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We are happy to write a regular column for the Biofeedback journal where we will present a somewhat different perspective on our field. We chose the name Biofeedback from An Other Perspective to denote a significant process that might enhance our field.
Biofeedback (BF) treatment is never done in solitude. There is always the presence of the "other." By the side of the patient sits the practitioner. He or she is there, guiding, monitoring, reassuring, and reinforcing success. This is where the practitioner's influence over the client is obvious. In this column and others to follow, we will reflect on the "other" perspective. As the column title suggests, the focus will be on the therapist and various others, such as spouse, child, and parent.
The term other yields a handful of meanings and connotations in the field of psychodynamic psychotherapy. The other bears meaning for the patient. Therefore, the patient's acknowledgement of the other presence and thereafter its meaning and influence on the patient is the driving mechanism of the therapeutic relationship. We will try to follow this line of thought and reflect on BF practitioners' various roles. We will rely on modern ideas of intersubjective neurobiology as the foundation for dynamic psychotherapeutic relationship.
The term self, as in self-control and later in self-regulation, has been central to the biofeedback literature since its inception. In the last decade, however, researchers have been moving from one-person psychology toward two-person psychology, which emphasizes the significance of the interplay between two subjects and the importance of an interpersonal approach. This is augmented by scientific studies that are beginning to elucidate the regulatory role of interpersonal interactions.
The title may imply our otherness as well. As residents of a different continent, we will adopt the outsider perspective on the field of biofeedback. Our otherness will come to aid while reflecting on well-known assumptions and truisms, bearing in mind the different climate in which we practice biofeedback.
Interpersonal Neurobiology and Biofeedback
Interpersonal neurobiology (IPNB), termed by Dan Siegel, is a practical model aiding in understanding and forming mutual relationships. IPNB is based on neurobiological findings concerning the effect of interpersonal relationship on brain functioning. Cozolino (2013), Schore (2003), Siegel (1999), and various others demonstrated the neuroplastic effect of therapeutic techniques...