Biofeedback and Neurofeedback Training for APA Continuing Education Credit

Many psychologists in the United States of America are required to take training to keep up with new developments in the field and to remind them of things that they may have learned a long time ago.

There are many options for training including face to face programs, online programs, and material that psychologists can read.  There are also many different topics that can be studied.  As long as you have to take training you might as well make it something interesting, enjoyable, and useful.  Biofeedback and neurofeedback are subjects that check all of those boxes.  Psychologists tend to do a lot of talking and paperwork as a part of their routine.  Some of this can become monotonous.  Biofeedback and neurofeedback introduce technology that helps the clients of psychologists to learn about themselves.  It helps them to learn how to make real physiological measurable changes.  They can learn to change how their body reacts to stress using biofeedback.  They can train their brain to become more regulated through neurofeedback.

Some psychologists may have had minimal exposure to biofeedback or neurofeedback during their initial education in psychology.  Most have not had extensive training in these areas.  The most recognized body offering certification in biofeedback and neurofeedback is the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance (BCIA).  The didactic educational requirement for BCIA peripheral biofeedback certification is 42 hours.  The requirement for neurofeedback is 36 hours.  With a course approved for APA continuing education credits for biofeedback or neurofeedback, a psychologist can receive a large number of required hours in a short amount of time while learning an exciting and effective skill.

This can be a great opportunity for psychologists to gain required hours while learning an evidenced based therapy tool that can also bring some variety to their work and help their clients as well.

More information is available on the American Psychological Association (APA) continuing education program on the APA website: https://www.apa.org/education/ce/index

Information on an approved biofeedback training that offers 42 credits is at: https://biofeedbackinternational.com/biocert/

Information on an approved neurofeedback training offering 36 credits is at: https://biofeedbackinternational.com/neurocert/

Teaching relaxation exercises to clients is helpful.  Being able to use biofeedback and neurofeedback to show clients the changes that are going on with their muscle tension, heart rate, breathing, brain and other activity is on another level and can help them understand what is happening in ways that cannot easily be put into words.  They are able to learn from themselves through the instruments.  Some of what they learn is at a subconscious level.  It can also help to speed up the learning process because the information that is fed back to the client is faster than you could explain it to them.

Harry L. Campbell, BPS, BCB, BCN

President, Biofeedback Resources International Corp.

www.biofeedbackinternational.com

Author of What Stress Can Do, Available on Amazon.com

The Power of Psychophysiological Stress Profiling

A PSP provides a great deal of useful information and helps our clients understand why they are doing biofeedback, what the starting point is, what the goals are, and why. So why don’t more biofeedback providers use them?

What is a psychophysiological stress profile?
A PSP is a baseline test in which we record multiple biofeedback modalities usually including surface EMG, skin temperature, skin conductance, respiration, and heart rate/heart rate variability. Sometimes other modalities like blood pressure, end tidal CO2, and EEG are also included.

The recording starts with a baseline period during which the subject is instructed to relax with no specific guidance. This is followed by a series of stress and recovery periods. All signals are recorded, data is saved and signals are graphed. At the end of the test we do a basic review of the results with the client. We point out any levels that showed dysregulation during the baseline period and those that became dysregulated or more dysregulated during stress. We also discuss if there was return to baseline during the recovery period. This indicates how well a person recovers after experiencing stress.

How is a PSP useful?
The information we gather from a PSP is useful in a variety of ways.
Baseline levels show if there is residual stress reaction in the person. High muscle tension or skin conductance levels or low hand temperature or heart rate variability can mean that the person is in a state of stress and tension even when attempting to relax.

Changes that occur during stress periods of the PSP can indicate which modalities react more and if they seem to be related to the type of symptoms the person is presenting with.

Return to baseline or lack of return to baseline can indicate how well the person recovers from stressful situations prior to biofeedback therapy. If they are not returning to baseline then it shows them that they have something to improve on.

If you can show that the modalities that are dysregulated have a logical connection to the client’s symptoms then it helps to make the case for biofeedback being a potentially useful therapy for them. It also helps them to “get” the connection between how they are reacting to stress and their symptoms. Many clients are relieved to see that their problems are not “all in their heads”. Seeing measurable evidence is in some way reassuring to them.

The data also gives the biofeedback provider a starting point for therapy planning. It helps in choosing which modalities to work with and setting goals for the ones you decide to work on. Using Psychophysiological Stress Profiling is a better way to do biofeedback. It is much better than just deciding which modality you are going to work with before you have this valuable information. The textbook recommendation although usually good does not take into account To learn more about Psychophysiological Stress Profiles click on the link to view a segment on the subject from one of our live seminars.

video on psychophysiological stress profiling

Harry L. Campbell
Biofeedback Resources International Corp.
914-762-4646

www.biofeedbackinternational.com

APA Continuing Education Credit in Florida

The American Psychological Association administers a program to provide credits for psychologists that are required by some states to maintain their licenses. There are some topics like ethics, that might seem not to be very interesting to some people but are important and required. There are also other topics that psychologists might find of personal interest like learning a new skill or testing method.

Continuing education in psychology is a process during which psychologists participate in educational programs that are related to the practice of psychology. It is a way for them to learn about the most up- to-date science on treatment, testing, and learning.

Psychologists can also learn about changes in laws that may affect them. Just as in most of the professions I can think of, many things change over the years after you complete your schooling and training before starting a career. Without continuing your education you cannot effectively work as a professional without continuing to learn about how best to perform your job now, not as it would have been done 5, 10, or even 40 years ago.

APA continuing education training is available in different formats which have pros and cons.
Books, newsletters, and articles are low tech and may be considered old-school. They are also low cost, simple, and you can go at your own pace for the most part. After you read the material you take an exam to make sure that you comprehend it.

Read the complete blog for more details: APA Continuing Education

Neurofeedback and Lyme’s Disease, Neurofeedback Training

A Clinical Application of the Five Phase Model of CNS Functional Transformation and Integration

Neurofeedback has generated enormous interest recently, especially in regards to ameliorating the effects of immune system involved disorders like Lyme’s Disease. Although Neurofeedback itself does not mitigate the disease processes that are responsible for immune system involved disorders, it can be quite helpful at restoring functional levels in affected individuals. In particular, sleep disturbance, mood disturbance, and increased fatigue, as well as poor concentration and diminished attentional abilities, all show remarkable restoration with effective neurofeedback. However, neurofeedback with immune system disorders is an even more recent development than neurofeedback with other more “traditional” disorders such as attention deficit disorder, post traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse.

One of the major difficulties in the rapidly emerging field of neurofeedback is the wealth of unintegrated clinical and research findings. This plethora of intriguing data currently lacks a systematic approach that will allow neurofeedback clinicians to apply the incredible power of this technology with precision across a range of diverse http://disorders.At present, intriguing bits of clinical wisdom float about chaotically, while practitioners have little sense of how to integrate these various nuggets into a comprehensive approach to restoring and optimizing CNS function. Having been engaged in the provision of neurofeedback across a wide variety of disorders, it became apparent to me that a comprehensive framework is necessary so that we can treat the person who has the disorder, and not chase the tail of the disorder that has the person. Fortunately, with a rigorous enough examination of the clinical wisdom that abounds in the literature currently, such a comprehensive and integrated framework suggests itself naturally. The present article will discuss this central idea as well as several main conclusions that flow from it, including the following.

• A single,overarching Five Phase Model of CNS Functional Transformation exists which can integrate the various current neurofeedback protocols into a singular and comprehensive approach. This comprehensive framework can be used regardless of the particular disorder being treated. All clients begin with the same protocol and progress through each phase at their own pace, as determined by changes is functional status, as well as in more quantifiable shifts in E.E.G., especially as seen in spectral analysis.
• A single, referential sensor placement at Cz is used for the majority of treatments, except for the last phase in which a four channel, global synchrony setup is necessary. This simple approach demonstrates equal or better clinical efficacy when compared to more diverse and varied hook ups.
• The older terms of Alpha, Theta and Beta are no longer precise enough to guide clinical work and need to be replaced with more specific frequency based descriptors.
• The functional limitations associated with immune systems involved disorders like Lyme’s Disease, CFIDS, and PMS respond well to the Five Phase Model of CNS Functional Transformation

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Can Increasing the Daily Amount of Neurofeedback Training Improve the Clinical Outcome and Other Case Histories?

The following case histories may have useful implications for neurofeedback because they imply possible clinical effectiveness with immune disorders, anorexia, and obsessive, compulsive disorders. In addition the neurofeedback timing strategies used suggest that the length, frequency and total number of sessions may be as important in achieving best neurotherapy results as titration is in the administration of medications.

A DANGEROUS OBSESSION

He had reached an advanced stage of anorexia. As a 54 year old construction worker, he was normally 6′ and a well muscled 155 lbs. At the beginning of therapy he was 118 lbs., eyes sunken, somewhat manic, claiming his diet of mostly lettuce was making him high and filling him with energy. He was almost completely isolated as his behavior had destroyed his marriage and alienated him from his friends.
He had not worked for five years at his trade as he was on disability. He was almost broke even though he earned between sixty and one hundred thousand per year when he was working. He was obsessed with a well known cult which had counseled him to distance himself from his family, and against seeking therapeutic help. He had invested over $200,000.00, virtually his life savings, in the cults system of “therapy and enlightenment.”

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Adding The Intelligence of the Heart in Performance Enhancement Training

Introduction
For centuries the heart has been considered the source of emotion, courage and wisdom. Neurocardiology is the relatively new science of exploring the physiological mechanisms by which the heart communicates with the brain; thereby influencing information processing, perceptions, emotions and health.

Neurocardiology asks questions such as: Why do people experience the feeling or sensation of love and other positive emotional states in the area of the heart, and what are the physiological ramifications of these emotions? How do stress and different emotional states affect the autonomic nervous system, the hormonal and immune systems, the heart and brain?

Over the years scientists have experimented with different psychological and physiological measures, but consistently heart rate variability, or heart rhythms, stands out as one of the most dynamic and reflective measures of inner emotional states and stress.

It is clear that negative emotions lead to increased disorder in the heart’s rhythms and in the autonomic nervous system, thereby adversely affecting the rest of the body. In contrast, positive emotions create increased harmony and coherence in heart rhythms, and improve balance in the nervous system. The health implications are easy to understand. Disharmony in the nervous system leads to inefficiency and increased stress on the heart and other organs, while harmonious rhythms are more efficient and less stressful to the body’s systems.

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Harry
Bio-FeedBack Resources International Corp.



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Is There a Neurofeedback Tsunami? (It is Synchrony.)

I think so and its name is Synchrony. Synchrony training is of great interest to many Neurofeedback practitioners. However, there seems to be a number of opinions about what synchrony means. We hope to add to the confusion by explaining our views. We will also explain why we feel synchrony training is an important part of Neurofeedback’s present and an even more important part of its future.
As multiple channel Neurofeedback systems come into fashion synchrony strategies will become critically important to this field. Stroebel, Fehmi, Green and others came to the view that there was a special relationship between EEG Synchrony and quality of some mind states in the early 70’s.
This insight came as a result of measuring the synchrony present as unusually gifted individuals demonstrated relatively high orders of perception and self-regulation.Not many are aware that the Nobel Laureate Francis Crick, coming from the traditional neuroscience “Binding” theory of consciousness, is reported to have speculated that EEG Synchrony may be an accessible and practically usable signature of consciousness. To quote from his book Astonishing Hypothesis, ” Both German groups suggested that these 40hz oscillations might be the Brain’s answer to the binding problem. They proposed that the neurons symbolizing all the different attributes of a single object (shape, color, movement, etc.) would bind these attributes to each other by firing together in synchrony.”

Now, Crick is limiting his investigation to visual awareness or “consciousness”. His notion is that synchronous firing is a way different types of neurons bind their different perceptions producing the phenomenon of consciousness. Others are signing on to this speculation. I doubt they are aware of the work that inspired the same kind of insight by early biofeedback researchers.

Our considerable experience with synchrony training has convinced us that it has substantial applications with problem patients including Alpha P and Minus types. However, we believe that synchrony will play an even greater role in Performance / Life Enhancement training. The value of right / left hemispheric synchrony training is widely recognized but less is known about rear /frontal. It is a reasonable hypothesis that rear / frontal is at least as important and relates to perception of the principle, the idea, the vision, if you will, and then the bringing of that vision into the real world, via the frontal lobes.

Read the complete blog here...

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Harry
Bio-FeedBack Resources International Corp.