Background:

Anxiety is an emotion, it translates into an adaptive and transient mechanism in response to stressors, it increases autonomic activity, favours the development and performance of the person, promotes creativity and interpersonal cooperation. Biofeedback (BFB) is a mind-body technique in which one learns how to modify physiology to improve one's physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.

Aim:

To identify the efficacy of BFB in reducing anxiety and associated symptoms in adults. know the instruments used in the assessment; analyze the complementarity of the BFB and other intervention techniques.

Methods:

In this integrative literature review, the P[I][C]OD strategy was used to elaborate the research question: "How effective is BFB in reducing anxiety and associated symptomatology in adults?". The research was conducted in March 2019 in the databases MEDLINE complete, CINAHL complete and Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection through the EBSCO platform, with descriptors (MESH): “biofeedback” and “anxiety”. Studies published 2015-2019 were included; Languages: Portuguese, English and Spanish; available in full text. Sample with 14 articles.

Results:

BFB showed efficacy in controlling anxiety and associated symptoms in college students, pregnant women, athletes, people with anxiety disorder. In some studies, BFB is used with other techniques: relaxation, breathing, guided imagination and mindfulness.

Conclusions:

There is scientific evidence of the efficacy of BFB in reducing anxiety and associated symptomatology, even more evident when combined with other techniques.

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