| Biofeedback is often uniquely
effective and has no known harmful side effects.... And
it quickly teaches you how to attain a state of
pleasant relaxation. By enabling you to attain
conscious control over your body's habitual physiological
stress reactions, biofeedback can help alleviate anxiety,
improve sleep and manage chronic pain. |
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 Certified Biofeedback Therapist
Julie Weiner, M.S., a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), has 20 years' experience using
biofeedback to teach relaxation, stress management, pain
control, attention focussing and peak performance skills.
In addition to her Riverdale practice described on this
website, she teaches stress management classes at
corporate, government and trade union settings through
HIP of Greater New York. She serves as staff biofeedback
therapist at A Family Urology Practice in
Hastings-on-Hudson, teaching bladder control and pain
management to children and adults under the supervision
of family urologist Judy Siegel, M.D. She has a
master's degree in nutrition and post-graduate
academic course work in psychology recognized by the
New York State Office of Professions as equivalent to
a master's in counseling. She helps educate her clients and
the public about the role of nutrition in preventing
chronic pain, alleviating asthma and other inflammatory
disorders, enhancing attention skills and maintaining a
positive mood. She is a frequent lecturer and panelist at
local community organizations' events, speaking on topics
related to her work. More... |
Julie Weiner, MS, LMHC, BCIA
Senior Fellow, Certified Biofeedback Therapist Specialties:
Synchronizing
What is biofeedback?
Biofeedback can help you become more calm and relaxed-alleviating anxiety, chronic pain, insomnia or muscle spasms. Or, it can help you
become more alert, focussed and energetic, improving
attention, concentration, school work or athletic
performance. It can enhance creativity as well as mental
flexibility and emotional resilience. EEG biofeedback,
also called neurofeedback, has been shown to improve
children's school grades and even IQ.
Are there any requirements? A medical diagnosis and referral from your physician are required for any health problems for which biofeedback is being considered. How long does it take? A short-term investment of 8 to 20 sessions can often yield long-term health rewards. Use of EEG biofeedback to improve memory, school grades, IQ scores, attention, concentration, or energy levels caused by chronic fatigue may take longer. Daily relaxation practice with an inexpensive take-home thermal biofeedback device, and playing computerized cognitive skills games, can shorten treatment time and cost. A carefully selected diet can improve your results. Does insurance cover biofeedback? Biofeedback is reimbursed by some insurers (depending on the terms of the policy). Laboratory tests for nutrition assessment, with your doctor's cooperation, may be partially covered. Payment is the responsibility of each client. Efficacy has been demonstrated for biofeedback for the following:
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Biofeedback helps you to
recognize and regulate dysfuntions of the body that are
causing your symptoms. For example, tension headaches can
be controlled by learning to reduce muscle tension.
Biofeedback instruments can measure muscle tension, heart
rate, electroencephalographic (EEG brain wave) patterns,
nervous perspiration and fingertip temperature. (Hands
get colder under stress and warmer with relaxation.)
During biofeedback sessions, you sit in a
reclining chair in front of a computer monitor, looking
at animated abstract images such as these-or games,
cartoons, or stories-listening to tones or melodies.
Meanwhile, the therapist monitors the measurements on a
separate screen (see photo). Non-invasive sensors on your
skin measure your state of relaxation or attention. The
images and sounds change with changes in your state, to
guide you into a state of deeper relaxation or focussed
attention. 
Contains comprehensive up-to-date bibliography on neurofeedback (pdf).
