{"paper_id":"10c8f00d-7df1-4d2f-bfe1-764bae7b2836","body_text":"Abstract\nEndometriosis is a common gynecological disease that causes marked physical and emotional distress in lives of women, resulting in dysmenorrhea, pain, or both throughout the menstrual cycle in over 96% of cases. A multiple case study design (N = 5) was employed to investigate the use of thermal biofeedback in the treatment of pain associated with endometriosis. The majority of participants (4 out of 5) were able to demonstrate mastery over hand temperature through thermal biofeedback. Of those participants, significant reductions in various aspects of pain were observed by the end of the study; one had a significant increase in Life Control; two had reductions in Pain Severity; three had a decrease in Affective Distress; and all 4 demonstrated reduction in Life Interference, as measured by the West Haven-Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory. This is a preliminary study with a small sample size and without a control sample; hence, the results are considered only as suggestive of the potential use of biofeedback therapy in alleviating pain and associated symptomatology related to endometriosis. Further research is warranted.\nSimilar content being viewed by others\nREFERENCES\nAmerican Psychological Association. (1992). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. American Psychologist, 47, 1597-1611.\nArena, J. G., & Blanchard, E. B. (1996). Biofeedback and relaxation therapy for chronic pain disorders. In R. J. Gatchel & D. C. Turk (Eds.), Psychological approaches to pain management: A practitioners handbook (pp. 179-230). New York: Guilford.\nBalick, L., Elfner, L., May, J., & Moore, J. D. (1982). Biofeedback treatment of dysmenorrhea. Biofeedback and Self-Regulation, 7(4), 499-520.\nBallweg, M. L. (1987). Overcoming endometriosis. New York: Congdon and Weed.\nBallweg, M. L., & Endometriosis Association. (1995). The endometriosis sourcebook: The definitive guide to current treatment options, the latest research, common myths about the disease, and coping strategies–both physical and emotional. Chicago: Contemporary Books.\nBarkin, R. L., Lubenow, T. R., Bruehl, S., Husfeldt, B., Ivankovich, O., & Barkin, S. J. (1996). Management of chronic pain. Part II. Disease of the Month, 42(8), 457-507.\nBelar, C. D., & Deardorff, W. W. (1995). Clinical health psychology in medical settings: Practitioner's guidebook. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.\nBennink, C. D., Hulst, L. L., & Benthem, J. A. (1982). The effects of EMG biofeedback and relaxation training on primary dysmenorrhea. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 5(3), 329-341.\nFotopoulos, S. S., & Sunderland, W. P. (1978). Biofeedback in the treatment of psychophysiologic disorders. Biofeedback and Self-Regulation, 3, 331-361.\nGatchel, R. J., & Turk, D. C. (Eds.). (1996). Psychological approaches to pain management: A practitioner's handbook. New York: Guilford.\nHart, A. D., Mathisen, K. S., & Prater, J. S. (1981). A comparison of skin temperature and EMG training for primary dysmenorrhea. Biofeedback and Self-Regulation, 6(3), 367-373.\nKeefe, F. J., & Hoelscher, T. J. (1987). In J. P. Hatch, J. G. Fisher, & J. D. Rugh (Eds.), Biofeedback: Studies in clinical efficacy (pp. 211-253). New York: Plenum.\nKerns, R. D., Turk, D. C., & Rudy, T. E. (1985). The West Haven-Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory (WHYMPI). Pain, 23, 345-356.\nKettel, L. M., Murphy, A. A., Morales, A. J., & Yen, S. S. C. (1998). Preliminary report on the treatment of endometriosis with low-dose mifepristone (RU 486). American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 178(6), 1151-1156.\nLark, S. M. (1993). Fibroid tumors and endometriosis. Los Altos, CA: Westchester.\nLow, W. Y., Edelmann, R. J., & Sutton, C. (1993). A psychological profile of endometriosis patients in comparison to patients with pelvic pain of other origins. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 37(2), 111-116.\nMacLaverty, C. M., & Shaw, R. W. (1995). Pelvic pain and endometriosis. In R. W. Shaw (Ed.), Endometriosis: Current understanding and management (pp. 112-146). Oxford: Blackwell Science.\nRock, J. A. (1993). Endometriosis and pelvic pain [Editor's corner]. Fertility and Sterility, 60(6), 950-951.\nRudy, T. E. (1989). Multiaxial assessment of pain: Multidimensional Pain Inventory computer program user's manual (Version 2. 1). Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh and Thomas E. Rudy.\nSteege, J. F., & Stout, A. L. (1993). Chronic gynecologic pain. In D. E. Stewart & N. L. Stotland (Eds.), Psychological aspects of women's health care: The interface between psychiatry and obstetrics and gynecology (pp. 249-266). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.\nTakayama, K., Zeitoun, K., Gunby, R. T., Sasano, H., Carr, B. R., & Bulun, S. E. (1998). Treatment of severe postmenopausal endometriosis with an aromatase inhibitor. Fertility and Sterility, 69(4), 709-713.\nTurk, D. C., & Melzack, R. (Eds.). (1992). Handbook of pain assessment. New York: Guilford.\nVercellini, P., Cortesi, I., Trespidi, L., Parazzini, F, De Giorgi, O., & Crosignani, P. G. (1996). Endometriosis and pelvic pain: Relation to disease stage and localization. Fertility and Sterility, 65(2), 299-304.\nWeinstein, K. (1987). Living with endometriosis: How to cope with the physical and emotional changes. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.\nWhiteford, L. M., & Gonzalez, L. (1995). Stigma: The hidden burden of infertility. Social Science in Medicine, 40(1), 27-36.\nAuthor information\nAuthors and Affiliations\nCorresponding author\nRights and permissions\nAbout this article\nCite this article\nHawkins, R.S., Hart, A.D. The Use of Thermal Biofeedback in the Treatment of Pain Associated with Endometriosis: Preliminary Findings. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback 28, 279–289 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1027378825194\nIssue date:\nDOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1027378825194","source_license":"CC0","license_restricted":false}