Dr. Ng Ngan Chi, Vanessa
吳雁詞博士
Clinical Psychologist
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PsyD HKU (Clinical Psychology)
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MSocSc HKU (Clinical Psychology)
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Registered Clinical Psychologist (HKPS)
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Clinical Psychologist in Accredited Register (HKICP)
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Board Certified in Biofeedback (BCIA)
Dr. Vanessa Ng Ngan Chi obtained both her master’s and doctoral degrees in clinical psychology from the University of Hong Kong. She is also one of the few clinical psychologists in Hong Kong with professional certification in biofeedback.
Dr. Ng has extensive clinical experience, having worked for the Social Welfare Department and non-profit social welfare organisations. In 2010, she joined hospitals in the Hospital Authority’s Kowloon West Cluster, where she supported patients referred from a range of specialties, including pain management, orthopaedics, oncology, psychiatry, geriatric memory clinics, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, and neurology.
Dr. Ng uses cognitive behavioural therapy, biofeedback and emotion-focused therapy to help people experiencing emotional difficulties. Over more than a decade of clinical practice, she has assessed and treated people with depression, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, dementia, adjustment disorder, chronic pain, postnatal depression, distress following pregnancy loss, stress and a range of mind–body symptoms.
Dr. Ng is an Honorary Clinical Tutor for the master’s programmes in clinical psychology at the University of Hong Kong and The Chinese University of Hong Kong. She has also been invited by the University of Hong Kong, the Hospital Authority, social welfare organisations and healthcare institutions to provide psychology-related training and talks for healthcare professionals, students and members of the public.
Biofeedback Helps You See and Measure Your Body’s Responses—and Learn to Regulate Them
Have you ever felt stressed without knowing how to relax, while also experiencing physical discomfort? Learning to recognise how your body responds to stress is an important first step.
Conventional stress-management techniques may not provide a clear way to measure changes in your physical responses. Biofeedback displays these responses in easy-to-understand charts, helping you observe changes and track your progress over time.
What Is Biofeedback?
Applications of Biofeedback
Biofeedback has a range of applications in mental health and healthcare. It may help with:
Biofeedback is a non-invasive technique that helps people learn to regulate their physical responses and relax. During a session, sensors are placed on different parts of the body to monitor signals such as heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), breathing rate and depth, muscle tension, skin temperature and perspiration.
For example, when you feel anxious, your heart may beat faster, your breathing may become quicker and shallower, your muscles may tense, and you may sweat more. You might also feel as though you cannot breathe comfortably. Biofeedback displays these physical responses as measurable charts. With real-time feedback, you can practise recognising and regulating your responses, which may help reduce stress and promote relaxation.
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Managing anxiety: By observing physical responses in real time, you can practise regulating your breathing and heart rate in situations that make you anxious. This can help you understand and manage your response to anxiety.
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Managing anger: Recognising early physical signs of anger, such as a faster heartbeat or muscle tension, allows you to use relaxation techniques before these feelings intensify.
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Relieving headaches: Learning to regulate muscle tension and skin temperature may help relieve certain types of headache.
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Supporting blood pressure management: Real-time feedback, combined with breathing exercises and progressive muscle relaxation, may help reduce stress-related physical arousal. Biofeedback does not replace prescribed treatment for high blood pressure.
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Coping with chronic fatigue: Identifying stressors and patterns in your physical responses may help you manage fatigue. Heart rate variability (HRV) training may support the regulation of the autonomic nervous system.
Benefits of Biofeedback Training
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Non-invasive: Biofeedback does not involve medication and therefore does not cause medication-related side effects.
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Can complement other treatments: It may be used alongside other forms of care as part of an individual treatment plan.
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Provides real-time, personalised feedback: This can help you better recognise your physical responses and develop emotional regulation skills.
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Builds practical self-management skills: You can continue to use the techniques you learn in daily life.
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May help reduce stress-related physical responses: With practice, these skills may support your overall recovery.
If you would like to learn more about biofeedback therapy, please contact us.
