Biofeedback and Psychology

Steve has been involved with biofeedback since 1980, when he took a short course in biofeedback at Macalester College, and was subsequently hired as a technician for the Psychology department there. At the time he also performed electronic music using EEG sensors attached to his scalp controlling analog music synthesizers. The impetus for this was happening upon the books BioMusic by Manford Eicher and Biofeedback and the Arts: Results of Early Experiments by David Rosenboom, in the Macalester library.

From 1990-1992 he assisted in the development of the BodySynth with Chris Van Raalte and Ed Severinhaus, an EMG-based muscle-sensing biofeedback music controller that converted muscle signals into MIDI control signals. Starting in 2001 he worked with Dr. Les Fehmi in Neurofeedback at the Princeton Biofeedback Center .

Upon moving to Michigan he purchased a Waverider Neurofeedback system and practiced independently until May and June of 2005, when he took the 36 hour BCIA Neurofeedback training and started practicing with friends and family. At this point he also started using the BioExplorer Neurofeedback software. In November 2005 he received training and certification as an Open Focus^tm provider with Dr. Fehmi, and obtained the five-point phase synchrony equipment he uses to this day. In March of 2006 he attended intensive practicum training in the TLC assessment system with Peter Van Deusen of The Learning Curve.

As part of his studies he has left full-time engineering work and has gone back to school in the Psychology field, first attending the University of Michigan in Winter 2006, and Eastern Michigan University and Washtenaw Community College in Fall 2006. While at EMU he has also studied Music Therapy with Professor Michael McGuire and Roberta Justice. He will start work on a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology program with the Michigan School of Professional Psychology in September 2007, and is working to obtain both BCIA and MT-BC certifications.