In recent years, scientists have noted a significantly increased number of children with different pathologies. Free medicine often has outdated methods of correction and treatment, which are extremely ineffective. This is especially true of psychosomatics, stress, alalia and other disorders. Many do not know about unconventional techniques. For example, biofeedback therapy - what is it if not a new trend? This abbreviation is decrypted simply: Biological Feedback. It is used in the treatment of mental illness, consists in the use of special equipment. She registers the physiological information received from the patient and returns it.
History of creation
When parents find out that their child has a mental illness, they begin to learn alternative treatment methods. For example, biofeedback therapy - what is it and who created it? In fact, this method has a long history.
Active study began in the 50s of the last century. A significant contribution was made by scientists Miller and DiCara. Their research was not related to people, but thanks to experiments on animals they were able to make revolutionary discoveries. So it was possible to prove the creation of visceral conditioned reflexes of the operant type. Another scientist, Sterman, intensified the sensorimotor rhythm in the central gyrus and received increased convulsive readiness. Kamya noted an arbitrary change in the EEG parameters when receiving feedback. All these studies served as the basis for the creation of biofeedback therapy. What did this mean for scientists of those times?
Such scientists as Pavlov, Sechenov, Anokhin and others took a great part in the development of this idea. They closely studied the cerebral cortex and conditioned reflexes. Anokhin belonged to the revolutionary discovery of the connection between feedback and the higher adaptive functions of man.
BOS-therapy apparatus and prerequisites for its creation
In total, biofeedback therapy includes two components: this is the device itself and special software. Specialists identify a number of prerequisites for the creation of this technology. The first is the development of computer technology. It was they who made it possible to create an apparatus capable of receiving, processing, and analyzing a signal in real time. Secondly, the percentage of those dissatisfied with pharmacological treatment was growing. This mood was observed not only among the parents of sick children, but also among medical workers. For example, the uncontrolled use of antibiotics has reduced their effectiveness.
Do not forget that not all symptoms respond to pharmacological treatment. Some side effects are a serious contraindication for their use. Unfortunately, with the rapid development of the drug market, their price has also increased. But the effectiveness of many drugs has fallen. Therefore, today there is more advantage of biofeedback therapy compared to conventional treatment.
History of development
So, various scientists who studied the brain laid the clinical ground for the development of biofeedback therapy. The direction itself was developed in the 60s of the last century in the United States. Initially, it was used in psychotherapy. In the entire history of development, therapy has become popular throughout the world. Devices are placed at almost every doctor in Japan, Germany and the rest of Europe. Today, two specialized journals are published, a trade union is functioning, evidence-based medicine is increasingly recognizing this method. Most insurance companies are ready to cover patient expenses.
According to the definition, biofeedback therapy for children and adults is aimed at informing a person about his bodily function. Thus, conscious regulation is formed.
Apparatus details
As mentioned above, biofeedback therapy consists of two components: apparatus and software. The device includes several devices. The main part is sensors for recording brain signals, heart rate, respiration and for recording bioelectric muscle activity. The second part of the device is a signal converter, which converts them into a PC-friendly form.
What is the essence of the method?
As you know, all of the above is not a controlled process on the part of consciousness. Accordingly, the task of the drug is to receive a signal, transform it into a form understandable to the patient: a picture or sound. So a person learns to control this or that function.
For example, how can BFB therapy for urinary incontinence help? In pediatrics, this problem is extremely common. The complexity of the treatment is the almost impossible to establish the cause of the disease. Urination is a complex process in which it is necessary to strain and relax the muscles of the pelvic floor. This is precisely the task of biofeedback therapy. As a result of its use, children are taught to control their urge to urinate.
Another example: the treatment of voice problems with BOS. Especially important for professional vocalists, broadcasters, etc. For example, it helps to produce the right controlled speech output. This is true for children with speech impairments (for example, prosodica suffers with dysarthria ). This is an indispensable tool for working with deaf children, since it is necessary to relieve tension from the speech muscles, to develop control over the pace of speech, the cohesion of sounds. Psychologists offer biofeedback therapy as a tool for correcting attention and memory.
Diagnostics
When people try to find out what BOS therapy is, what is it other than treatment? This is a good diagnostic tool. So when using it, you can make a full assessment of the functional side of the body. The respiratory and circulatory systems, central nervous system, autonomic nervous system and much more are evaluated. As a preventive measure, the device allows you to deal with the symptoms of overwork and stress, anxiety, anxiety, etc.
Prototypical indications
When you find out what BOS therapy is, the feedback from parents who have tried it on their children is completely positive. In fact, like any other procedure, the biofeedback has contraindications. These include gross intellectual impairment, complex mental illness, epilepsy, and severe somatic diseases. Also, experts do not recommend using therapy before the child is five years old.
So who is prescribed biofeedback therapy?
Many parents, before choosing the method of "BOS-therapy", reviews will know. Some mothers share their impressions that this method, of course, is not magic, do not expect a great result, but the child has become collected, calm, more coordinated. Some parents think that such methods are aimed at pumping money. In fact, it is important to evaluate what the technique is used for. It is indicated for borderline mental disorders, therapy of addictions and deviant behavior, as well as a way to treat psychosomatics. It has been shown to have a beneficial effect in depression, neurosis, headache, etc. In any case, it does not hurt to consult with your doctor first.
Scope of application
BOS-therapy is used in various fields of activity. Roughly, they can be divided into clinical and non-clinical. So, with non-clinical use, you can correct problems such as professional burnout, stress, overstrain. High efficiency on students is proved, which allows them to improve their results. The use of therapy does not interfere with athletes and people of art.
Clinical use may include coarse mental abnormalities such as ADHD and autism, autism spectrum disorders . Effectively used in the correction of dependencies, especially chemical dependencies.
BOS-therapy - what is it in the correction of children's problems?
This technique has widely established itself as a means of correcting ADHD in children. With this violation, the effectiveness of drug treatment is almost zero. Thanks to biofeedback therapy, the child learns how to self-control, self-regulate and correct his behavior. This is especially true in preparation for school. BFB sessions are built in a playful way, so it’s interesting for children to do it.
BOS-therapy is actively used in the correction of speech disorders. This applies to both dysatria and rhinolalia and stuttering. At the first stage, a diagnosis occurs, which includes a history taking, speech analysis. At the second stage, the child is introduced to the BFB technique, signals. It is important to reduce emotional tension. At this stage, the correct diaphragmatic breathing is formed. It is developed very simply: they explain to the child how to breathe (inhalation through the nose, smooth and long exit through the mouth). After which he watches a video file or pictures. While he does everything smoothly, the picture is clear, it is worth getting lost - and it will become blurry. At the third stage, the correction of the main components of speech occurs. It is important to synchronize the work of breathing and muscle articulation. Here prosodica develops: tempo, intonation, smoothness, emotional coloring. At the final stage, the acquired skills are fixed.
Thus, we can conclude that biofeedback therapy is an effective technique for correcting many disorders. Despite the need for a large number of classes, the skills acquired are worth it. This is especially true for behavior correction and related problems. It is important to contact qualified specialists, as the inept use of the device will only harm or in general will not have any effect.