How does biofeedback training treat alcoholism and substance abuse?
Biofeedback instruments can increase the effectiveness of drug therapy and psychotherapy in maintaining abstinence from drugs. A biofeedback practitioner uses the results from the psychophysiological profile to develop a training program to help correct abnormal resting or stress-evoked physiological responses that may be associated with distress or drug craving. Biofeedback instructions can teach alcoholics to reduce their risk of relapse. Clinicians may use multiple types of biofeedback training methods to treat alcoholism and substance abuse, including: • EEG biofeedback (brain electrical activity) • EMG biofeedback (skeletal muscle activity) • heart rate variability biofeedback (timing between heartbeats) • respiratory biofeedback (breathing patterns) • skin conductance biofeedback (sweat gland activity) • temperature biofeedback (blood flow through small arteries) EEG biofeedback is one of the most exciting and promising treatments for these disorders.