Definition: Biofeedback describes the process whereby a person learns to control a biological function, such as heart rate, blood pressure, or muscle tension. The biofeedback tool provides a visual or audio signal proportional to the bodily function, such as heart rate.
A person can be trained to reduce the function by focusing conscious effort on the feedback mechanism and adjusting the effort until feedback indicates the function is moving in the desired direction.
Example: Jennifer learned to reduce stress using a biofeedback tool that measured the tension in her muscles and provided a light which flashed fast for tense muscles and slow for lack of tension. After some practice at focusing on the light and consciously relaxing her muscles in the lab, she was able to reduce stress on her own without the feedback device.
