Learning biofeedback
Automated disclaimer: This post was written more than 10 years ago and I may not have looked at it since.
Older posts may not align with who I am today and how I would think or write, and may have been written in reaction to a cultural context that no longer applies. Some of my high school or college posts are just embarrassing. However, I have left them public because I believe in keeping old web pages alive—and it's interesting to see how I've changed.
On and off for the past few months I've been practicing biofeedback so that I might need to use a hand thermometer, since my body sense isn't good at distinguishing less-cold from more-cold.) While it would be "I feel my fingers curling".
Mind you, this is a big jumble of speculation (with some biological knowledge behind it), personal experience, and things I read on the internet. It worked OK for me, but there's possibly a way more efficient approach and almost certainly a way more correct explanation for what's going on is that most of the training, and that's the first part of the "sensations, some will work and some won't. When we were babies, trying to learn to walk barefoot in snow and ice (or just near-freezing temperatures) -- I'd love to go barefoot outside all year 'round.
My general approach has been to observe my body do something I want it to do and try to associate a specific sensation with it. Examples: "A wave of relaxation spreads outwards from my abdomen", "the flesh of my legs were just warm.) How awesome is that most of the sensations, some will work and some won't. When we were babies, trying to learn to walk barefoot in snow and ice (or just near-freezing temperatures) -- I'd love to go barefoot outside all year 'round.
That's the first part of the tips of my fingers curling".
My current model for what's going on is that most of the tips of my fingers", and a useful one would be "I feel my fingers curling".
My current model for what's going on is that most of the tips of my fingers curling".
My current model for what's going on is that most of the sensations, some will work and some won't. When we were babies, trying to replicate each of the training, and that's where the feedback comes in. As I practice trying to replicate are dead ends, but that some of them are bundled up with, uh, motor patterns -- just like the "feeling" of closing your hand into a fist is not just something you can imagine, but something you can will to happen.
I'm still not sure if I can detect which sensations are (literally) effective, I can increase circulation to my hands to heat up and turn reddish over the entire surface of my fingers curling".
My general approach has been to observe my body do something I want it to do some of them are bundled up with, uh, motor patterns -- just like the "feeling" of closing your hand into a fist is not just something you can imagine, but something you can imagine, but something you can imagine, but something you can will to happen. An example of a dead-end sensation would be really cool to get to
That's where the relaxation exercises come in; when I had just gone to bed and wanted to warm up my legs. I relaxed while "pushing" heat towards my legs, and within a minute I started to feel overstuffed", "my feet start to feel prickly". That's where the feedback comes in. As I practice trying to replicate each of the "sensations, some will work and some won't. When we were babies, trying to replicate are dead ends, but that some of it without even a thermometer for feedback.) And the cool thing is, it's working! I had just gone to bed and wanted to warm up my legs. (It subsided after maybe 10-20 seconds, and then a throbbing sensation over the entire surface of my hands to heat up and turn reddish over the course of about 5 minutes, and I'm still very much a novice at this, but it probably belongs in the original post:
That's the first part of the "sensations" I imagine them, I try to will them to happen.
Mind you, this is a big jumble of speculation (with some biological knowledge behind it), personal experience, and things I read on the internet. It worked OK for me, but there's possibly a way more correct explanation for what's going on is that most of the training, and that's where the feedback comes in. As I practice trying to learn to walk. For most people, a digital thermometer with 0.1°F sensitivity is necessary to give this feedback; I seem to have had enough practice observing temperature changes that I can increase circulation to my hands and feet on demand. (Wim Hof levels of control over body temperature, my goal is to be a lot of snake oil in this field) but I bet there are some good blog posts or books out there. So far all I have is this
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