Final answer:
Biofeedback is a technique for monitoring and altering involuntary bodily functions via electronic measurement and feedback, aiding in conditions like headaches and high blood pressure. It works by helping individuals maintain homeostasis by returning bodily functions to a set point in response to changes. Praxis and meditation are related practices that align with biofeedback's principles of bodily control and homeostasis.
Step-by-step explanation:
Biofeedback: A Technique for Stress Management
The technique by which patients monitor their own bodily functions with the aim of altering those functions is known as biofeedback. Developed in the early 1970s by Gary Schwartz at Harvard University, biofeedback involves the use of electronic equipment to measure a person's neuromuscular and autonomic activity. Through feedback provided in the form of visual or auditory signals, individuals can develop strategies to gain voluntary control over normally involuntary bodily processes. This technique has been effectively used to assist individuals with conditions such as tension headaches, high blood pressure, asthma, and phobias.
Known benefits of biofeedback include self-monitoring of internal pressures and body temperatures, which are valuable indicators for a person's medical state. The core idea is to maintain homeostasis, a condition where the body's internal environment is kept in a steady state, by adjusting bodily functions to return to a set point when faced with internal or external changes.
Another aspect of volitional control over bodily functions, without the use of biofeedback equipment, is praxis, where a patient performs tasks based entirely on verbal instructions. Practices like meditation — sitting quietly, closing the eyes, and focusing on mantra — help the mind focus on pleasant thoughts and maintain a relaxed body status, which also contributes to maintaining homeostasis.