{"id":36402,"date":"2021-07-13T22:09:56","date_gmt":"2021-07-14T03:09:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/?p=36402"},"modified":"2021-07-28T19:42:54","modified_gmt":"2021-07-29T00:42:54","slug":"hack-your-mind-like-a-twenty-first-century-soldier-using-biofeedback-to-become-more-resilient","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/character\/self-improvement\/hack-your-mind-like-a-twenty-first-century-soldier-using-biofeedback-to-become-more-resilient\/","title":{"rendered":"Hack Your Mind Like a Twenty-First-Century Soldier: Using Biofeedback to Become More Resilient"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Man<\/p>\n

Two important skills for any man, and especially any would-be sheepdog<\/a> are 1) managing stress 2) and remaining resilient in the face of extreme adversity. In our post about managing stress arousal for optimal performance<\/a>, we broke down what happens to the body and mind as it deals with increasing levels of stress. Basically, as stress levels rise, our mental and physical performance deteriorates.<\/p>\n

During my research about developing a sheepdog mentality<\/a>, I kept coming across reports on how the U.S. military is spending tens of millions of dollars each year researching the vital question of how to make soldiers more resilient. The research has two goals. First, the military wants to create highly-effective soldiers who can perform at the highest levels, even under extreme stress. Second, they hope that by training soldiers to be more resilient, they can reduce the skyrocketing incidents of PTSD.<\/p>\n

In 2008 the U.S. Army developed a resilience training program called Battlemind (now known as Ready and Resilient<\/a>) in response to increased PTSD, mental health decline,  and suicide rates among soldiers returning from the frontlines. As part of their basic training, all incoming recruits are given 10 days of resilience instruction designed to fortify their mental toughness. In addition to the usual push-ups and shooting drills, soldiers are also taught how to meditate<\/a>, how to use controlled breathing<\/a> to reduce the stress response in their minds and bodies, and fundamental resilience skills such as how to avoid catastrophizing<\/a> and how to change your explanatory style<\/a> in the face of failure or setbacks.<\/p>\n

Besides giving soldiers basic cognitive therapy tools they can use for stress management, the Department of Defense has also experimented with technology that allows soldiers to monitor their physiological response to it. The idea is that if soldiers can see how their minds and bodies are reacting to stress, they can learn how to control this response, increasing their ability to stay calm and bounce back quickly in tough situations.<\/p>\n

The real-time monitoring of one\u2019s physiological responses is called biofeedback. And it\u2019s straight out of a weird techno-hippie sci-fi novel (or so it seemed to me when I first learned about it).<\/p>\n

Proponents would argue, however, that far from being hippie dippie, it\u2019s a highly effective way for soldiers and civilians alike to learn how to manage stress, clear the mind, improve focus, and become all-round more mentally and physically tough and resilient.<\/p>\n

Does biofeedback live up to its claims? I decided to experiment with it to see if it could help me improve myself.<\/p>\n

Below, I summarize how biofeedback works, give a report of my experience using it, offer a list of tools if you want to try it out too, and then provide my verdict on whether or not biofeedback can help the average Joe become a better man<\/a> and a more effective sheepdog.<\/p>\n

What is Biofeedback?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Biofeedback\u2019s origins go back to ancient Hindus and Buddhists, but it wasn\u2019t until after World War II that biofeedback — as it\u2019s used today — came into existence.<\/p>\n

Biofeedback works by attaching instruments to your body to measure physiological activity like brain waves, heart rate, blood flow body temperature, respiratory rate, and muscle tension. You (and often a doctor trained in biofeedback therapy) can see these measurements in real-time on a computer screen. Because you are able to get immediate feedback on your typically hidden mental and physical responses, you can experiment with modifying your thinking and breathing to facilitate desired physiological changes.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a simple example of biofeedback. Let\u2019s say you\u2019re chronically frazzled. You hook yourself up to a heart rate monitor, which reveals a resting heart rate that indicates that you are indeed stressed out. So you try different breathing and muscle relaxation exercises to bring your heart rate down. The monitor gives you real-time feedback as to whether these exercises are working.<\/p>\n

A typical biofeedback session will measure one or more of the following physiological activities:<\/p>\n