I just recently started biofeedback as another method of controlling my headaches and migraines, as well as my stress and anxiety. There is a great deal of research backing biofeedback as an effective tool to control migraines (more information can be found here and here).
At my first appointment, the doctor and I went over just went over my history. At my second appointment, I was hooked up to the machines. The point of this appointment was to stress me out and see how I reacted. The machines would monitor the way my muscles tense in my back, the temperature of my fingertips, and my skin conductivity. Then the doctor alternated stressing me out and allowing me to relax. I don't want to go into detail about the stressors because if one of you decide to try biofeedback, you shouldn't know what they are ahead of time. What I will say is that there were three types of stressors: mental, emotional, and anticipation. Afterward, the doctor and I went over the results. According to the data, I didn't tense much and my temperature remained relatively steady, but my skin conductivity showed my stress. As for the tests, I remained calm during the metal and anticipation stress tests, but reacted quite a bit during the emotional test. It should be noted that I didn't react to the anticipation test because I figured out what it was half way through.
Also, during the relaxation break after the mental test, my stress went up. The doctor asked what I had been thinking of, and I remembered that I had been wondering what the next test would be. So while I didn't react to the anticipation test since I had figured it out, I did have stress when anticipating the upcoming tests.
I am looking forward to seeing how biofeedback works for me. I will keep you all updated!
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