Pedi-Biofeedback

Questions to consider:

• When your child gets upset, does it take a long time for he or she to calm down?
• Is your child’s reaction to a small incidence over- exaggerated?
• When your child gets angry does he or she say and do things they don’t really mean to do?
• Do you find yourself trying to reason with or calm your child only to find that it makes things worse?

Many of the above questions are common scenarios a parent may experience when they have a stressed child. Using peripheral biofeedback, I work with the underlying driving force of the negative behavior in children that can be understood by the following example-

when a child is angry he or she may scream, yell, or resist. In this state of stress, a physical sensation is present in the child’s body (physiology based…i.e. fight or flight) which perpetuates and maintains the reactive anger. A child or adult can learn to recognize the presence of this sensation before it is reacted upon. A child can learn to control their initial reaction to a stressor and do something different, like verbalizing their anger, rather then acting upon it. This process is known as self regulation therapy.

Psychophysiology is the combination of talk therapy and biofeedback therapy. Psychophysiology is a type of hybrid therapy that combines the philosophy of psychology (mind) and physiology (body) in therapeutic treatment. Therapists who are certified (Biofeedback Certification Institute of America/BCIAC) and practice biofeedback have specialized training in monitoring and deciphering physiological vital signs and can identify the behaviors that are associated to a behavior phenomenon.

As a pediatric counselor, I have spent a lot of time exploring and researching the relationship between physical symptoms and belief systems. In my own experience as being diagnosed with ADHD and Anxiety as a child, I have learned that self regulation is a definate possibility and can be a fun and effective process to learn. This key concept of the self regulation process is based on a “thought-reaction-thought” concept of behavior.

For example, If a child who struggles in schools says to themself “I can’t do it”, then a non-conscious process begins in the brain which will create physical discomfort; which in turn will be associated and reinforced to the thought of “I can’t do it”. Once the physical discomfort (figiting, avoidance, screaming, ) contribute to the belief then these sensations transform the thought; into an experience of “I can’t do it”. What differentiates an experience from a thought is that a physical sensation brings life to the negative event making the belief seem very realistic. This realistic belief then perpetuates a negative reaction (screaming, yelling, opposition). Next, a child will unconsciously begin to find some irrational evidence to reinforce the “I can’t do it” experience, such as remembering a bad grade or an uneventful experience in the classroom. The newly reinforced belief now has some sort of evidence that will fuel a negative reaction in behavior; this negative reaction is what can be projected on a sibling; friend; or unsuspecting parent. Children tend to be masters of this type of activity- “She’s looking at me funny…she doesn’t like me”.

These are typical behaviors traits a child may exhibit when experiencing some form of stress. 9 out of 10 times these behaviors are due to a lack of effective coping mechanisms to deal with stressful situations. This lack of effective coping is a major contributor to maldaptive behavior. Many times a child may have 1 or 2 positive coping mechanisms they rely on before resorting to a negative one. It is these negative coping mechanisms that create a recipe for disaster, which in turn may contribute and manifest itself as anxiety. When a child’s mind is in a state of panic or defensiveness, then effective reasoning flies out the window. Therefore, this state of mind then becomes susceptible to maladaptive behaviors. This doesn’t mean that a child has rotten behavior, but will have rotten behavior when it comes to any situation that resembles the original challenge.

A child who does not cope well with their screaming sibling and gets really angry and frustrated when little sister screams; will now experience getting really angry and frustrated when he or she hears any little random child scream. This activating event; (screaming child); creates a response (anger); which a child will experience a mood change and may exhibit a negative reaction (let’s get out of here!). This a called an ‘association’ and can now be considered a trigger. That is, now anytime this frustrated child sees a small child…he or she may experience a negative response (short temper) with that child. The above example is one of several real life scenarios I have observed in my experience with a child I have worked with.

Peripheral Biofeedback therapy is used to disengage or train down the physical component of a negative experience by using physiology (fighting fire with fire). My approach is to train a patient how to recognize and monitor what they are feeling (much like recognizing one needs to use the restroom). This recognition phase will help a child to identify a feeling as positive or negative; and self sooth before they react. This process of self regulation dismantles the physiological ‘fight or flight’ response; and a child can effectively control situational impulsive behaviors independently. Together, we also work on restructuring negative behavior and establishing healthy coping strategies for a more effective behavior outcome.

The practice involves far more than using equipment to monitor physiology; an effective biofeedback therapist can look at a physiological measures and gain an instant understanding of what and how the individual may be experiencing their daily life. The treatment becomes a learning process, a collaboration between practitioner and client. Much of the time the individual is unconsciously maintaining the constructs of their symptoms through some physical or internal posture. A tense individual is likely to experience more tension as they are confronted with stress- a non-conscious response. A rapid breather may experience dizziness or may feel faint when faced with a hurried situation-a non-conscious response.