You Can Do It
With Biofeedback
™
In 1974 Dr. Hal Myers and Lawrence Klein co-founded Thought Technology Ltd. These remarkable photos are
testimony to the outstanding achievements of some of the many people who use our biofeedback instruments and
programs. Much of the outcome is a testimony to the skill of the clinicians who use our instrumentation and of the
phenomenal spirit and courage of the athletes, artists and everyday people who accomplish their goals.
Before dwelling on our history, we should clarify that over 95% of our sales are to tens of thousands of clinicians in
over twenty medical markets in 85 countries. Thought Technology Ltd. supplies instrumentation to many
Universities, clinics, and hospitals, including VA hospitals through our GSA listing. In addition, Thought
Technology's products have all gone through the US FDA 510k notification process and are manufactured to FDA
GMP, and ISO 9001 standards.
Father of Stress
In 1980 the "Father of Stress", Dr. Hans Selye and the International Institute
of Stress proposed a series of workshops that included the GSR2.
"The IIS and I personally are highly impressed by the design, sophistication
and effectiveness of your biofeedback products. We highly endorse their
inclusion in any stress management program."
Dr. Selye's untimely passing curtailed the stress seminars, but his words
about the GSR2 were prophetic as it has become the best selling
biofeedback instrument of all times.
Training Programs
Leading clinicians from major medical institutions wrote training programs which used the GSR2, including:
Stress Control
by Dr. Stephen Sideroff (Santa Monica Hospital)
Sleep Well
by Dr. Peter Hauri (former head of the Dartmouth Hitchcock Sleep Disorder Center)
Pain Control
by Dr. Tom Budzynski (Pioneer in Biofeedback)
Stop Smoking
by Dr. John Corson (Dartmouth Medical School) and Bill McCann (Univ. of Vermont)
Breathing for Health
by Dr. Erik Peper (San Francisco State University)
Just Say Know
by Dr. Sheila Blume (South Oaks Hospital)
Sex Tune Up with Biofeedback
by Dr. Mike Spevack (Montreal General Hospital)
Flying Relaxed
by Dr. Mike Spevack (Montreal General Hospital)
Taking Tests with Confidence
by Dr. Adele Greenfield (Professional Speaker)
Public Speaking
by Dr. Adele Greenfield (Professional Speaker)
Weight Control
by Dr. Hal Myers (Research Scientist McGill University)
Mind over Muscle
by Major Nory Laderoute (former athletic director of the Canadian Combat Arms Training Center) and Lawrence Klein (VP of
Thought Technology Ltd.)
All these programs are available at http://www.mindgrowth.com
Prevention Magazine Article
This 3-page article in PREVENTION magazine engendered 10,000
inquiries and several thousands of sales when it appeared in 1984.
The Biofeedback Way To Starve Stress
By Mark Golin
If you're like me, then you've probably flirted briefly with some sort of
meditation or guided-imagery technique in an attempt to give stress the slip.
Unfortunately, I always ran into the same problem. After wrapping myself up
into a reasonable facsimile of the lotus position, I'd close my eyes and set sail
for inner peace. About 10 minutes into my journey, I'd start wondering if I was
doing it right.
Reprinted with the Permission of
Prevention & Mr. Golin
Am I relaxed now? I'd ask myself. That little voice of doubt always managed
to be just loud enough to disrupt any attempt at achieving relaxation.
The end result of all my endeavors was always the same: a sigh of defeat
and a couple more instruction books relegated to the bottom of a closet.
But a couple of months ago, hope came to me through the mail in a package
from a company called Thought Technology. Inside was a hand-sized piece
of machinery with the enigmatic label GSR 2. It was a biofeedback unit. I
vaguely recalled biofeedback as a sort of 70's self-improvement fad that
somewhere along the line was quietly forgotten. But since I was about due for
another adventure in stress control, it couldn't hurt to give biofeedback its
turn.
Being inherently suspicious of anything I don't understand that promises to do
me good, the first order of business was a call to John A. Corson, PhD.,
professor of psychiatry at Dartmouth Medical School and an expert in the field
of biofeedback.
"Basically, what a biofeedback unit does is monitor a biological process that
would be otherwise difficult or impossible for the subject to detect," Dr.
Corson says. "Changes in body function are then transformed into an easily
understood signal, such as a tone or meter reading, so that the subject can
see exactly what a certain part of his body is doing from moment to moment."
'THE FIRE IN THE BOILER'
One reason for spying on your body's workings is that they often times
change as your emotional state changes. The autonomic nervous system is a
perfect example of this, says Dr. Corson. I call this system the emotional fire
in the boiler because it initiates many physical and chemical changes as
components of heightened emotional states, such as fear or excitement.
Perspiration is one of those functions controlled by the autonomic nervous
system. You may have noticed yourself sweating a bit the last time you gave
a recital at Carnegie Hall or were chased by a Siberian tiger. This is the
autonomic system working at its best. On a subtler level, the size of your
pores as well as the level of perspiration production are constantly changing
in reaction to everyday stimuli and stress.
"These changes are very small and are measured in units called micromhos,"
says Dr. Corson. The GSR 2 biofeedback unit monitors the skin's micro-mho
level and emits a tone, which rises in pitch as more moisture is produced or
drops as the skin becomes drier.
The end product is a direct line of communication with how you're really
feeling. So it seemed as if biofeedback was the answer to my meditation
struggles with the voice of doubt. Now I'd know for sure if I was relaxing
correctly because the tone would tell me. It was time for some
experimentation.
MASTERING THE PITCH
The actual unit fit easily in my hand and had a small elastic band that held my
fingers snugly against two smooth metal plates. Upon contact, a small
earphone began humming softly in my ear. I closed my eyes and started
purposefully thinking about a stressful situation: my next article deadline.
Sure enough, within three seconds, the tone started climbing the scale until it
resembled the high-pitched whine of a mosquito. No doubt about it, I was
definitely worked up.
'Soon I had the unit humming a low tone - virtually one-note hymn to
relaxation.'
Bringing the tone back down took a little more work. Over the next two weeks,
I practiced regularly with the unit while listening to a tape of relaxation
exercises that came with the package. Soon I had the unit humming a low
complacent tone that was a virtual one-note hymn to relaxation. If I heard the
tone rise, I stopped and examined my thoughts to see what was bothering
me. In this way, I not only learned correct relaxation techniques, I also
discovered hidden stressors that I never realized were upsetting me.
As I was lying on my living room floor totally calm after a half hour of
feedback, I wondered why such a great technique had been a mere fad 15
years ago. "The instrumentation and training techniques for clients were less
sophisticated back then," says Dr. Corson. "People bought biofeedback units
with the idea that they could just plug themselves in and rewire their emotions
for relaxation."
If regeneration is high on your priority list, biofeedback may be just the
ticket.
That's not the case at all. If you're thinking of giving biofeedback a try, be
prepared for some serious work. To start, you've got to find a good relaxation
technique and really concentrate on making it work. "The unit itself only tells
you how you're doing, not what to do," cautions Dr. Corson. A good analogy
is that of a maze. At one end is you, at the other is relaxation. Biofeedback
can tell you when you're on the right path and can also let you know when
you're taking false turns.
I put in a good half hour a day at feedback. But Dr. Corson says even 10 to
20 minutes daily, done regularly, can have a beneficial effect. "Besides the
promise of daily relaxation, I've found that biofeedback in conjunction with
stress-management training often delivers other bonuses, such as better
sleep and relief from stress-relaxed high blood pressure," he says.
Eventually, when you've learned proper relaxation techniques, you can wean
yourself from the feedback unit. But again, to make it work, you still must
practice your exercises regularly. Otherwise your body will forget everything
you taught it. "Occasionally it's a good idea to go back to the biofeedback unit
to make sure your skills are in good order," says Dr. Corson.
If regeneration is high on your priority list, biofeedback may be just the ticket.
It helps you gain control of your body and mind so that you can realize some
of your latent potential. And it does this by rechanneling your own attention
rather than by depending on external resources. If you just want to calm down
a bit, biofeedback can show you how to do it faster and better.
Thought Technology is a leading manufacturer of quality, home biofeedback
units. If you're interested in learning a little more about the GSR 2, drop them
a line.
Military Pentathlon Gold Medal Team
Norbert G. Laderoute, former athletic director of the Canadian Combat Arms
Training Center at Gagetown, New Brunswick.
"In 1980-81, while a BPER (Base Physical Education Recreational Officer) for
CFB Gagetown, I acted as the coach/psychologist for the Biathlon (cross
country skiing & sharp shooting) in CFB Valcartier, Quebec."
"The team approached me as they heard of my success with the Canadian
Military Pentathlon Team and Bisley Rifle Team and they wanted help in their
training as 'they could not hit the side of the barn door' after their cross
country skiing."
Norbert G. Laderoute Letter
My name is Norbert G. Laderoute, former athletic director of the Canadian Combat Arms
Training Center at Gagetown, New Brunswick. In 1980-81 while BPER (Base Physical
Education Recreational Officer) for CFB Gagetown. I acted as the coach/psychologist for the
Biathlon (cross country skiing & sharp shooting) in CFB Valcartier, Quebec.
The team approached me as they heard of my success with the Canadian Military Pentathlon
Team and Bisley Rifle Team and they wanted help in their training as "they could not hit the
side of the barn door" after their cross country skiing.
They were marched into the gymnasium in Valcartier and (since they were in random order)
we had them numbered off 1-2-1-2 etc. There were approximately 24 competitors in all and
thus randomly divided themselves into two groups - one stepped forward, two stepped back.
All instructions were given to the athletes by their sergeant major and since he was a
francophone the words were kept at a minimum. They were told "do mentally what you do
physically."
We provided them with 24 GSR devices from Thought Technology; and half of them were
standard GSR 2 (Galvanic Skin Response Monitors) and half of them when turned on only
produced a constant low tone. The groups were told do mentally what you do physically and
the people with real GSR with (variable tones) were told to make the tone go down as many
times as possible where the people with low tone were told that "this low constant tone was
monotonous and would relax them".
Within four weeks the group that had the false GSR 2 marched in on mass and said "this is not
fair." They said that the other group was getting so much better then them it was clear that they
were being discriminated against and they wanted the good stuff. It was decided that an ABA
study should be done so that the B group be given an "active ingredient" and to see if there had
been a rare random selection of inferior athletes or if this was a real training effect. After a few
weeks of training the B "fixed tone" group came up equal to the real GSR 2 group. Not only
did their shooting get markedly better but times on the track which averaged about 20 minutes
improved by more than 16%. While we understood that the athletes relaxed more quickly and
thus became more accurate in shooting, since their heart rate would be lower, but we did not
understand why their time on the track were getting so much better. Thus, we asked them to do
their standard "mental practice" while we asked them every 60 seconds what they were doing.
They were visualizing skiing for 20 minutes and shooting for two minutes, since they were told
"to do mentally what they do physically." They were actually skiing the entire cross - country
course in their mind. It seems that this "mental training" in a deep state of relaxation made a
powerful "Mind Muscle connection."
These facts can be corroborated by Captain Steve Tibbits, a level 4 cross country skier, and a
winner of the British Bisley competition (the Whimbleton of Sharp Shooting). Steve Tibbits
has been the head of small arms training for the Canadian Armed forces in Gagetown NB for
over twenty years and can attest the veracity of these results.
Sincerely,
Nory G. Laderoute
Former Athletic Director of the Canadian Combat Arms Training Center
Gagetown, New Brunswick
Women's Canadian Olympic Downhill Ski Team
In 1982, Currie Chapmen, then coach of the Women's Canadian Olympic
Downhill Ski Team, used a dozen Mind Over Muscle programs, with GSR2's,
for the entire team. Major Nory Laderoute and Lawrence Klein had conceived
of MIND OVER MUSCLE in answer to Mr. Klein's question; "Would racers be
faster through the gates if they memorized the course in a state of relaxation
with biofeedback as opposed to trying to do it in a normal waking state?" After
their success with the Canadian Military Pentathalon team, Laderoute and
Klein worked with the women's team to tone their visualization and mental
training skills. Laurie Graham, Jerry Sorenson and Lisa Zavajarvi all won
numerous world cup downhills.
Dr. Erik Peper
In 1988 Dr. Erik Peper, past president of the Biofeedback Society of America
and Director of Holistic Healing Studies at San Francisco State University
was co-psychologist with Gold Medallist Andrea Schmidt who used Mind
Over Muscle/GSR2 with the US Olympic Rhythmic Gymnastic team. His
studies were published in SOMATICS Journal and led to several trips to
Tokyo, Taipei, and Hong Kong, teaching hundreds of psychologists, coaches
and athletes at their National Sports Institutes, and conducting numerous TV
and newspaper interviews.
Peak Performance Training with Electrodermal Biofeedback.
Dr. Shane Murphy
In 1984 Dr. Shane Murphy, psychologist for the US Olympic Ski Team,
bought a dozen Mind Over Muscle/GSR2 for the Colorado center.
Subsequently the US Olympic Center purchased Thought Technology's 8
channel ProComp multi-modality computerized system to evaluate and train
the athletes.
Canadian Coaching Association
In 1982 the Coaching Association of Canada began selling the Mind Over
Muscle system to the coaches in over one hundred sports. That same year
every Olympic Coach in Canada was given Mind Over Muscle/GSR 2 by the
Coaching Association of Canada.
Montreal Police Officers
In 1984, 15 Montreal Police Officers ran for a Guinness World book of record,
7500 km 'continuous marathon' to the Los Angeles Olympics. The 15
policemen used the Mind Over Muscle program to focus their minds and use
energy more efficiently.
C.J. Mueller, Speed Skier
While on his tri-annual ski coaches course, Lawrence
Klein bumped into speed skier C.J. Mueller. I cleared
off the wax bench to make way for his "sheath" of 240
cm skis. "How fast? Klein asked. "124.4 mph," was
Mueller's reply. "Exciting" Mueller ventured, "Ah, its all
hurry up and wait; wait for the wind to die down or the
course to be repaired, the snow to stop." "Great time
for visualization and biofeedback" said Klein. Mueller
had never heard of either. They never ran that race,
but Klein gave him a Mind Over Muscle/GSR2
program. On August 1, 1987 Mueller sent the following
letter. "Dear Larry, ...You first showed me the GSR2 in
1985, and I began to use it at that time. In 1986 I
finally broke the 200 km/hr barrier. I also won for the
first time in an international event, taking 1st in New
Zealand in September. Then in 1987, I won again, this
time in Finland. And on April 17th, I became the first
skier to break the 210km/h, 130-mph barrier, skiing
212.0 km or 131.74 mph. The GSR2 helped to make
this achievement possible. Many, Many thanks."
Dr. Jean Louis Etienne
In 1986 Dr. Jean Louis Etienne became the first man
to ski solo to the north pole. To quote from the Medical
Tribune special edition that devoted an entire 36-page
edition to his accomplishment. Beside a photo of the
GSR/Temp 2X it summarized "....this article describes
the role of biofeedback in helping Dr. Etienne prepare
his North Pole expedition. Biofeedback was used to
achieve cold weather adaptation and to control stress
associated with the anticipated hazards of the trip.
Cold adaptation facilitated by skin temperature
biofeedback was practiced in a walk-in fridge in which
he was able to raise his hand temperature 2.2 °C (5F).
Additional psychophysiological training with GSR and
a portable skin temperature device at home further
increased the explorer's sense of self control..."
After reviewing the clinical use of biofeedback for
conditions such as Raynaud's disease, this article
describes the role of biofeedback in helping Dr.
Etienne prepare his North Pole expedition.
Biofeedback was used to achieve cold weather
adaptation and to control stress associated with the
anticipated hazards of the trip. Cold adaptation
facilitated by skin temperature biofeedback, was
practiced in a walk-in fridge in which he was able to
raise his hand temperature 2,2°C. Additional
psychophysiological training with GSR and a portable
skin temperature device at home further increased the
explorer's sense of self-control. Finally, the role of
psychological variables such as self-control is
discussed as a determinant of any expeditions
success.
Japanese Olympic Medallists
Over half the successful Olympic medallists in Seoul,
from JAPAN, were trained on Mind Over
Muscle/GSR2, in Japanese! Although the GSR2 was
on the cover of SONY Magazine and sold in the giant
Seibu-Parco department store it is still the Japanese
elite athlete who is the main focus of our Japanese
distributor - who coaches hundreds of Olympic
athletes in psychological techniques.
Grand Prix Racing Drivers
In 1991, Dr. Dan Marici, head of Sports Psychology at
McGill University, also psychologist for the Canadian
Olympic downhill ski team used a dozen Mind Over
Muscle/GSR2 with the entire men's Canadian Olympic
Team, soon after Ed Podivinski won bronze at
Lillihammer. Dan was also psychologist for several
Grand Prix racing drivers including Emerson Fittipaldi
and the late world champion Ayerton Senna. GSR is
only one modality used with athletes. Dan has two of
Thought Technology's 16 channel multi modality
FlexComp computerized systems.
European Academy of Sports Vision
Since 1992, Sports Vision, in partnership with Bausch
& Lombs, has tested the visual acuity of thousands of
Olympic athletes. Sports Vision has 5 centers in Italy
and uses ProComp, along with a variety of other
techniques, to teach visual acuity. Sports Vision told
us that a great Italian ski champion, used a MyoTrac in
training. The EMG, attached to his chest, emits a
warning signal if he breaths thoracically (in the upper
chest) to encourage diaphragmatic breathing.
Sylvain Guillon, Olympic Gold Medallist
The 1994 Olympic Nordic Combined Gold Medallist,
Sylvain Guillon, practices his jumping with a
MyoTrac2, strapped to his back, to measure the EMG
timing of his thigh muscles during the 120 meter ski
jump. Recording the firing of his quadricep muscles
helps him analyze the amplitude and timing of his
pushoff, to enhance the value of his practice jumps.
Prime Minister: Pierre Trudeau
One of the high points of our correspondance was
receiving letters of congratulations from then Prime
Minister Pierre Trudeau in 1976 and 1978 on Thought
Technology winning awards for design excellence at
the International Exhibition of Inventions and New
Techniques in Geneva Switzerland.
President: Bill Clinton
The pinnacle of our PR was a letter July 2/1993 from
the President of the United States of America, Bill
Clinton, from THE WHITE HOUSE, thanking us for a
gift of the STRESS CONTROL with BIOFEEDBACK
program. A friend of ours had treated then Governor
Clinton for a hoarse voice, teaching him to speak with
less effort, and enabling him to continue campaigning.
Thus, we were able to deliver the program to the
person with, arguably, the most stress in the world. A
letter from the President of the United States of
America is like a "gold medal" in the PR Olympics.
Pat Hickey
Peak performance starts in the mind
By Pat Hickey
"If there is one point that is being amplified by the
Dubin Inquiry, it was the fact that athletes are forever
seeking an edge, that something extra that spells the
difference between being an also-ran and a medallist."
Thomas Schnurmacher
Gizmo made by Montrealers has friends in high places
"What do His Holiness Pope John Paul II, and actor
Marlon Brando have in common with the Canadian
Women's Alpine Ski Team?"
The Gazette, Montreal