HRV biofeedback is a unique service offered at NRS|Lifespan. While some patients seek out this treatment intentionally, others are referred for biofeedback by their medical doctors and, therefore, have little knowledge about this treatment and how it may be useful to them. Here are some FAQs about HRV biofeedback to provide some brief background:
Biofeedback is a tool that clinicians use to gain real-time metrics about an individual’s emotional and physiological status, similar to how a thermometer reads your body’s temperature at any given moment. In essence, it forges a connection between what you consciously think and feel in the moment and how your body is responding to it “under the surface”. Usually the major goals of biofeedback include building awareness into the mind-body relationship and then learning which coping mechanisms actually change your mental state and body for the better.
(2) What is Heart Rate Variability (HRV)?
HRV is one type of metric that is an extremely useful global indicator of health, physical and emotional. It captures level of physical conditioning, balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system, reactivity to stress and the body’s ability to recover from stress with respect to cardiovascular and immune system functioning. High HRV levels are correlated with lower levels of disease, depression, anxiety, and stress-influenced symptoms while low levels of HRV reflect the opposite – greater cardiovascular and autoimmune risks as well as higher levels of depression, anxiety, stress reactivity, and cognitive complaints (e.g., brain fog, short-term memory).
(3) What types of issues does HRV biofeedback target?
Some of the positive effects of HRV training include: lowered heart rate, blood pressure and blood lipid panel; reduced inflammatory markers; increased pain tolerance; reduced cortisol levels; increased sense of well-being and sleep quality; reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety; better focus and ability to screen out distractions; improved executive functioning skills; and better clarity in thinking accompanied by creativity. Therefore, individuals with stress-driven physical, emotional, and cognitive complaints are good candidates for HRV biofeedback.
(4) What does a typical course of HRV biofeedback look like?
In an outpatient setting, HRV biofeedback is intended to be a short-term treatment (6-10 sessions on average) that focuses on patient education, increasing awareness into the mind-body relationship, acquisition of skills, and application to everyday life. Clinicians customize the plan of care based on a patient’s medical and emotional complaints. This program is designed to be collaborative and highly dependent upon the motivation and participation of the individual. Therefore, its course and completion date are based on the patient’s goals, baseline status, and biofeedback metrics showing that HRV is trending in a positive direction.
(5) How do I schedule a consultation appointment to learn more?
Call our main office number, 732-988-3441, to schedule a consultation appointment with our staff clinical health psychologist to find out if you could benefit from HRV biofeedback.