The Difference between Biofeedback and Neurofeedback

Biofeedback and neurofeedback are innovative mind-body methods that integrate well into a health plan. These non-drug, non-invasive techniques holistically support your overall health and can address goals for improvements in mental, emotional, and physical health. They are elegant tools that can support a person with sensory processing sensitivity who has a sensitive nervous system.

Let's dive into the difference between biofeedback and neurofeedback, their similarity, and what makes them unique in enhancing your overall well-being.

What Is Biofeedback?

Biofeedback can help you learn to control the response of different parts of your body and its physiology in a very natural way. It is a method that teaches you to tune into and listen to your body's signals so that you can improve your response to them. For instance, during a biofeedback session, depending on what your goals are, you might have sensors placed on different body parts, like your wrist, chest, or arm, to measure specific physiological activities, such as

• Heart rate
• Muscle tension
• Skin temperature
• Breathing patterns
• Blood pressure
• Brain Wave Activity

These activities are shown in real-time "feedback" so that you "see" how your body responds to stress, relaxation, and more - live in the moment. Then, you learn techniques to improve your body’s response. Biofeedback is especially good for managing stress, reducing anxiety, decreasing symptoms of depression, improving mood, easing chronic pain, helping with conditions like high blood pressure and migraines, and strengthening the pelvic floor to help with incontinence. For instance, if you're struggling with high blood pressure, biofeedback can help you learn to lower it by controlling your breathing and muscle tension.

What Is Neurofeedback?

Neurofeedback is just another form of biofeedback that focuses on brain activity. It's also called EEG biofeedback, Brain Wave Biofeedback, Neurotherapy, or Neurofeedback. EEG stands for electroencephalography, which is a device that monitors brainwave patterns.

During a neurofeedback session, sensors are placed on your scalp, measuring the electrical activity in your brain. This provides real-time information or “feedback” on your brainwave patterns. The feedback helps you see and hear how your brain works. Generally, this is done in the form of a game. As you watch the game, you train your brain to function optimally for you. You can think of it as playing games with your mind and always winning.

Neurofeedback is used to help with symptoms associated with:

• ADHD
• Anxiety and depression
• PTSD
• Sleep problems
• Stress management
• Improving brain performance

Neurofeedback may help you make gentle changes to build healthier brain patterns. It can be a powerful tool for promoting mental clarity and emotional stability and supporting overall brain health.

How Are Biofeedback and Neurofeedback Similar?

Biofeedback is an umbrella term that refers to non-invasive techniques that use sensors to bring your attention to a part of your body so that you can help it work better with the goal of improving health and as a by-product, helping you to feel better. Neurofeedback is a form of biofeedback.

Here are some examples of different forms of biofeedback:

• Heart rate biofeedback uses sensors to listen to the heart rate
• Muscle Tension Biofeedback uses sensors to pick up on muscle tension
• Pelvic floor biofeedback uses sensors to read pelvic floor muscle dysfunction
• Galvanic skin response biofeedback uses sensors to pick up on sweat
• Hand temperature uses sensors to read the skin's temperature
• Neurofeedback uses sensors on the scalp to read brain waves.

Both biofeedback and neurofeedback methods use real-time sensor feedback to help you understand and change how your body and brain respond to different situations. Biofeedback and neurofeedback share a common goal: to help you take control of your body’s responses which can positively impact your health and well-being. And in this shared goal, the difference between biofeedback and neurofeedback becomes less about separation and more about specialization.

What Is the Difference Between Biofeedback and Neurofeedback?

Helpful Side-by-Side Overview

This simple side-by-side table that looks at the difference between biofeedback and neurofeedback. May this be a helpful starting point for learning. Please keep in mind that the following is not an exhaustive list.

Focus

Method

Everyday Uses - Not an Exhaustive List :-)

Supporting Your Health with Biofeedback and Neurofeedback

Mental Health

Both approaches have been shown to reduce stress, promote relaxation, and enhance control over some bodily functions. Neurofeedback, in particular, is suitable for potential improvements in mental health because it focuses on symptoms associated with anxiety, stress, depression, sleep, overstimulation, overwhelm, ADHD, and PTSD.

Emotional Health

Biofeedback methods work to help you help yourself. Whatever the health goal, when you see improvements, you generally feel good about it. For example, it makes a person feel better when they learn how to control their muscle tension and breathing and see their blood pressure numbers go down. Neurofeedback can help balance brainwave activity, leading to more emotional stability and improved focus and attention.

Physical Health

Biofeedback is widely used to manage chronic pain and improve conditions like high blood pressure and migraines. Managing your body's responses can ease symptoms and improve your quality of life.

Wellness and Mind-Body Connection

Both biofeedback and neurofeedback enhance your mind-body connection. They can foster a sense of greater harmony and well-being within you. They help you bring conscious awareness to your body in an elegantly simple and powerful way. When you become more attuned to your body's signals and learn to regulate them, the potential to cross the finish line on your health goals happens more easily. This can open new doors to experiencing a more balanced and healthier state. It creates new ways of returning to your life and living more fully.

Why Choose Biofeedback and Neurofeedback?

The only difference between biofeedback and neurofeedback is what you're looking to improve. There are benefits to integrating biofeedback or neurofeedback into your wellness journey:

Personalized Approach: The gold standard in using these beneficial technologies is working with a licensed therapist who has received training and education and specializes in their use. As a result, all types of biofeedback can provide individualized feedback on you and your unique body. This customized approach meets your needs is designed specifically for you.

Non-Invasive and Non-drug: These methods rely on natural self-regulation and self-control, making them safe and gentle options for sensitive individuals.
Empowerment: By listening to and seeing your body's responses and learning to regulate them, you can increase your potential to regain control of your health and well-being.

Biofeedback and neurofeedback are gentle and powerful allies on your mental wellness journey and your overall health journey.

Evidence-Based: Scientific research strongly supports both biofeedback and neurofeedback in improving various health conditions.

Embrace Your Wellness Journey

Biofeedback and Neurofeedback are powerful ways to enhance mental health, emotional health, and physical health, and they're backed by science. If you are looking to manage stress better, improve your overall brain function, or achieve better emotional health, these techniques are valuable tools that integrate well into your health plan. For instance, biofeedback can help you manage stress by teaching your body how to relax, while neurofeedback can help you improve brain function by training your brain to focus better.

Mind Body Well Therapy, Pllc specializes in the use of neurofeedback, a form of biofeedback. It is used along with holistic counseling and is tailored to your unique needs as a highly sensitive person. The interconnectedness of mind, body, heart, and spirit is respected here, and you are supported on your journey to optimal mental health wellness. Explore the benefits of neurofeedback and how this innovative and integrative approach can help you to your next level of health and sensitive brain fitness.

Contact us.

Sources

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2. Berghmans, L. C. M., Bernards, A. T. M., Hendriks, H. J. M., Bø, K., & Grupping, M. H. M. (1998). Guidelines for the physiotherapeutic management of genuine stress incontinence. Physical Therapy Reviews, 3(3), 133–147. https://doi.org/10.1179/ptr.1998.3.3.133
3. Hammond, D. C. (2005). Neurofeedback treatment of depression and anxiety. Journal of Adult Development, 12, 131-137.
4. Nestoriuc, Y., Martin, A., Rief, W., & Andrasik, F. (2008). Biofeedback treatment for headache disorders: a comprehensive efficacy review. Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback, 33, 125-140.
5. Schoenberg, P. L., & David, A. S. (2014). Biofeedback for psychiatric disorders: a systematic review. Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback, 39, 109-135.
6. Schwartz, M. S., & Andrasik, F. (Eds.). (2017). Biofeedback: A practitioner's guide. Guilford Publications.
7. Tan, G., Thornby, J., Hammond, D. C., Strehl, U., Canady, B., Arnemann, K., & Kaiser, D. A. (2009). Meta-analysis of EEG biofeedback in treating epilepsy. Clinical EEG and neuroscience, 40(3), 173-179.
8. Yucha, C., & Montgomery, D. (2008). Evidence-based practice in biofeedback and neurofeedback. Wheat Ridge, CO: AAPB.

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Lucrezia Mangione supports anxious, highly sensitive women in fine-tuning focus, building emotional steadiness, and embracing the strengths of sensitivity. She also partners with therapists and helping professionals to offer brain-based care for clients who feel stuck or stalled. Her integrative approach helps clients feel calm, steady, and spacious—living and working on their own terms.