From: Rob Kall (smile_at_compuserve.com)
Date: 2001-07-17 05:56:54
Message text written by F Smith
>Lets asume the temperature of the human body is
37 degree's Celsius. A to high temp. would be fever.<<
Thermal biofeedback does not aim to change core body temperature. It aims
at modifying peripheral hand or foot temperature most of the time.
>>Raising only one or two degree's celsius could be done,
but it works slowly. GSR for example react fast.
>From all the bfb methods temp. is the slowest.
One can use temp. with succes, but the problem is dat it
works slow. <<
A good clinical thermal biofeedback trainer detects changes of 1/100th of a
degree fahrenheit which is close to .005 Celcius, and it reflects changes
at very high speed, at least once every 1/10 of a second. With
magnification so you see a range of .1 degree fahrenheit from one end of a
scale to the other, very small changes can easily be seen. When you combine
GOOD audio feedback, the results can be fast, dramatic and powerful. I like
a double meetaphor audio, which uses descending pitch with rising
temperature combined with increasing or decreasing pulse frequency
depending upon the rate of change. So, if you are relaxing, warming your
hands, and the warming increases, the pitch will drop lower and pulse
faster.
>>A therapist must convince a client he/she can control his/
her body. At least some parts of it.
If this would take to long, then the client would not be
building confidence. A qiuck prove that one can influence
one's body-processes gives client confidence.<<
True but given the above considerations thermal can be quite effective.
Still, EMG is even faster, so I will often start with it.
>>Temp, is used in anxiety. There is some illness where
people suffer from bad blood circulation. Raising the
temp, in an given area can improve the condition.<<
True. Peripheral thermal biofeedback for anxiety, relaxation and stress
reduction works nicely.
Local thermal biofeedback for diabetic neuropathy, wound healing and for
arthritis has been proven effective in at least four different studies
(Don't ask for references, they are not handy.) But Denver, at University
of Lavalle reported on arthritis, at least 12 years ago, and Birgitta RIce
did work with diabetic wound healing. Ken Greenspan did some work with
diabetic neuropathy, and I forget who the other research who did the work
with arthritis.
>>A higher body temp. at a given location indicates more blood circulation.
Only logic then to use temp. for conditions where you need to have better
blood circulation.<<
Not necessarily. Much of the use of thermal biofeedback is peripheral temp
increase which is mediated by quieting of the sympathetic nervous system.
One major application of thremal biofeedback is woroking with essential
hypertension. I've used it with many pain clients, and there is a long list
of thermal BIofeedback applications.
Raynauds, irritable bowel, hyperhydrosis (supplementing GSR), immune
dysfunction (cancer, arthritis, scleroderma, for example)
In my opinion Temp.FB, is only important in the above<
Not mine. But, based on your misconceptions, your conclusion is
understandable. Think in terms of a tool to access quieting of the
sympathetic nervous system and any illness or performance that is affected
by its less than optimal functioning.
Another instructive lesson to take from your misassumptions is about the
way you provide feedback.
You can take a slow signal and process it so it is not only amplified or
magnified, but also fed back so it is more easily understood or assimilated
temporally as well as visually or auditorily.
Hope this is helpful and no contentioiusness or bad feeling meant towards
you Frans. You're a brave explorer fine tuning your personal map of the
psychophysiological cartography.
Rob Kall
Futurehealth, Inc.
211 N. Sycamore St., Newtown, PA 18940 215-504-1700, fax 215-860-5374
www.futurehealth.org
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