From the Editor

Biofeedback ⎪ Winter 2005 125 Harry the introduces the GEMINI program, introduces the GEMINI Linda Thomson,Linda author of the recent book Ingrid Pirker-Binder and Christine Lang present the and Ingrid Pirker-Binder behavioral Daniel Hamiel of Israel presents cognitive Dmitry Burshteyn, Lei, Ting Cea-Aravena and Juan on biofeedback professionals This special issue draws strain in their physiology and behavior via very simple and behavior strain in their physiology strategies, a more playful and redirect their energies in fashion. and health-enhancing Hypnopotamus, and animal stories to guide children which uses imagery to relax, breathe diaphragmatically, their and transform bodies and symptoms.images of their own Thomson indirect hypnotic approach both in advocates using this settings. schools and in clinical International (ASTI) program for Training Active Stress self-regulation training, for elemen- which was developed Austria.tary schools in ASTI also utilizes lovable fantasy figures to guide children to learn relaxation, diaphragmat- ic breathing, muscle relaxation, and handwarming. tool in helping therapy (CBT) as a useful but incomplete posttraumatic dis- individuals to cope with anxiety and tress. highlights the importance of emotional distur- He to the bance and the emotional brain in contributing severity of emotional disorders. that com- He suggests training with CBT bining biofeedback and mindfulness anxiety and trau- will produce more effective relief from matic experiencing. neurofeedback describe a recent study that combined expressive writing paradigm Pennebaker’s and James students.with a group of undergraduate college The to combine biofeedback with others encourage authors expressive writing in clinical settings. from around the world, yet many commonalities emerge. emphasize the role of negative The authors emotions, beliefs, maladaptive and excessive physiolog- prob- health and behavioral ical activation in children’s lems. Several specifically highlight the neurobiology of negative emotion. simple and emphasize The authors child-friendly strategies for transforming negative emotions into positive feelings and for modifying destructive beliefs. They emphasize such useful tools as biofeedback, relaxation skills, and expressive writing for alleviating physiological distress. Finally, most of these brain to bring the complexi- on the right draw authors by using level ties of self-regulation to a child’s imagery, metaphors, and story. edu- Biofeedback This special issue focuses on the This special issue focuses 1 The articles address the question,The articles address How

In March 2002,In March Psycho- Applied proposed an I Elizabeth Stroebel, of the Kiddie QR program author

Photo courtesy of Craig de Fasselle, Photography,Tree Dead www. FROM THE THE FROM EDITOR Donald Moss, PhD physiology and Biofeedback (AAPB) initiative to devel- physiology and Biofeedback (AAPB) teaching chil- for op a curriculum and a set of resources dren to self-regulate. education section has AAPB’s accepted this challenge, and this special issue is a begin- that curriculum. ning step in the process of developing The education section, Elizabeth and its cochairs Stroebel and Ingrid Pirker-Binder, develop a will now site that will feature a Web AAPB page on the Web articles growing collection of handouts and educational dedicated to teaching kids to self-regulate. can we best teach our young people to self-regulate their can we best teach our bodies, minds, better manage and emotions in order to the stress of life? cation for life. challenge of providing children and youth with an challenge of providing Rollin McCraty describes the large-scale, school-based projects of the HeartMath Institute, which guide chil- dren to cultivate position emotion, positive social behav- iors, and better academic performance. The HeartMath “heart rhythm coherence training,”approach utilizes a specific form of heart rate variability biofeedback, as a teaching tool for school-age children. wellness education,for children’s introduces George concept of dysponesis and shows its appli- Whatmore’s cation with children of school age and younger. Her arti- cle shows how children can identify misplaced effort and Feature Articles Sebastian Striefel discusses the process of encouraging Sebastian Striefel discusses the process own health and children to accept responsibility for their health care. of biofeedback, He emphasizes the role self-efficacy,which creates a sense of immediate and a approach to show children the role cognitive behavioral of attitude and belief in impacting emotions, physiology, and health. Ethics and Standards The cover of this Winter 2005 issue of 2005 issue Winter The cover of this Special Issue: Children and Teaching to Self-Regulate Youth shows a schoolhouse. 1 deadtreephotography.com From the Editor

Handouts AAPB News and Events Section The special Handouts section includes brief practical The News and Events section includes columns from exercises to guide clinicians and educators in teaching AAPB’s President Richard Sherman, President-Elect children to self-regulate. Two of the handouts illustrate Richard Gevirtz, and Executive Director Francine Butler, principles introduced in feature articles. Pirker-Binder as well an announcement about a new Web site for the and Lang provide an exercise using fantasy characters to Biofeedback Certification of America (BCIA). guide the child to learn handwarming. Following princi- ples developed by Pennebaker, Donald Moss provides a set of instructions guiding a middle school or high school student (or adult) to engage in expressive writing. Finally, Edna Tune of Israel provides instructions for an exercise using play with soap bubbles to effectively mas- ter diaphragmatic breathing. Additional handouts from Dr. Stroebel will appear in future issues of Biofeedback,

based on her program, Kiddie’s Quieting Reflex: A Donald Moss Choice for Children. We invite readers to send in additional handouts for future issues of Biofeedback. The handouts will also be Proposals and Abstracts considered for inclusion on the AAPB Web site. Proposals and abstracts are now invited for future special issues of Biofeedback: Pelvic Floor Disorders for Spring 2006, EEG Historical Perspective Signatures of Common Disorders for Fall 2006, and Integrating Lifestyle Change Into Applied Psychophysiological Therapies Mary Lee Esty provides an historical perspective on the for Summer 2007. The editor also welcomes proposals for work of several biofeedback pioneers in contributing to a future special issues of Biofeedback. group-based mind-body self-regulation approach. Biofeedback ⎪ Winter 2005 126