There are many approaches to psychotherapy. Recent advances in neuroscience have pointed to strong interactive relationships among emotions, thoughts, behavior and physiology, something that all psychotherapies consider but rarely focus on in toto. Current evidence-based psychotherapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and a variety of Mindfulness approaches (e.g., MBCT, DBT, ACT) emphasize an integrated mind-body approach for successful therapeutic efficacy. Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback have provided attractive enhancements for traditional as well as complementary and alternative therapies. Peripheral and central biofeedback have been most effective when integrated into a total psychotherapy treatment package, regardless of the psychotherapy orientation. This complete integration of psychophysiology and psychotherapy provides a path to the full development and understanding of the person: mind, body, and spirit. The current presentation will review the similarities in treatment philosophy between the cognitive and behavioral therapies and biofeedback and why integrating these approaches will enhance treatment outcome.
The presentation examines the relationship among thoughts, feelings and behavior and how these factors become more realized through the addition of psychophysiology and biofeedback in the treatment paradigm. Finally, the presentation will provide clinical examples of effective care for some traditional psychiatric and medical disorders as well as case presentations exemplifying Psychotherapy-Assisted Biofeedback and Biofeedback-Assisted Psychotherapy.