ABSTRACT

The study of biofeedback began when Miller (1969) described operant conditioning of autonomic nervous system functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, intestinal motility, urine production rate, and gastric and peripheral blood flow in the curarized rat (Schwartz & Olson, 2003). Subsequently, a great deal of optimism led to predictions that humans, via self-monitoring devices, would be able to self-regulate many autonomic functions. Hundreds of studies have documented that certain types of biofeedback are useful for certain clinical problems (Basmajian, 1989; Brown, 1974; Olton & Noonberg, 1980); however, several studies using false biofeedback have been associated with positive clinical results (Andrasik & Holroyd, 1980; Mullinix, Norton, Hack, & Fishman, 1978). Smith (1991) noted that, “The application of biofeedback may be useful in many clinical conditions, although there appear to be few conditions in which biofeedback is demonstrably superior to other behavioral techniques, such as relaxation training, hypnosis, or meditation.”