Biofeedback used to win gold at Olympics

WHEAT RIDGE, Colo., Aug. 22 (UPI) -- A sport psychologist says he used biofeedback to help Abhinav Bindra of India win the gold medal at the air rifle event at the Beijing Olympics.

Timothy Harkness used biofeedback training to help Bindra control breathing and heart rate, reduce excess tension in muscles, produce no interior monologue and provide sharp focus and good reactions.

Using the a FlexComp Infiniti hardware system with BioGraph 4.0 software, Harkness joined a team of shooting coaches, a physician, chiropractor, dietitian and physiotherapist to prepare Bindra for the summer competition.

Biofeedback is a process that enables an individual to learn how to change physiological activity for the purposes of improving health and performance. Precise instruments measure physiological activity such as brainwaves, heart function, breathing, muscle activity and skin temperature, Harkness explained.

These instruments rapidly and accurately "feed back" information to the user. The presentation of this information -- often in conjunction with changes in thinking, emotions, and behavior -- supports desired physiological changes. Over time, these changes can endure without continued use of an instrument, Harkness said.