Angry Thoughts HRV Biofeedback Demo
Biofeedback Overcomes Angry Thoughts
Biofeedback Video Games have proven to be effective tools for the trained expert and the self-help user.
How can they be used to show thoughts create emotions and physical effects, even if not felt?
Biofeedback programs provide visual and interactive proof to enhance areas of executive control, attention control and focus while also providing a window into invisible, but real physiological responses to thoughts and emotions.
How does a spaceship game teach us how negative thoughts affect on our lives?
- Can we use simple to learn, special breathing techniques to create a new, stress-resilient ability?
- Will it work for us like an auto-pilot reset?
- Let’s see what happens with the Captain of this Spaceship.
By engaging in familiar activities, biofeedback video games can create and teach new ways of seeing self-control, breathing and a connection of emotions to results. And, it does so in a fun and entertaining way.
This is a brief set of screenshots showing how an engaging game can be used to understand how angry thoughts affect the way our bodies and minds work. It is also an example of how we can be taught to recognize the triggers, re-label our thoughts, work on a simple breathing pattern and this will reduce or eliminate the negative consequences of those emotional reactions.
The Biofeedback Game – in Action.
This is Eons – a game environment in the Dreamscapes software.
A spaceship flies through the cosmos with planets, stars and asteroids in a visually stimulating, but relaxing, ever-changing scenery.
How does the game provide feedback of our thoughts?
The spaceships speed, vibrancy of the colors and movement of the vehicle through space are all controlled by the users body. More specifically, physiologic cues from the user, such as heart rate (as a measure of anxiety levels) and rhythmic breathing (as a measure of a relaxed state).
Learning to take better control of such physiologic responses are important skills which are taught through game play. With the aid of a breathing pacer presented on the screen, participants can adjust their bodies performance in order to receive positive feedback within the game, such as soaring faster or creating stunning imagery of the environment.
The following frame shots go through the beautiful spaceflight UNTIL a negative, angry thought is brought to the surface of the user.
An angry thought creates a wave of hormonal response pulsed throughout our body. This event synchronizes our mind and body to a state of readiness, vigilance, protective perseverance, and guardianship. This shift in state is the result of our autonomic nervous system (ANS). Stimulation of our ANS results in a switch of our body from a rested to aggressively aware state. This transition becomes measurable and reported to the user in the form of “feedback” such as the ship will slow, the screen will darken and the user will understand how this darkness is a symbolism of what is going on inside his/her body.
The user begins to develop self-control of their physiology, guided by instruction from the on board coach and therapist. Soon the client becomes more self-aware of the aggression and how to overcome. she/he will begin to re-frame the thought and follow the breath pacer. This mimics the relaxation response technique and will allow the auto-response mechanisms of our human body to start the self-correct mechanisms which make us healthy.
Watch how the screens dim and fade to black. Then, the recovery or relaxation response is started. Then, the scenery becomes alive again until it gets to a fantastic, wonderful, engaging flight.
What is being measured in this bio-feedback thought, emotion, body connection?
Biofeedback measures responses of heart rate, breathing rhythms, skin temperature, anxiety, muscle tension, skin conductance (micro-sweat) levels and blood volume pulse amongst other things. In this game, heart rate (variability & smoothness) is used to control the flight of a spaceship, it’s power and the vibrancy of the scenery, the planets and the universe.
Studies prove that Game Play, especially when integrated with visually interactive cues and responses, helps our minds and bodies better understand the relationship between our thoughts, our breathing, our emotions and other factors in our life. This is what good biofeedback game programs do with ease and fun.
Here is an example of Biofeedback in Game Action.
PART 1: Let the client play the game to reach a calm state
The game is being played to bring a calm, engaged, somewhat meditative fun state.
The imagery is controlled by the Heart Rate, Breathing Rate and how smooth the breathing transitions are as can be seen in the lower left corner of this image and screenshot. In this biofeedback case, the lower right corner shows the measure, ‘smoothness’, which is similar to coherence in biofeedback for heart rate variability as the main measure. This ‘runs’ the game based on the user’s ‘smoothness’ calculated from stress responses and breathing efforts.
PART 2: Bring in the stimulus memory
Here is where I (the user) purposely bring(s) up a memory which elicits anger based or negative emotions and a scowl like facial appearance translates into a flow of negative hormones with poor, inconsistent breathing rhythms.
The biofeedback sensors tell the story of my internal self by slowing the game, darkening the screen and taking the power away from my spaceship.
PART 3. The thought begins to take hold of emotions and alters the physiological response
This is the first part of the game and imagery response as my emotional cues alter the heart rate and smoothness readings which propels the game and the spaceship.
PART 4. As changes take force in the body, changes are showing in the game environment
Here it is a few seconds later as the angry thoughts start to take root and mental pictures create physical changes which we might feel but might not fully know the effects.
PART 5. In often short periods of time, the game shows the effects of the emotional hijacking of thoughts over heart rate, breath and physiology.
Here is where the full effects of the negative concept from my memory fully takes over inside my mind — and my body — which is reflected in this biofeedback responsive game by the spaceship and the universe environment.
PART 6. What are we learning as a complete stop to the game harkens for analysis and self-introspection
Is this a real interpretation of how our negative emotions create a darkness and remove power and energy from us? Yes. It is.
So, how do we teach ourselves and others to be aware of the thoughts, notice the facial tightness and begin to lessen our intensity? How do we learn to breathe with a resonant, healthy rhythm and re-label that negative thought?
PART 7. Taking back control with a pre-determined method to minimize anxiety and re-create a calm state.
This is how to begin a relaxation response change.
Here the coach or enlightened user will go back to acceptance, non-judgment and simply following the breathing line breath pacer. As the image starts to move and enlighten, the user continues the breath and image focus while minimizing thought.
PART 8. The Relaxation Response is having a positive effect
As the relaxation response takes hold, the game imagery begins to move and enlighten.
The power of a good biofeedback games come from the imagery — as it changes in conjunction, in rhythm, with the cognitive behavior practices, the changes on the screen will make the brain fill in the blanks and solve the emotional connection puzzle.
PART 9. Breathing is the key transition skill
Keep in mind that for most clients, using an overlay (shown on the 1st image) of the breathing pacer removes thinking of how to breathe while also having a smooth curve to follow for the best 60-40 breathing pattern. This can help move the mind away from the negative thought. It also can be helpful to have quantitative proof to reinforce that you are ‘doing it right’. This numerical proof is just another piece of the left-right brain puzzle to combine with the cognitive behavior methodology (thought) plus (visual) imagery and breathing effort (kinesthetic) for a full mind body learning integration.
These are time-tested and research proven methods to training our bodies to breathe in a smooth rhythm such that our heart rate works in a similar smooth rhythm.
Imagine that if our heart is pumping blood and our lungs moving oxygen in and carbon dioxide out at in a smooth, rhythmic, most efficient way, all of our body should work better. Studies have shown that just 10 minutes per day of heart rate variability or smoothness practice can create significant short and long term health benefits.
PART 10: How can we ‘lock in’ what this exercise has taught us
Does this look like flying in this ‘cool’ Eons environment would be fun, or engaging?
What is the End Game?
If playing fun biofeedback video games, or learning how to be mindful for just 10 minutes a day not only has long-term, proven benefits, but it also gives someone self-awareness, self-control, self-confidence, and it also makes your feel better and more relaxed right away –how can this not be part of a regular process for all of us?
Whether the first part of a counseling session, or taking a break from the stress of work, imagine — allow yourself to meld into the imagery of flight into a new universe.
Simply allow breath, body & mind to put emotions in a positive state and fly through the universe while you leave the ‘exhaust of daily stress or negative memories’ behind.
