What is Biofeedback Therapy for Treating Addiction?
Addiction is a highly complicated disease. While it is now primarily understood as a chronic and relapsing brain disease, many aspects of addiction are not completely and thoroughly clean. The Disease Model of Addiction is now widely accepted, as outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-V). It is understood that several risk factors contribute to the development of addiction and that these risk factors vary on a person-to-person basis.
In addition, substance abuse and dependence develop over time as the brain adjusts to the presence of chemical substances. Numerous tools help us further understand addiction and how it impacts the brain. One of these tools is brain mapping – a therapeutic tool that involves cutting-edge technology and behavioral therapy to help people recover from addiction long-term.
At Agape Treatment Center, we utilize brain mapping as a fundamental part of our comprehensive treatment program. We have repeatedly seen the benefits of this therapeutic method in action. To provide brain mapping services to our clients, we utilize Biofeedback Therapy – which is an essential and highly beneficial addiction recovery tool. But what is Biofeedback Therapy, and how does it work?
Biofeedback Therapy Uses in Substance Abuse Treatment
Biofeedback Therapy helps people control bodily functions they would not otherwise have control over. This includes things like heart rate and blood pressure. Because addiction is a disease of obsession and compulsion, at a certain point, the person suffering from addiction no longer has control over their impulses. They become entirely involuntary. Many bodily functions are reactions to the world; we do not think of them before carrying them out. For example, if you reach down to pick something up off the floor, you do this involuntarily and do not think about it in depth before you do it. Your body is simply trying to react that way, so you carry out these actions without giving them so much as a second thought.
There is no question that biofeedback works, though researchers and scientists are not entirely sure how or why it works. People who undergo Biofeedback Therapy learn to control involuntary bodily functions over time. This means that people who suffer from addiction know to gain control over obsessive drug-seeking and compulsive behaviors.
How Does Biofeedback Therapy Work in Treating Drug Abuse?
During Biofeedback Therapy for treating drug addiction and alcoholism, small electrodes are attached to the surface of a person’s skin. In some instances, finger sensors are also placed over the fingers to observe involuntary movements as they occur. The electrodes and finger sensors send messages directly to a monitor. The monitor displays involuntary movements like the temperature of the skin, blood pressure, and heart rate. When the body is under stress, these intuitive functions are directly affected.
The main goal of biofeedback addiction treatment therapy is to help people notice when these functions are taking place. The therapy teaches people how to control their breathing, change their thought patterns, and various other techniques. For example, a person struggling with addiction will learn how their body responds to drug cravings and stressful situations. Eventually, they will learn to control their emotional responses to avoid long relapses.
Biofeedback Addiction Therapy at AGAPE
Biofeedback Therapy for treating substance use disorders helps people overcome addiction. It is only one of the numerous effective techniques utilized by Agape Treatment Center. Please get in touch with us to learn more about the therapeutic methods we use or more about biofeedback therapy. We are always available, and all calls are confidential. Our treatment advisors are standing by to answer any questions you might have about our comprehensive treatment program or our admissions process.
