Biofeedback

Biofeedback as an 'exercise' comes from a world view very different from the Reich and Lowen tradition. Biofeedback has two somewhat mechanistic elements: 1) The will or conscious decisional capacity is employed directly to make the desired changes in the vegetative system happen, and 2) A non-human instrument is inserted in the loop of self regulation.

However, biofeedback generally is employed to lessen sympathetic shift and promote relaxation, and in this it shares a common function with most of the practices listed in this section. Biofeedback really is employing a conscious intention to stimulate unconscious processing.

The insertion of the instrument is not necesary for a conscious intention to be practiced. Any person with fair awareness can use the sensations of the body to tell when they are moving in the right direction, and this will increase awareness of the body.

The real role of the instrument seems to be to make the process more controllable to the ego. This has the advantage of making it more acceptable to people not ready to let go, but it has the disadvantage of avoiding perhaps, the experience of letting go.