Explain biofeedback and relaxation techniques for pain management.

What will be an ideal response?


Biofeedback involves providing biophysiological feedback to a patient about some bodily process that the patient is usually unaware of. Biofeedback training can be thought of as an operant learning process. First, the target function to be brought under control, such as blood pressure or heart rate, is identified. This function is then tracked by a machine, which provides information to the patient. The patient then attempts to change the bodily process. Through trial and error and continuous feedback from the machine, the patient learns what thoughts or behaviors will modify the bodily function. Relaxation training has been employed with pain patients extensively, either alone or in concert with other pain control techniques. In relaxation, an individual shifts his or her body into a state of low arousal by progressively relaxing different parts of the body. It enables them to cope more successfully with stress and anxiety, which may also ameliorate pain. Relaxation may also affect pain directly in some cases.

Psychology

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Joseph suffers from REM behavior disorder. This means that ____

a. ?during waking hours, he sometimes suddenly falls into REM sleep b. ?his body is not experiencing the muscle paralysis that normally accompanies REM sleep c. ?his body becomes temporarily paralyzed whenever he enters REM sleep d. ?his behavior while awake is highly impulsive and unpredictable due to extreme REM deprivation

Psychology

One criticism of the trait theories of personality is that they:

A) place too much emphasis of states and situational factors. B) do not describe how states and situational factors can influence our behavior. C) are not supported by any empirical data. D) do not allow for comparisons between individuals.

Psychology

According to the text, when does ethnic awareness begin to develop?

a. in infancy b. in early childhood c. during the elementary school years d. during adolescence

Psychology

Although initial promising research pointed to chromosome 10 as a "hot spot" in both bulimia nervosa and obesity, subsequent research has failed to confirm this relationship

Indicate whether the statement is true or false

Psychology