HRV is a form of biofeedback training that involves feeding back beat by beat heart rate data during slow breathing so that the breathing matches heart rate patterns. A biofeedback device shows the patient when they have maximized this interaction on a computer monitor. This affects the activation and calming of our nervous system.
While the rhythmic beating of the heart at rest was once believed to be consistent and regular, we now know that the rhythm of a healthy heart under resting conditions is actually surprisingly irregular. HRV is an important indicator of both physiological resiliency and behavioral flexibility, reflecting an individual’s capacity to adapt effectively to stress and environmental demands. Both a large degree of variability and too little variation can be related to chronic pain, anxiety and depression as well as numerous other symptoms.
HRV Training uses an ear sensor to detect the variations in heart rate, and presents a display on a computer monitor. By controlling your breathing pattern and intentionally shifting to a positive emotion, such as appreciation, care, or compassion, your heart rhythms and breathing become synchronized and create a healthier emotional state.
This shift in heart rhythms creates a favorable cascade of neuronal, hormonal, and biochemical events that benefit the entire body. Blood pressure drops. Stress hormones plummet. The immune system pumps up. Anti-aging hormones increase. You gain clarity, calmness, and control.
