Death announcement of Dee Edmonson
Susan Alvarez
Sadly, a dear friend and biofeedback pioneer, Dee Edmonson RN, passed away peacefully this week. Many will remember her as a welcoming and familiar presence at AAPB and ISNR annual meetings for many years. Her career began in 1968 in the field of cardiac care, at New York University Medical Center. As supervisor of the cardiac catheterization laboratory she came to appreciate the dynamic interaction between cardiopulmonary status and psychophysiological state, and introduced a pioneering breathe based relaxation training program to assist patients in reducing procedural anxiety. Her early foray into breath based relaxation training as an integral component of rehabilitation and prevention of cardiac disease laid a foundation for her growing interest in biofeedback and neurotherapy.
In the early 1980’s she accepted an invitation to return to NYU to visit the research laboratory of Dr. E Roy Johns who was at the time pioneering QEEG brain mapping techniques via his Brain State Analyzer. This visit sparked her interest in psychophysiological correlates of brain health, and set the stage for a formal internship in the emerging field of neurotherapy, with special interest in brain injury and attention disorders in children and young adults.
In the early 2000’s Dee began a collaboration with research engineer Steve Elliott to document the clinical efficacy of cardiopulmonary resonance training via plethysmographic biofeedback paired with paced coherent breathing. Their collaboration resulted in two books The New Science Of Breath (2005), and Coherent Breathing – The Definitive Method (2008), and an ongoing teaching partnership.
Dee had a special gift for working with children, and they in turn held a special place in her heart. During her long career as a therapist, she was frequently rewarded by return visits from young adults who had successfully overcome health challenges to complete college and launch careers with benefit of her talents. Throughout COVID-19 she continued to provide many unreimbursed hours of booster sessions to children and families via Zoom. Active, full of life and deeply passionate about her work, Dee generously shared her talents and lived life fully.
Dee is survived by sisters, brothers, three sons, stepdaughter and grandchildren whom she loved passionately. She will be missed but not forgotten.
Roger H. Riss, Psy.D.
Diplomate, American Board of Professional Neuropsychology
Department of Neuropsychology
Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital
5401 South St.
Lincoln, NE 68506
402-413-3551 | Fax 402-413-3514
