Biofeedback

Biofeedback

The autonomic nervous system controls involuntary reactions of the body . The ANS controls all cardiac , smooth muscles and secretion of the glands to maintain homeostasis . Homeostasis is the body 's internal temperature regulator . Anything that affects homeostasis can cause serious health risk . Although the name autonomic suggests the ability to function on its own apart from the central nervous system (CNS ) there has been evidence to the contrary such as an individual changing their pupils from `constricted dots to dilated circles ' or producing goose bumps . The ANS is also important

in stress . Stress as defined by Selye is a state of being the body is in manifested by external agents Stress affects homeostasis thus is controlled by the autonomic nervous system (Thibodeau and Patton , 1996

The ANS is grouped into three divisions : the parasympathetic nervous system , the sympathetic system and the enteric nervous system . The sympathetic nervous system controls the normal conditions of the body It is an antagonist of the parasympathetic nervous system . A good example of this concerns the heartbeat . The parasympathetic nervous system tends to slow the heart and cause it to weaken . The sympathetic nervous system sends impulse to maintain the normal rate of the heart The sympathetic nervous system is very important as well in maintaining blood pressure . However , the most important job of the sympathetic nervous system is to serve as the emergency system . This system regulates the `fight or flight response . When the sympathetic nervous system comes in contact with stress it excites the hypothalamus . The hypothalamus sends impulses between the cerebral cortex and the autonomic nervous system . The excitement of the sympathetic nervous system causes the blood pressure to go up , the heartbeat to increase sweat , dryness of the mouth and light-headedness . The parasympathetic nervous system reacts to the opposite of the sympathetic nervous system If the sympathetic nervous system is responding to a `fight or flight response ' then the parasympathetic nervous system is dominant during `rest and repair ' of the body (Thibodeau and Patton , 1996 . The enteric nervous system has been called the `brain of the stomach . There is a mass of nerves , neurotransmitters and proteins in the stomach that when stress you feel what most refer to as a knot ' in their stomach . It is thought to deal with happiness and misery of an individual . It is independent and remembers . Like the other divisions it responds to stress . Several diseases are located around the enteric nervous system like colitis and irritable bowel syndrome , both of which could be stress related (Psyking .net , 2006

In responding to a client about stress management and correlation between the `fight or flight ' response could best be explained by understanding that the sympathetic nervous system will respond to certain external conditions . Stress can not be avoided but can be eliminated long term . It is important to explain to the client that he or she must allow the body to calm down for the body to go back into a `rest and repair ' state . A...