Intervention Procedures at Biologic Level in Mental Disorders
What to do when mental disorders come together with physiologic changes? Techniques of relaxation are used to alleviate these symptoms - the Biofeedback technique tries to control the internal physiologic parameters. See more!
Anxiety disorders do not limit to mere psychological manifestations but they also encompass a rather varied area of physical expressions as well.The manifestations at the biologic/physical level are components of the clinical symptoms of many mental disorders, such as anxiety disorders. They often appear as a high psycho-physiological activation, including arterial pressure, very high heartbeat rate and neuromuscular contraction.
The alternative to such high and prolonged physiological activation is the relaxing response. This is a phenomenon which was described and systematically investigated by Henry Benson, at the Harvard Medical School. The relaxing response has the opposite effects triggered by high physiological activation and it is considered to be a resilience factor.
The cognitive-behavioral procedures of intervention which can positively influence the biologic level in order to reduce the clinical symptoms are classified under two categories. The first category refers to changes at the physiological level whether to reduce the activity of the vegetative nervous system- relaxing response- whether to unbalance it, using procedures of physiological activation. The second category of procedures includes techniques of changing the respondent behavior.
Furthermore, the procedures used at the biologic level have two functions, one to modify the informational processing and other to directly modify the biologic manifestations. It is obvious that the biologic manifestations can be also modified through medication. For example, the balance of the vegetative system can also be established through medication. Often times thou, if there are found any cognitive-behavioral procedures they are preferred because their effect lasts on a long term while the medication effect fails in a short term or when the treatment is stopped.
Therefore, the relaxing procedures are a type of cognitive-behavioral procedures which influence the biologic level in order to reduce the high physiologic activation. The biofeedback technique is a method developed in the '60s in the United States by the psychologist Neal Miller. Miller observed that by stimulating the centers of pleasure from the mice brains they were capable of learning, using this stimulation as reinforcement of controlling different manifestations, from the heartbeat rate to the cerebral waves. Before Miller it was considered that such functions of the organism could not be controlled. The technique uses some electronic mechanisms in order to detect and amplify some physiological unconscious processes, for example the electric conductance of the skin, the pulse or the cerebral alpha waves. The physiologic signal - transformed through the electric installation into audio or video signal- is presented to the subject who, indirectly, becomes aware of those specific unconscious physiologic processes. This is considered to be the premise of the control which the individual can have over this kind of processes. Therefore, the biofeedback is a technique through which we manage to control some internal functions of the body.
In addition, the technique must be taught to the patient in a few steps. During the first meeting the patient is introduced to the biofeedback technique. The specialist explains the necessity to use this procedure and then he explains the terms of tension and relaxation. Then, the technique is described with its historic, evolution, procedure and efficiency.
Another step in this first meeting is to present the installation and the machinery and then to select the specific physiologic function which will represent the object of control. In the second meeting, the exercise is started in a quiet and calm environment, with low lights and with the patient in a very comfortable position. In the beginning, the relaxation is induced by the therapist, but later on the patient learns to induce it to himself. When the wanted changes appear, the therapist gives verbal reinforcements to the patient, like "Yes!", "Excellent! Go on." As the subject manages to control his inner functions in the conditions presented above, the therapist teaches him to control those functions in different types of environment until the patient manages to relax with eyes wide open, in a well lighted room, without the machine and in the presence of more than one person.
In conclusion, in order to alleviate biologic symptoms which appear together with the other signs of a mental problem, specialist can use many techniques and some of them include techniques of relaxation, like the one developed by Muller, the biofeedback technique.
The alternative to such high and prolonged physiological activation is the relaxing response. This is a phenomenon which was described and systematically investigated by Henry Benson, at the Harvard Medical School. The relaxing response has the opposite effects triggered by high physiological activation and it is considered to be a resilience factor.
The cognitive-behavioral procedures of intervention which can positively influence the biologic level in order to reduce the clinical symptoms are classified under two categories. The first category refers to changes at the physiological level whether to reduce the activity of the vegetative nervous system- relaxing response- whether to unbalance it, using procedures of physiological activation. The second category of procedures includes techniques of changing the respondent behavior.
Furthermore, the procedures used at the biologic level have two functions, one to modify the informational processing and other to directly modify the biologic manifestations. It is obvious that the biologic manifestations can be also modified through medication. For example, the balance of the vegetative system can also be established through medication. Often times thou, if there are found any cognitive-behavioral procedures they are preferred because their effect lasts on a long term while the medication effect fails in a short term or when the treatment is stopped.
Therefore, the relaxing procedures are a type of cognitive-behavioral procedures which influence the biologic level in order to reduce the high physiologic activation. The biofeedback technique is a method developed in the '60s in the United States by the psychologist Neal Miller. Miller observed that by stimulating the centers of pleasure from the mice brains they were capable of learning, using this stimulation as reinforcement of controlling different manifestations, from the heartbeat rate to the cerebral waves. Before Miller it was considered that such functions of the organism could not be controlled. The technique uses some electronic mechanisms in order to detect and amplify some physiological unconscious processes, for example the electric conductance of the skin, the pulse or the cerebral alpha waves. The physiologic signal - transformed through the electric installation into audio or video signal- is presented to the subject who, indirectly, becomes aware of those specific unconscious physiologic processes. This is considered to be the premise of the control which the individual can have over this kind of processes. Therefore, the biofeedback is a technique through which we manage to control some internal functions of the body.
In addition, the technique must be taught to the patient in a few steps. During the first meeting the patient is introduced to the biofeedback technique. The specialist explains the necessity to use this procedure and then he explains the terms of tension and relaxation. Then, the technique is described with its historic, evolution, procedure and efficiency.
Another step in this first meeting is to present the installation and the machinery and then to select the specific physiologic function which will represent the object of control. In the second meeting, the exercise is started in a quiet and calm environment, with low lights and with the patient in a very comfortable position. In the beginning, the relaxation is induced by the therapist, but later on the patient learns to induce it to himself. When the wanted changes appear, the therapist gives verbal reinforcements to the patient, like "Yes!", "Excellent! Go on." As the subject manages to control his inner functions in the conditions presented above, the therapist teaches him to control those functions in different types of environment until the patient manages to relax with eyes wide open, in a well lighted room, without the machine and in the presence of more than one person.
In conclusion, in order to alleviate biologic symptoms which appear together with the other signs of a mental problem, specialist can use many techniques and some of them include techniques of relaxation, like the one developed by Muller, the biofeedback technique.
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