# Cheap Biofeedback



## LTL (Dec 18, 2001)

Cheap biofeedback:I saw somewhere here that BF sessions run about $80 a pop. I’d like to discuss some cheaper alternatives – maybe someone else out there has tried them also.I have a GSR II monitor (which stands for Galvanic Skin Resistance) for biofeedback that I paid about $80 for about 15 years ago. They are still for sale on the internet for between $60 and $200 depending on where you get it & what accessories you get. The GSR runs a very small electric current through your skin (you can’t feel it) & makes a noise which goes from high-pitch (more stressed) to low-pitch (less stressed). As your stress decreases, pores in your skin narrow, thus increasing your skin resistance, and decreasing the sound.It operates in a fairly narrow range (from a high to low pitch), so it is easy to make it go so low or high that you can’t hear it. Once you get it low enough that you can’t hear it, you adjust a wheel on it’s side to change the range, then get it low again, adjust the wheel again, etc. I like the GSR, but I have found one limitation. After about 4 sessions I could easily and regularly bring the pitch down until the number on the wheel was around 5 ï¿½. After that it didn’t seem to respond any more, though I believe that I was still becoming more relaxed – I think what was happening here was that my pores narrowed to a certain point, & just didn’t narrow any more after that.As a final note, I was in a bad auto accident last week. I’ve had some trouble with the insurance company & a lot of pain & my vehicle was totaled, etc. Today I cannot bring the GSR past 4 (normally I’d easily get to 5 ï¿½). Though I don’t ‘feel’ all that stressed, the GSR tells me that I am. Cheaper Biofeedback:Amazon.com sells biofeedback cards for $4 (the shipping doubles it to $8). It comes with a little informative booklet. I got one, and they do work, but they also have limitations. They respond to the temperature of your skin (warmer = less stress) instead of galvanic skin resistance. So they can only be used accurately in a room 70 – 74 degrees F. Also, mine nearly always reads “relaxed” for me. But now in my overstressed condition due to current events it reads “normal”.


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## JackieGian (Mar 23, 2002)

Sounds great, but how do you "learn" to relax those parts of your body without training? And did doing the biofeedback yourself help with your symptoms? I would not even know where to begin with such a machine.


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## LTL (Dec 18, 2001)

Hi Jackie,


> quote: how do you "learn" to relax those parts of your body without training


Please see my post on Biofeedback for D. I'm not concerned about deliberately relaxing any particular part of my body, but I'm interested in reducing stress hormone levels. But when I'm doing it, I feel muscles 'let go' that I didn't even know were tight.In order to make the monitor respond, I think of things that are pleasant & calming to me - certain bible verses especially. Also some nature scenes. I bought the monitor 15 yrs ago & got nowhere with it because I didn't know enough to do this until recently. After 4 sessions of doing this, I could bring it down quickly & easily (until today ... sigh...).As far as it helping with my symptoms, I like to think that it does, but it's really too early to tell.


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