environment.

As a student, you spend most of your day interacting with, and attending to your external environment as you go about your daily tasks and activities. As a result, you may not be aware of the "alarm bells" your body may be activating (such as a headache or muscular tension) indicating that you are putting too much pressure on yourself. These "alarm bells" or "distress signals" are your body's way of getting you to pay attention and to slow down. If you do not attend to these distress signals, your body will continue to magnify them until they interfere with your daily activities.

Through regular use of Biofeedback and relaxation techniques, you can become more and more in-tune with your internal environment. In this way you can become aware of when you are pushing yourself too much and then take corrective action to reduce that pushing tendency by slowing down, getting more sleep, or taking on fewer responsibilities. In this way you can take care of, and neutralize your stress symptoms in the early stages - before they neutralize you and you may become sick, for example.

How long has Biofeedback been around?

Biofeedback became popular in the late 1960's. The term "Biofeedback" was used to describe laboratory procedures being used to train research subjects to alter bodily functions such as blood pressure and heart rate - which are not usually controlled voluntarily.

How long has Biofeedback been offered at BYU?

The Biofeedback & Stress Management Lab at BYU was established in 1976. It has, therefore, been of service to BYU students for over 30 years.

What is stress?

"A particular relationship between the person and the environment that is appraised by the person as taxing or exceeding his or her resources and endangering his or her well-being" (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984)

Experiencing stress for extended periods of time can cause your immune system to become depleted resulting in vulnerability to illness.

According to Doctor Hans Selye (1982), there are two types of stress: good stress (or, eustress), and bad stress (or, distress). Good stress is the type of stress you experience when you are preparing for an enjoyable event such as a wedding, family reunion or fun game.

Bad stress is stress that is associated with factors like a demanding relationship or unrealistic expectations such as expecting an "A" for every exam.

Who can come to the Biofeedback Lab?

The Biofeedback Lab is available to all full-time BYU students. University faculty and staff are also permitted one Biofeedback session.

Does it cost anything to come to the Lab?

No. This is a free service offered to BYU students.

How can I make an appointment to come to the Lab?

Students wanting to make a biofeedback appointment need to personally come to the Lab to schedule an appointment. We cannot assist students who want to schedule appointments by telephone because we are unable to answer the telephone during sessions. A sign-up sheet is posted on the wall outside room 1582 of the Wilkinson Student Center (come through the doors of the Counseling and Career Center, walk past the reception desk and turn to your right - you will see a sign hanging from the ceiling with an arrow pointing to the Lab). PLEASE WRITE YOUR NAME IN PENCIL. You can schedule a time to visit the lab and then return on the day of your appointment.

How can I cancel an appointment that I have scheduled but cannot make?

Due to heavy demand of the lab's services, please call the Lab (422-7261) as early as possible (so that someone else can take your slot) and leave a message (stating your name, and appointment day and time) and the lab assistant will remove your name from the schedule. Or, you can come to the Lab and erase your name from the schedule yourself.

What kinds of stress-related symptoms are Biofeedback helpful for?

Physical symptoms such as: headaches, stomach/intestinal distress, muscular tension, TMJ, insomnia, and pain in general.

Mental/emotional symptoms such as: anxiety, difficulty concentrating or remembering, excessive worrying, feelings of fearfulness and feeling panicked or overwhelmed.

Can I come to the Lab more than once a week?

Unfortunately not - due to the heavy demand for lab services. However, you can continue to come to the Lab as long as you find it necessary and helpful to you.

How many times should I come to the Lab before I can expect to notice a difference?

Results vary. Some students notice stress symptoms decrease after just a few lab sessions, while it takes other students five or more sessions for symptom relief. The number of sessions will depend upon the severity of the symptoms and how regularly the client practices the techniques outside of the Lab.

What do I need to bring with me when I come to the Lab?

Yourself, your stress, and a commitment to practice the techniques between sessions.

Can I bring a friend with me?

Unfortunately, due to confidentiality and privacy agreements and restrictions, you may not bring friends or room mates with you to your session.

Can I bring my wife/husband with me?

Yes, you may bring your spouse with you to the first session if you like. It would be helpful for your spouse to learn about, observe, and even participate in the first session so that he/she can better understand what biofeedback is all about. In this way he or she can better support and encourage your efforts to practice the techniques you have learned.

How long is a session?

A session should be no longer than 45 minutes. In this way you have ample time to get to your next class, work, or other commitments.

Will anyone know that I have come to the Lab?

We uphold the policy that no information about a student receiving services in the Counseling and Career Center (where the lab is located) can be released without written permission by that student.

What can I expect in the first session?

A lab assistant will give you two intake forms to complete and will then discuss the content of the forms to ascertain your reason for coming to the lab and what you expect from your visit with us. You will be asked to indicate your current stress level, the major symptom/s of your stress, the major stressor/s you have experienced during the past week, and how you handled that stress.

The lab assistant will then explain the purpose of the Biofeedback instruments while they hook you up to them. You will then be taught one of eight relaxation techniques which the lab assistant deems the most appropriate for you. The lab assistant may lead the technique using his or her own voice, or may utilize one of the pre-recorded audio exercises available.

While you are practicing the skill, the lab assistant will monitor and record your biofeedback readings from the instruments. When the session is over, the lab assistant will unhook you and interpret the readings for you by explaining how your body responded to the technique.

The lab assistant will encourage you to practice the technique before returning for another session. You will also be given an informative handout to take with you which will elaborate on ways in which you can help yourself to manage your stress. At the next session you will be asked to report any benefits you have gained. In this way the lab assistant can determine which technique may be most beneficial for that session.

What instruments will I be hooked up to and what do they do?

You may be hooked up to one, two, or more of the following instruments:

• EMG (or, Electromyograph) This instrument measures the electrical activity within the skeletal muscles. Both nerves and muscle cells produce minute amounts of electricity. Nerves send electrical impulses to muscles instructing them to contract or relax. The EMG will give a reading of muscle tension in the form of microvolt numbers. A high microvolt reading is an indication of high muscular tension.
• THERMAL FEEDBACK The word thermal refers to temperature. Emotions such as anxiety or anger causes the tiny capillaries in the fingertips to tense and become tight, which restricts the peripheral blood flow. The thermal feedback instrument measures skin temperature - a low skin temperature is an indication of tension. By observing your hand temperature, the lab assistant is able to recognize whether you are becoming more or less relaxed during the session.
• HEARTMATH (Freeze-Framer) Stress can affect heart rhythms. The heart communicates with the brain through the two branches of the autonomic nervous system - the sympathetic and the parasympathetic systems. Negative emotions cause the two aforementioned systems to become out of "sync" which affects heart rhythms. Heartmath is a program which has been installed into the Lab's computer. You can view your graph on the computer and monitor the interaction between your thoughts, emotions, and heart rhythms.
• RESPERATE This is a portable electronic device which teaches paced breathing. Paced breathing relaxes the muscles surrounding constricted blood vessels. It also helps to lower blood pressure naturally.

Does the Biofeedback & Stress Management Lab offer workshops on stress management?

Lab assistants present stress management workshops depending upon availability. These workshops are designed to assist students in preparing for finals, speaking in front of audiences or making presentations in classes, and coping with stress in general.

Who do I contact to request a stress management/relaxation skills workshop?

The Lab requires such requests to be made at least 2 weeks (preferably more) in advance. Requests can be emailed to shannoncoetzee@yahoo.com (please state a date, venue, time, and expected number of students who may attend). Unfortunately, we are unable to guarantee that we will be able to fill all of the requests we receive. Requests will be filled on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Are there other resources I can use to learn how to relax and manage my stress more effectively on my own?

The Biofeedback Lab has placed a variety of relaxation cassette tapes and CD's on reserve in the Harold B. Lee Library (HBLL) which can be checked out by students and used on a 3-day basis. They can be found in the Learning and Resource Center (LRC) which is located in 4840 of the HBLL.

The Career and Learning Information Center (CLIC) located in 2590 WSC (Wilkinson Student Center) also offers a variety of helpful coping skills mini-classes on an hourly basis every day. No sign-up is needed to attend. A schedule of workshops for the month can be obtained from the reception desk in room 2590.

How can I go about purchasing relaxation resources for myself or someone else?

Fulfillment Center
www.drmiller.com

Conscious Living Foundation
www.cliving.org

Guilford Publications
www.guilford.com

New Harbinger
www.newharbinger.com

Whole Person Associates
www.wholeperson.com

Solitudes
www.solitudes.com

Where can I learn more about Biofeedback?

Biofeedback Certification Institute of America
www.bcia.org

Association of Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback
www.aapb.org

The Mayo Clinic
www.mayoclinic.com/health/biofeedback

Biofeedbackzone
www.biofeedbackzone.com

Any further queries can be addressed to:
shannoncoetzee@yahoo.com