ANNOUNCING THE MICHAEL ROTHBURD STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP

Look for upcoming announcements about applying for 2024 BSF workshops scholarships

Eligibility: Undergraduate or graduate students, post-doctoral students, researchers, and early-career clinicians who can demonstrate an interest in biofeedback may apply.

How to apply: Download an application and submit it by email to info@floridabiofeedback.org. Completed applications may also be mailed via USPS to The Biofeedback Society of Florida, 1230 So. Federal Hwy., Boynton Beach, FL 33435

For detailed information about the Michael Rothburd Scholarship, click on this link.


STEVEN MARCUS, PH.D.
1946 - 2022

BSF regrets to announce the passing of founding member and Director, Steve Marcus, Ph.D.

It is with deep sadness and regret that we announce the passing of BSF Board member, Steve Marcus, Ph.D. Steve was a founding member of the Society in 1978 and has served continuously on the Board of Directors, and in various other capacities since then.

Steve was the self-appointed and Board endorsed “sergeant-at arms”, and a beloved fixture at BSF conferences along with his career-long professional partner, Mike Rothburd, Ph.D. Steve and Mike were known for their intelligent and often humorous commentary that livened our BSF workshops.
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The August 10-11, 2024 BSF workshop is co-sponsored by The Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (AAPB). Our thanks to AAPB!

What is Biofeedback?

Biofeedback is a process that enables an individual to learn how to change physiological activity for the purposes of improving health and performance. Precise instruments are used to measure physiological activity such as brainwaves, heart function, breathing, muscle activity, and skin temperature. These instruments rapidly and accurately "feed back" information to the user, typically on a computer display. The presentation of this information - often in conjunction with changes in thinking, emotions, and behavior - supports desired physiological changes. Over time, these changes can endure without continued use of an instrument.

One example of biofeedback would be the application of surface EMG (electromyography or muscle activity) in rehabilitation. A stroke victim might have minimal motor control in a partially paralyzed limb, and through EMG biofeedback, would view a representation of their muscle activity on a computer screen. Sensors placed on the skin above the musculature would allow the instrument to show minute changes in muscle activity, so small that the individual might not be aware of them, as she/he attempts to move the limb. With that information now immediately available to them, the person can see if their efforts are working, and over time, learn to recruit the neural activity and muscle activation necessary to improve function.

There are numerous other biofeedback modalities that are identified by the physiological process that is the target of change (i.e., EEG or brainwave activity, also called neurofeedback, thermography, a measure of skin temperature that represents blood flow, and HRV or heart rate variability, to name a few).

Biofeedback has been shown to be useful in treating the following:
  • Migraine headaches
  • Tension headaches
  • Other types of chronic pain
  • Disorders of the digestive system
  • Incontinence
  • High blood pressure
  • Cardiac arrhythmias (abnormalities in the rhythm of the heartbeat)
  • ADD/ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder)
  • Epilepsy
  • Paralysis, spinal cord injury and other movement disorders
  • Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Raynaud's Disease
  • Stroke
  • Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD)
  • Insomnia
  • Asthma
Biofeedback is also used to improve academic and athletic performance, and its technology is being utilized in the emerging science of brain-computer interface and the development of applications in video/computer gaming.

For more information about Biofeedback, visit the Association for Applied Psychophysiology & Biofeedback website.