Even if you have no clinical symptoms, it can be extremely beneficial and rewarding to make a conscious effort to incorporate relaxation exercises into your daily routine. Regular periods of rest are essential for maintaining physical and mental health.

Biofeedback as an effective relaxation technique

In biofeedback-assisted relaxation training, physiological parameters such as heart rate, skin conductance and muscle tension are continuously monitored and displayed directly on a screen. This visual or auditory feedback helps therapists and clients to assess and regulate their level of relaxation in real time.

In the wellness area, biofeedback can, for example, be used to teach clients relaxation techniques. Deep breathing can, for instance, be practised to induce a sense of physical relaxation. However, other methods (e.g. HRV biofeedback or blood circulation) can be used¹. Biofeedback is also used in prevention to give clients a basic understanding of the psycho-physiological links¹.

Structure of the training session

There are usually various ways to structure the training. For example, videos, sequences of images or music, combined with real-time feedback on the state of relaxation, can be used to induce a basic level of relaxation. Active feedback exercises then enable participants to learn how to consciously control the autonomic nervous system.

Many people are not consciously aware of their stress or simply ignore it. Biofeedback is useful here as a diagnostic tool: the visual feedback on the screen enables a timely recognition of an increased need for relaxation.

Combining with other relaxation techniques

The number of relaxation techniques has now become immense. But whether it is yoga, meditation or autogenic training, what all these techniques have in common is that they are often abandoned prematurely because participants do not notice any tangible progress at the outset.

In this context, combining these techniques with biofeedback can help, as it allows you to see the effectiveness of relaxation exercises immediately on the screen and thus to accept that they have a positive, relaxing effect on the body – even if you cannot yet feel it yourself.

Effectiveness, tips and sources

Biofeedback can be combined with other relaxation techniques, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of the treatment²³. The effects of „classical relaxation techniques“, such as warming the hands during autogenic training or tensing and relaxing the muscles, can be visualised using biofeedback (in this case, temperature and EMG biofeedback). Biofeedback can specifically train and improve self-awareness, and many clients learn to achieve a general state of relaxation even outside the trained modality⁴.

Ms Diana Sicher-Fritsch shares her experiences from her practice: „At our Mental Centre, the Comfort biofeedback system is used successfully in our work with hotel guests and external clients. The main focus of the Mental Centre is working with clients on stress prevention, usually where stress symptoms are already present. We have, for example, had very positive results with clients suffering from tinnitus. Through the biofeedback readings, our clients can see for themselves how they react to states of tension and relaxation, enabling them to counteract these effects. (…)

“Biofeedback has become a quality assurance tool at the Mental Centre of our ****Mental Spa Hotel. Only scientific analyses can objectively demonstrate to the client the changes brought about by training or coaching. This means that, as a coach, one is no longer reliant solely on subjective perception."
Users who are also considering incorporating biofeedback into their services can request information here.

Tip from the field
The same relaxation techniques do not work for everyone. Use biofeedback as an objective method to find out which relaxation technique suits the individual best. Use music, images or videos provided by the participant themselves and integrate these into the biofeedback software. Personal holiday photos or a favourite song often further enhance learning success thanks to their personal connection.

Stress studies on the Biofeedback Blog

Enormous costs
Naturally, it is the individual themselves who suffers the most from excessive stress, but companies and the economy as a whole also suffer as a result. In our article „Less stress – lower costs“ We report on the economic costs of mental health conditions and the role that biofeedback could play in this area. Such measures would likely lead to huge cost savings.

Those particularly affected
Various sections of the population are regularly particularly affected by stress. Under the title „Management stress or stress management“ For example, we report on the extreme pressures faced by senior managers and on a study which demonstrated the positive effects of biofeedback treatment on stress levels amongst this professional group.

However, it is not only top management who suffer from stress; industrial workers, too, can be under strain due to their physical working environment and monotonous tasks over which they have little control. In „Stress among industrial workers“ We are looking at a company that tackled this stress using biofeedback and was able to observe lower levels of depression, anxiety and stress after just five weeks.

In the article „The Stressed-Out Student“ We report on the serious consequences of stress amongst students. Given the unprecedented nature of the current situation, students are often under particular pressure. The study discussed in the article incorporates biofeedback and progressive muscle relaxation into treatment and finds that these methods are highly effective in tackling student stress.

The perfect synthesis
We have also discussed techniques such as the „progressive muscle relaxation“ mentioned above in the article „Biofeedback and well-known relaxation techniques“ . There, we find that these methods are not mutually exclusive. Rather, thanks to the visible feedback on the success of relaxation techniques using biofeedback and the resulting benefits, they work together perfectly.

Everyday stress
However, it is not only extreme chronic stress that poses a burden and a risk. So-called „daily hassles“ also have a negative impact on our health. In the report „Everyday stress“ We will be looking at this type of stress and reporting on a study that demonstrates the positive effects of biofeedback on this stress at various levels (MRI, psychological tests and cortisol levels).

Sources:
1 Haus, K., Held, C., Kowalski, A., Krombholz, A., Nowak, M., Schneider, E., Strauß, G. & Wiedemann, M. (2016). A Practical Guide to Biofeedback and Neurofeedback. In Springer eBooks. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-47748-9

2  Diener H.-C., Förderreuther S, Kropp P. et al., Treatment of Migraine Attacks and Migraine Prophylaxis, S1 Guideline, 2022, DGN and DMKG, in: German Society for Neurology (ed.), Guidelines for diagnosis and treatment in neurology. 

3 Cott, A., Parkinson, W., Fabich, M., Bédard, M., & Marlin, R. (1992). Long-term efficacy of combined relaxation and biofeedback treatments for chronic headache. Pain, 51(1), 49–56.

4 Bruns, T., & Praun, N. (2002). Biofeedback: a handbook for therapeutic practice; with 15 tables. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.