|
|
Patients statements
Case Reports on the Therapeutic Influence of Respiration Feedback (RFB) According to LEUNER
The 4-year clinical trial of the RFB extended to a
random sample of 200 patients suffering from
psycho-neurotic, conversion-neurotic and psychosomatic
illnesses, of neuro-vegetative and functional syndromes.
The patients came from the poly-clinics of a medical and
a psychiatric teaching hospital, and thus constituted
selected problem cases. A further group came from a
psychiatric practice. The treatment was conducted by
Prof. Leuner's study group at the Psychiatric Clinic of
Göttingen University.
Results
The following text is an account of the statements made
by a selection of successfully treated patients. The
treatment consisted of 12 sessions of 30 minutes each, 3
to 4 sessions per week. (Permanent effects are
considerably improved after 15 sessions, plus an
additional 8 sessions once weekly as a "maintenance
dosage"!)
- 28-year-old housewife who had suffered from depressive ill-humor and
phobias, declared after the 12th session, "Since
I have been undergoing treatment here I don't cry
any more. The stomach pains occur less frequently,
and my sleep is improved. But the most amazing thing
is that I feel more confident. After the 8th session
I went shopping again in a supermarket, without my
husband. This was the first time in 1 1/2 years.
Before then I had always been afraid of the crowds."
- 44-year-old cleaner: she complained of palpitations, states of
anxiety, nausea and general nervousness. The patient
had been depressive for one year, since the sudden
accidental death of her 20-year-old son, and was
brooding over the "shotgun" wedding of her
19-year-old son. The patient grew much calmer in the
course of the treatment and said at the end, "I
feel like a new woman." She stated that her
symptoms had disappeared "completely", and
that she could view her son's death with greater
detachment now.
- 23-year-old theology student, who had suffered from an essential tremor
of both hands for 10 years, summarized the
concluding discussions in 3 points: "1) General
decrease of nervousness; 2) the impression to be
more at one; 3) since I started the relaxation
therapy my tremor has diminished considerably."
- 20-year-old
assembly-line worker: she was so nervous that, when
treatment first began, she was hardly capable of
spending the whole time lying down on the couch. She had
been suffering from severe back-ache and insomnia for 10
years. On completion of the therapy she stated, "Today
I would have been able to lie still for much longer; at
the beginning I used to be glad when I could get up
after half an hour. My insomnia has disappeared, and I
can go to sleep easily now. The back-ache occurs less
frequently, and no longer every day; the pain used to
last for days, now it is of short duration and no longer
so severe. I have consulted many doctors, and now
something like this has helped me. I can hardly believe
it, but it is true."
Biofeedback
|
|
|
