How to Sign Up
Biofeedback is a free service offered by the Counseling and Human Development Center. Please call (803) 777-5223 to experience the benefits of biofeedback.

What is Biofeedback?
Biofeedback is a technique in which people are taught to improve their health and performance by monitoring biological signals produced by the body.

How Does Biofeedback Work?
Biofeedback therapy is a method of teaching a person how to regain control of their body's functioning. Feedback of physical responses such as skin temperature and muscle tension provides information to help a person recognize a relaxed state. Most scientists believe that relaxation is a key component in treatment for many disorders, particularly those brought on or made worse by stress. Their reasoning is based on what is known about the effects of stress on the body. Stressful events produce strong emotions, which arouse certain physical responses. Biofeedback deals with these states of arousal with instruments to monitor whether a part of the body is working harder than normal. We know physiologically that it is best if the body returns to rest after activity; so if the body remains active for a long period of time without returning to rest, a breakdown is likely.

What are the benefits of biofeedback?
The reduction of anxiety and stress is the purpose for which biofeedback is most frequently used. By helping people to achieve a general state of relaxation at will, biofeedback can help people "short circuit" their old ways of responding to stress. Thereby reducing or eliminating associated and unwelcome symptoms such as fatigue, tension headaches, chronic neck and back pain, stomachaches and sleep disorders.