Biofeedback Volume 50: Issue 2

The Special Issue

The spring 2022 issue of Biofeedback magazine featured a special issue on evidence-based practice. This summer issue continues the emphasis of that spring issue, featuring book chapters from the upcoming fourth edition of the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (AAPB) book, Evidence-Based Practice in Biofeedback and Neurofeedback (Khazan, Shaffer, Moss, Lyle, & Rosenthal, in press).

Each of these articles applied the AAPB/International Society for Neuroregulation & Research efficacy standards to an application area for biofeedback and neurofeedback. Complete details of the efficacy standards are available in LaVaque et al.

The purpose of this article is to review the evidence for the efficacy of treating major depressive disorder with neurofeedback using an electroencephalogram (EEG) and/or functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), as well as with biofeedback using electromyography (EMG) and heart rate variability (HRV). We summarized 33 peer-reviewed manuscripts reporting on the efficacy of one or more of these protocols, organized by randomized control trials (RCTs), quasi-experimental designs, and case studies of various designs. We evaluated these manuscripts by mapping them onto the “Template for Developing Guidelines for the Evaluation of Clinical Efficacy of Psychophysiological Interventions” (LaVaque et al., 2002). In summary, at least two RCTs have shown that both neurofeedback and biofeedback are superior to bona fide treatments in treating participants diagnosed with major depressive disorder. As such, both neurofeedback and biofeedback meet the LaVaque and colleagues' criteria for Level 5 – Efficacious and Specific. The details for efficacy are discussed within the context of the protocols, participant characteristics, and study design.

Introducing a Special Issue in Biofeedback Magazine

The Special Issue

Depression

Epilepsy

Principles and Practice of Stress Management (4th Edition)

ABSTRACTS: Abstracts of Papers Presented at the 54th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback

ABSTRACTS: Abstracts of Posters Presented at the 54th Annual Scientific Meeting of AAPB

MEMORIAL: Eleanor Criswell-Hanna, 1938–2024

SPECIAL ISSUE: Lessons Learned: A Pilot Study on the Feasibility of Using Biofeedback Monitoring in a Remote Setting with Special Forces Veterans in Saipan

SPECIAL ISSUE: The ACT of Biofeedback—Training for Psychological Flexibility