I tried biofeedback: I wasn't sure how attaching wires to my body would relieve my anxiety, but I was willing to try. Here's what happened at my first session - test run

My Anxiety Begins

Last year I suffered a series of panic attacks that twice landed me in an emergency room. Both times I was convinced I was having a heart attack. Unable to find the cause of my anxiety, my doctors put me on antidepressant medications. The drugs made me feel exhausted, so I ditched them and relied on the sedative herb kava-kava (Piper methysticum) when I felt anxious.

Recently I decided to give biofeedback a try and made an appointment with medical psychologist David Danforth, Ph.D., in Newton, Mass.

The Preliminaries

Danforth's office looked like a typical therapist's, except it also had three white machines (the biofeedback monitors) stacked neatly on a rolling table. They reminded me of an outdated stereo system, only smaller.

Danforth explained that my first session would consist of a demonstration of how biofeedback works, rather than an actual treatment. He would hook me up to two of the machines and then coax involuntary anxiety responses from me. Digital lights and numbers on the machines would register my reactions. In future sessions I would learn how to manage those reactions.

The Hook-Up

Danforth connected me to the first machine, an electromyograph (EMG), by applying an adhesive strip with metal dimesize sensors to my forehead. The sensors would measure my muscle tension and send that information back to the machine. He instructed me to clench my teeth. I watched the lights on the monitor screen change from green, representing a neutral relaxed state, to high-anxiety red. As I released my clenched jaw, the lights changed back to green.

Next, Danforth removed the EMG sensors and placed small plastic caps on the tips of my index and middle fingers. These were connected by wires to the electrodermal activity monitor, which measures body temperature changes through sweat glands in the fingers. Then he asked me what I thought of my roommates. I answered that I like them, and the lights on the electrodermal monitor stayed green. Then Danforth asked me to think about the last argument I'd had. This time the red lights flashed. I couldn't believe how quickly stress affected me physiologically.

Before I knew it, our time was up. One session definitely wouldn't be enough to make major progress, but I was convinced that with practice biofeedback could help me conquer my anxiety.

My Verdict

The best part: Actually seeing my physiological reactions as they happened.

The worst part: Not having enough time in one session to really get down to it.

Would I do it again? Yes.

RELATED ARTICLE: At a glance.

Ashley Willard, 23

THE THERAPY: Electronic sensors measure physical responses like muscle tension and body temperature. The measurements raise your awareness of those responses, so you can learn how to alter them.

THE COST: $60 to $130 per one-hour session.

MY MOTIVATION: To relieve my anxiety without drugs.

FEAR FACTOR: None.

RELATED ARTICLE: Fast facts.

HISTORY: Biofeedback equipment was first used in the 1940s, but scientists didn't coin the word "biofeedback" until 1969.

TODAY: Biofeedback has gained acceptance as a viable treatment by mainstream organizations like the American Association for Headache Society.

FOR MORE INFO: Contact the Association for Applied Psychotherapy and Biofeedback (303-422-8436; www.aapb.org).

Ashley Willard is the designer at Natural Health.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group