Stress Reduction and
Relief can be one of the most beneficial health
steps you can take.
Peace, relaxation and
biofeedback can help.
About Stress...
Stress is defined as a nonspecific response of the body to any demand made upon it which results in symptoms such as rise in the blood pressure, release of hormones, quickness of breath, tightening of muscles, perspiration, and increased cardiac activity.
Stress is not necessarily negative. Some stress keeps us motivated and alert, while too little stress can create problems. However, too much stress can trigger problems with mental and physical health, particularly over a prolonged period of time.
Any experience that taxes an individual's energy or well-being; stress may be physical, mental, or emotional.
Tension (Psychology): a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense; "he suffered from fatigue and emotional tension"; "stress is a vasoconstrictor".
Physics: Force that produces strain on a physical body; "the intensity of stress is expressed in units of force divided by units of area".
Mental or physical tension that results from physical, emotional, or chemical causes.
What may be considered "stress relief"?
Anything that relieves mundane stress on a daily basis, such as relaxation, can help.
Hans Selye, a Hungarian medical scientist, was the first to use the word "stress" in connection with a picture of health wellness. His theory is that when the body reacts to stress, it creates an "alarm" response.
That means that your body is in good shape to react accordingly to any given stressor, hopefully appropriately and effectively in ways that relieve it.
If the stress continues, however, an "adaptation" state may result, where we learn to accommodate or bear the symptoms of stress by adjusting to them.
This can, more positively, mean creating an increase in our tolerance to frustration and moving back into the alarm state, which relieves the stress, or, negatively, reacting with an accommodating adjustment that (temporarily) alleviates the pain of the stress but becomes a new holding pattern.
If the stress continues even
longer, an "exhaustion" state is created that may lead to a considerably weakened system. This alarm / adaptation / exhaustion model fits all forms of stress, whether physical, mental, or emotional.
Obviously, reducing stress is a key to well-being. Relaxation helps, but how do we know where stress may be hiding in the adapted or exhausted states physically, mentally, and emotionally.
With the help of the SCIO Quantum Biofeedback system, we can painlessly and non-invasively look at reactions to common stressors and begin to piece the picture together.
Most people find the biofeedback experience relaxing, soothing and beneficial. The side effects of biofeedback may include these possibilities (and many more that may be experienced):
Ability to relax more quickly
Deeper state of relaxation during sleep
Easier to fall asleep and stay asleep
Reduction of stress and hypertension
Improved general health
Increase in amount of calmness and peacefulness
Reduction of anger
Less fearfulness
Fewer anxiety attacks
Amelioration of sorrow
Reduction of the depth of depression
Heightened muscle mobility
Enhanced mental clarity
Able to pay attention more consistently
Better focus of attention
Deeper concentration and enhanced memory
Less attention to pain and stressors
Less concentration on pain and stressors
Fewer feelings of pain and stress
Less intense focus on pain and stressors
Less intensity of any pain or any stress
More able to manage stress and pain
Specialists who provide a variety of forms of Biofeedback range from Psychologists, Medical Doctors, Dentists, Chiropractors, Internists, Nurses, Physical Therapists, Naturopaths, Veterinarians to Energy Medicine Practitioners, and many others.
STRESS REDUCTION, STRESS RELIEF AND THE iNDIGO / SCIO
SCIO stands for “Scientific Consciousness Interface Operating System,” which is a reference to how fast it’s able to comfortably and non-invasively obtain feedback on reactions above what we call a “baseline”, or “norm” of response to thousands of electronic signatures of various items, in a very short amount of time.
Any reactions above a baseline of the “norm” are considered to be significant as possible responses from stress. Reducing the stress response in an individuated way, unique to each individual, is what the iNDIGO is all about.
Let’s define “stress”, and how it can impact
us in ways you may not have considered before.
Stress runs much deeper than most people are aware of, in ways that can impact our mental and physical wellbeing, especially if it occurs, even gradually, over a prolonged period of time.
In a nutshell, stress is any perceived mental or physical tension that results from environmental, physical, mental, emotional, chemical and a host of other causes.
Stress is a response of the body and mind to any demand made upon it which results in symptoms, such as a rise in blood pressure, release of hormones, quickness of breath, tightening of muscles, increased mental and cardiac activity and much more.
The most obvious stress response is referred to as the “fight-or-flight” reaction, which is your body’s fast and automatic switch into “high alert.”
This reaction helps you deal with any perceived threat from your environment, even more subtle forms such
as “information overload” or your life’s circumstances.
But never before in the history of humankind have we created a world that exposes us to so much rapidly delivered information, be it from media sources, traffic and communication systems, or nonverbally from the environment.
An overload of messages can also come from internal sources: either biological, mental, emotional or all three at the same time.
Our minds are theorized to only manage 7 or 8 bits of information well at once, so anything beyond this can automatically activate this “fight or flight” biological response, even if on a subtle level that doesn’t seem like what we would call a real life threatening emergency.
In the larger scheme of things, this response was designed to stimulate your body to produce the energy, concentration and agility either to protect yourself or to run as fast as possible.
But in our modern times,
sometimes stress, even in the form of excess worry or anger, can seem to never let up.
Some of our more “modern” stressful circumstances, unlike most immediate physical threats, do tend to be prolonged and faced on a continual basis.
So, we can see how this runs the possibility of producing this reaction for much longer than it’s intended, or needed, to be “on” for.
This can go on continually so that you may not be aware of it anymore, as the immune system, digestive system and brain can become further and further stressed from over activation.
We may “adapt” to and simply tolerate our stressors, as opposed to managing or reducing them.
But what’s good for your body in a short-term crisis can be harmful over long periods.
The long-term activation of the stress-response system can disrupt almost all your body’s processes, impacting risks such as weight gain, insomnia, serious
digestive and cardiac issues, memory, physical illnesses and conditions, and a much more. It can even impair our absorption of nutrients.
It engages the heart in way that changes neurotransmitter and mineral levels, often imbalancing or depleting them when they’re needed for other normal bodily functions, such as maintaining bone density.
In the initial phase, the brain sets off an entire response “system” throughout your body through nerve and hormonal signals, which activates your adrenal glands to release powerful hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol.
Cortisol also slows functions that would be temporarily unnecessary in an extreme emergency situation, but in daily life, all-important for maintaining wellness.
It can change your immune system responses by impairing disease-fighting white blood cells; and suppress the digestive, reproductive and growth systems, which are all a part of maintaining
overall health.
But, if the stress response never fully switches completely “off”, stress hormones can continue to wash through the system in high levels, failing to leave the blood and tissues in a timely way.
Any perceived stress such as from work, personal relationships, major life changes, illness, or the death of a family member, friend or pet, or for some, even responses to foods such as sugar, can set off the same stress response system in the body.
The longer you “adapt” to them without intervention, the more, in theory, you are at risk of entering the “exhaustion” stage of stress, where your body’s own maintenance systems can be overwhelmed and not functioning at optimal levels that protect you.
But every person is unique. Your reaction to a potentially stressful event, even in normal daily life, is different from anyone else’s. Some people naturally manage stress well, while
others react strongly to the smallest stressor.
Life experiences can also affect your response to stress: People who were exposed to stressful events as children in the form of neglect or abuse tend to be more vulnerable to stress as adults.
In light of our modern world of excess chemical toxicity, some of which mimic hormones, along with emotional tension and the “information highway” overload of messages, stress is a part of life.
However, you can learn to identify your stressors, how to take control of some stress-inducing circumstances and lifestyles, even in your environment, and learn how to take care of yourself physically and emotionally.
The payoff of managing and reducing stress can be enormous, even by assisting your body to do what it was designed to do, which is repair itself and maintain your health. Your body is designed to heal itself.
Take the case of a broken bone: a doctor
may set it in a cast, but your bone heals itself.
So, as you can see by now, there are a lot of issues, even some serious diseases and conditions, linked to components of stress. Even the AMA has admitted that stress is a contributing factor in many diseases, including some infectious diseases.
The iNDIGO gives us feedback on your unique responses to stress in a highly refined way, and helps train you to react differently, and to reduce and control it.
Biofeedback allows individuals to take control over bodily processes normally considered involuntary. iNDIGO and SCIO Quantum Biofeedback empowers people with the ability to use specific reactive signals from their own bodies to positively change the way they live!
More About Stress and the iNDIGO / SCIO
Stress affects us all. The deleterious effects of excess stress have been well documented in a wide range of medical publications.
Thousands of research articles, studies and books prove beyond a shadow of doubt, that stress can be a factor in any disease, as it alters biochemistry and neurological functioning, and can weaken the immune system and the digestive tract.
This neuro-psychological-immuno link is well established in many peer reviewed medical journals on
Psychoneuroimmunology.
The Fight or Flight Response
Stress can trigger the body’s response to perceived threat or danger, the Fight-or-Flight response. During this reaction, certain hormones like adrenalin and cortisol are released, speeding the heart rate, slowing digestion, shunting blood flow to major muscle groups, and changing various other autonomic nervous functions, giving the body a burst of energy and strength. Originally named for its ability to enable us to physically fight or run away when faced with danger, it’s now activated in situations where neither response is appropriate, like in traffic or during a stressful day at work.
When the perceived threat is gone, systems are designed to return to normal function via the relaxation response, but in times of chronic stress, this often doesn’t happen, causing damage to the body if stress is not reduced and managed.
Common physiological changes resulting from stress reactions include:
Increased Heart Rate, which can lead and / or contribute to heart conditions. Hormonal Fluctuations, which can lead and / or contribute to endocrine, reproductive, digestive disorders, obesity, diabetes and mental disorders.
Constriction of muscles and blood vessels, can lead and / or contribute to pain, tension, circulatory issues, cardio-pulmonary issues and asthma. The suppression of non-essential life processes, which affects reproduction, higher executive brain function, digestion and immunity.
Many people think of stress only in terms of things like deadlines at work, family or relationship stress, financial pressures, traffic jams, or the death of a loved one perhaps.
However, stress reactions also occur on the unconscious, cellular, subtle or energetic levels each time we are exposed to a toxin, pathogen or allergen; and every time our body experiences a nutritional deficiency or excess.
What are the benefits of biofeedback?
Everyone can benefit from biofeedback. Most people report biofeedback sessions to be relaxing, soothing and beneficial. Yucha and Montgomery (2008), in their article “Evidence Based Practice in Biofeedback and Neurofeedback” published in The Journal of Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback summarized the most current and complete medical research based on scientific rigor and consistency of outcome on biofeedback benefits and efficacy with the following health related issues.
Individuals and families find biofeedback an affordable, safe, easy to use tool for monitoring and managing all kinds of stress and stress related symptoms at home.
Many individuals complete their Biofeedback Specialist Certification and begin a private biofeedback practice, helping others. While others team up with others and see clients with their device in wellness centers, doctors and chiropractors offices.
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PROFESSIONALS WHO USE BIOFEEDBACK AND THE iNDIGO
Practitioners, Clinicians, Therapists
From a wide array of complimentary modalities use biofeedback as an additional technique with which to educate their clients, assist them with managing stress and pain, and teach people how to take control of their lives, making positive changes in their physiological states and their overall health.
Psychologist, Social Workers, Counselors, Mental Health Clinicians
Use the INDIGO Biofeedback System to identify and retrain, very quickly, the emotions that are most reactive for that client - which can often help build rapport and speed the therapeutic process immensely.
Olympic Athletes, Professional Trainers, Coaches
Have been using biofeedback for years to enhance performance. Stress reduction and pain management can really give athletes an edge in their sport. In fact, INDIGO Biofeedback practitioners are currently receiving recognition internationally for their work with Olympic athletes and professional sports teams in leading sport nations with outstanding results.
Health professionals
Health professionals from all modalities find that the INDIGO Biofeedback System matrix reactions can provide valuable clues and benefits, as to the stressors most affecting their client. This helps them direct a more individualized and effective stress management intervention, without toxic medications or invasive measures.
Doctors, Nurse Practitioners
Find biofeedback a less costly, drug free, non-invasive, accurate assessment tool - informing their diagnosis as to various kinds of stressors which may be at the root of illness; as well as a necessary means of educating clients and helping them address or manage these stressors.
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Your Biofeedback Stress Reduction Session
During an INDIGO Biofeedback session, the client wears wrist and ankle bracelets as well as a head harness.
The sensors / electrodes comfortably read electrical impulses from the body and send the information to the computer which acts as a monitoring device.
The biofeedback practitioner is able to educate the client as to what specific areas of the body / mind are most in need of stress reduction and re-education based on the information translated from the biofeedback device to the computer screen.
These data findings allow the client to better understand their reactions to stress and learn how to better control their physiological responses.
During an INDIGO Biofeedback session, the biofeedback practitioner is also able to educate the client as to what specific areas of the body / mind are most in need of stress reduction and re-education based on the information translated from the biofeedback device to the computer screen.
While the
biofeedback process is completely non-invasive and gentle, this powerful stress management support system allows relaxation and increased ability for the body to heal.
The body is designed to heal itself! The process of biofeedback is not to heal - but to help the body remember the balanced and stress free state. When it is entrained to the healthier patterns of a relaxed state, this process of self-regeneration often happens naturally.
How many sessions are needed?
Biofeedback is an entrainment process. Entrainment is a well studied phenomenon within physics, by which two separate systems, operating at varying frequencies, will settle into a common frequency when situated within one’s field of influence. It may take the body multiple sessions to entrain or “relearn” healthier patterns.
Some people respond very quickly, especially those whose lifestyle choices are already aligned with good health.
Others may need more education, training and support around improving nutrition, exercise and / or sleep patterns, or avoiding addictive substances etc.
Generally speaking, the longer a client has held certain stress patterns which are causing them pain or illness, the more sessions they may need to begin re-balancing or re-training those patterns and reactions.
Generally, we recommend clients make a commitment to their health by investing in multiple sessions in order to truly see and feel the
results.
How the iNDIGO Works...
The most important aspect of the INDIGO Biofeedback System is not just measuring the body electric, but measuring the changes.
The continued measuring and feedback of the system allows us to see the patient’s subtle reactions to words, ideas, items, or any stimuli is what makes biofeedback work.
The body is a dynamic system that is never static; for example, there can never simply be one blood pressure, as it is changing dramatically every minute.
The reactions or reactivity of a patient to a multitude of stimuli is an important tool in the INDIGO Biofeedback System’s ability to help clients retrain their reactions to even the subtle, non verbal and unconscious parameters of their physiology.
Other factors which contribute to the INDIGO Biofeedback System’s popularity amongst health professionals internationally are its cybernetic loop, and its ability to auto-focus for maximum training capacity.
The cybernetic loop is a two-way
communication between the device and the computer; it is constantly “checking in” with the client and measuring their progress. The auto-focus function works in conjunction with our cybernetic loop to allow practitioners to individualize their retraining protocols in order to meet highly detailed and specific needs of each client.
This function also allows for what we refer to as “passive biofeedback”; the ability of the INDIGO Biofeedback System to help retrain a client’s physiological reactions at unconscious / autonomic levels.
The device can also, however, perform more active, conscious “classical biofeedback” or “neuro-feedback” type interventions.
Very few medical, hands on healing, or mental health modalities give the practitioner the ability to see exactly how well their clients are responding to the intervention, moment to moment.
The INDIGO Biofeedback System
actually calculates a percentage of change, giving a rectification value, upon completion of each stress reduction program. This is a huge benefit to practitioners.
While the program can allow for incredibly in-depth focusing, it is also exceptionally user-friendly.
In most instances, when the practitioner opens a particular training panel the most beneficial biofeedback programs for that client are highlighted, based on that client’s reactions to the test of electro-physiological reactions (EPR).
Selections can also be made using our auto-focus feature to determine which program in that panel would be most useful.
Upon beginning most training programs, the device first does a baseline assessment specific to that panel and then identifies what particular stress points have been revealed.
For example, when working with the Electro-Oscillation Frequency Program the device will first reveal the strongest reactions to specific brainwave activities
and patterns, before commencing the re-training process.
In the spinal muscular re-education program, the stressors located in the spine are first highlighted in a stress assessment; the practitioner can then commence the re-training.
This education process, unique to the INDIGO Biofeedback System, is also an incredible tool for practitioners and clients alike.
A New Vision For Well Being
The INDIGO Biofeedback System brings A New Vision For Well Being to the global healthcare marketplace. Many clients who receive INDIGO Biofeedback sessions report that they can “feel” a gentle warmth or tingling sensation during the treatment.
This sensation is a result of our 64x increased sensitivity, 12x faster rate of information transfer, 50x greater range of frequency output and 1.5x more amplitude capacity, as well as significant increases in accuracy, range and coherence of the signals delivered by the INDIGO Biofeedback System.
It’s capabilities are far advanced from any of its competitor devices; in fact, practitioners internationally are trading in other, older biofeedback devices to ensure the best possible outcomes for their clients, using the very best that the INDIGO Biofeedback System technology has to offer today.
The principles of modern
medicine’s “hippocratic oath” (helping professionals should do no harm) are integrated within the INDIGO Biofeedback System operational design.
Its built-in alarm will signal the practitioner when a client has reached maximum training capacity during a specific program.
The device itself will shut down if for any reason the client is not integrating the training in a safe, healthy and satisfactory way during that session.
Online Updates
The online update system, which allows practitioners to click on a desktop icon for easy downloading of brand new programs as they become available is just one more reason why INDIGO Biofeedback System is the busy health professionals’ preferred device for stress reduction and pain management, muscle re-education, brainwave relaxation retraining, and more.
