ABSTRACT
Biofeedback means providing immediate information regarding physiological processes about which the individual would normally be unaware. Thus, a person might be provided with information regarding muscle potentials in the forearm, or level of blood pressure, heart rate, or perhaps the type of brain wave being produced at that moment. According to a basic premise in biofeedback applications, if an individual is given information about biological processes, and changes in their level, then the person can learn to regulate this activity. Therefore, with appropriate conditioning and training techniques, an individual can presumably learn to control body processes that were long considered to be automatic and not subject to voluntary regulation. As outlined in this chapter, there is some evidence to support the basic premise that the provision of feedback has specific effects, for instance, that information about skin temperature and muscle tension can lead to self-altered and regulated levels of each.
