Meet Board Member
Kathy Ropers, MEd LPC

I first started learning about biofeedback about 6 years ago, while I was in graduate school for counseling. Since then, I started taking some courses and met us with people like Joyce Messina-Garrison who offered to hook me up to biofeedback equipment, and show me what it was about first hand. Patrice Brumely was extremely instrumental in teaching me about biofeedback, and has been my mentor as I move through BCIA certification. Both offered to do some initial free orientation on the equipment, and helped to set me on my course. I'm very appreciative of the assistance! For me, having a guide was critical to understanding and entering into the world of biofeedback.

Just over a month ago, I started working at Austin Pain Therapy. It's my first position where the main component is biofeedback. In a short amount of time, I've learned a lot. I'm very amazed to continually see the power of biofeedback and to learn more about the mind/body connection. Prior to working at Austin Pain Therapy, I worked for the American Cancer Society for 8 years. I was part of a program that provided telephone counseling for smoking cessation. Since my time there, the program grew from about 8 counselors to over 120. Give them a call if you or someone you know wants to quit smoking!

I'm originally from Wisconsin, and came to Texas about 9 years ago for graduate school. It's much warmer here...! When I'm not at work, I enjoy spending time with my friends and boyfriend, watching movies, playing racquetball and staying active.

I'm looking forward to working on the Board!

Kathy Ropers, MEd, LPC

Therapist Wanted

Pain Management Counselor /Biofeedback Therapist Wanted
(part time with possibility of full time in the future).

Join a dynamic large health care system providing pain management throughout the metroplex. Provide individual counseling and biofeedback as well as cognitive group education for patients participating in an established pain management program. The clinic is located near Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine.

Applicants must be licensed in the state of Texas, have at least 2 years clinical experience, and have training and experience in biofeedback.

Contact Tim Clark, PhD., Director, Interdisciplinary Services, Baylor University Medical Center. Your Email can be forwarded to Dr. Clark.

BST 2008 CONFERENCE AND WORKSHOPS - "BEYOND OUR WALLS"
OCTOBER 30 - NOVEMBER 2, EL TROPICANO, SAN ANTONIO, TX.

AAPB had him in May, and so does BST in November! Our Keynote Speaker and Peak Performance Trainer, Dr. Ben Strack, will present exciting and fascinating messages on both Saturday, November 1st and then a 2 hour workshop on Sunday morning, November 2nd. Read further to learn more about him and the workshop he will conduct.

Getting To The Heart Of The Matter:
Heart Rate Variability Training for Performance Enhancement
Benjamin Strack, Ph.D.
Mission Psychological Consultants, Proball, Inc.

HRV is a relatively new biofeedback modality that is beginning to emerge as a viable performance enhancement tool for athletes. This workshop will present Biofeedback strategies and protocols to enhance sports performance.

Participants will learn how to integrate Heart Rate Variability (HRV), GSR and EMG biofeedback training with sports consultations with athletes. Specific strategies for teaching athletes to increase Low Frequency activity in the HR spectrum while using paced breathing and RSA training will be presented. Athlete case examples will be used to describe some of the pitfalls and barriers to successful use of HRV training. Supplemental strategies to biofeedback, such as, cognitive restructuring and specific behavioral routines for performance enhancement will be covered.

Speaker Bio

Benjamin Strack, Ph.D., is a part-time lecturer in the Department of Kinesiology at California State University, Long Beach where he teaches courses in Sport Psychology. He also consults with athletes in private practice at Mission Psychological Consultants in San Juan Capistrano, Ca. and is owner and managing partner of Proball, Inc., indoor baseball instructional school.

Dr. Strack is a frequent speaker at workshops and conferences throughout the country. He has also presented his work on ESPN and local television shows in California. He is the lead editor of a new book expected to go to publication in 2009 called "Biofeedback and Neurofeedback in Sport Psychology: Unleash Your "A" Brain".

Dr. Strack is a former Division I college baseball player. He has worked with several Major League Baseball players as well as other athletes at all levels including professional, Olympic, college and high school. His areas of expertise include mental skills training for peak performance, biofeedback, stress/anxiety management, and chronic pain. In addition to his consulting work with athletes, Dr. Strack is invited annually to pitch in the MLB Players Association and ESPN's Big League Challenge Home Run Contests. He has pitched to various superstars such as: Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Shawn Green, Jose Canseco and Raphael Palmeiro.

NEW DEFINITION OF BIOFEEDBACK

Barbara Peavey, PhD, AAPB Board reports, "Two weeks ago the three main biofeedback organizations agreed on a new definition of biofeedback. I thought the Texas membership would like to have access to it."

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. 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.

Approved May 18, 2008 by:
   Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (AAPB)
   Biofeedback Certification Institute of America (BCIA)
   International Society for Neurofeedback and Research (ISNR)

Lesley Solomon has fun at the 2007 Conference

Message from the President

Last week I was in San Antonio to be in the Biofeedback Foundation of Europe's (BFE) booth at PT2008. Some of you may not know what BFE is. In a nutshell BFE is a non-profit organization that is devoted to making Biofeedback better known throughout the World. Its board of director reads like a Who's Who of the giants in Biofeedback . BFE helps spread the biofeedback news by sponsoring research, doing training programs, holding conferences, attending conventions, doing PR and much more. Visit their website so you will know who is going out of their way to partner with us at our 2008 conference in San Antonio. Their project manager Mark Swartz will be presenting about what is happening in the World of Biofeedback. He will also be doing a two day workshop on using the Infiniti system. This workshop is directed at owners of Infiniti systems, but will be useful to all who do Biofeedback and Neurofeedback. For more information click on the BFE web site.

Back to the PT2008. This was the annual conference for PT's and PTA. There were 2,336 in attendance. There were 4 days of workshops and meetings. The exhibition hall had over 120 booths and was open for 5 1/2 hours each day but Saturday, the last day, when they closed at 1 PM. We had people from all over the USA and several foreign countries coming by and talking about the biofeedback research that is being done, how they use biofeedback in their location, and how they could see new uses for biofeedback. This was the greatest number of professional people I have ever been around where everyone seems to know what biofeedback is and something about it. A totally new experience for me. I talked to everyone about what BFE is doing To the Texans I also talked about them joining the BST.

While I was in San Antonio, I went by the El Tropicana to see where our 2008 meeting is to be held. I checked out some of the rooms and saw they were nicer than where I was staying and at a better price. The space is great. Natalie has really done us a great job of getting this hotel at the price we will be paying. I am looking forward to seeing all of you in San Antonio at the end of October.

J.D. Massingill, LPC

P.S. If you have not paid your 2008 dues, now is the time to do so. If you are unsure if you have paid or not contact Mardie at sammardie@aol.com.