Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback

by Julie Myers, PsyD, MSCP

Licensed Clinical Psychologist in San Diego;  http://www.DrJulieMyers.com

 

Biofeedback is a commonly used method to teach individuals voluntary control of physiological functions.   Specific biofeedback techniques include electromyography (measures muscle tension), galvanized skin response (measures sweat response), electroencephalographic (measures brain waves), skin temperature, and heart rate variability biofeedback (synchronizing heart rate and breathing).  Using biofeedback, an individual receives feedback about his/her own physiological state and learns methods to control these physiological states.

Heart rate variability biofeedback (HRVBF) teaches people how to regulate their own heart rhythm and rate to increase heart rate variability (HRV), which directly exercises the body’s physiological control mechanisms.  HRV is the measure of the rhythmicity of the heart, in its complexity and amplitude of the heart beat.  High HRV is recognized as a sign of healthy heart functioning and as a measure of autonomic activity.  Using HRVBF to sync breathing and heart patterns, an individual can learn how to breathe in a way that strengthens the parasympathetic response, thus creating a calmer mind-body state.

Decreased heart rate variability has been observed in those disorders related to autonomic dysregulation, substance use disorder, and some affective spectrum disorders, including fibromyalgia, depression, and anxiety.  HRVBF has been used for a variety of physiological and psychological disorders, particularly stress and stress related disorders, which are often directly or indirectly related to substance use disorders.  Learning how to regulate emotions that negatively affect heart rate variability, while learning how to regulate physiological signals through HRVBF, can be highly beneficial to those who experience problems with self-regulatory behaviors.

I use heart rate variability biofeedback in my practice to help patients learn a self-empowering way to calm themselves, particularly those recovering from addictive disorders and anxiety conditions, such as panic disorder.  I am Board Certified in Biofeedback.

– Julie Myers, PsyD, MSCP

http://www.DrJulieMyers.com
Copyright (2011):  Julie Myers, PsyD  All Rights Reserved