Changes in Negative Emotions Across Five Weeks of HRV Biofeedback Intervention were Mediated by Changes in Resting Heart Rate Variability.

Resting heart rate variability (HRV) is typically higher in those with better emotional well-being. In the current study, we examined whether changes in resting HRV mediated changes in negative emotions during a 7-week clinical trial of HRV biofeedback. Younger and older adults were randomly assigned to one of two daily biofeedback practices for 5 weeks: (1) engage in slow-paced breathing to increase the amplitude of oscillations in heart rate at their breathing frequency (Osc+); or (2) engage in self-selected strategies to decrease heart rate oscillations (Osc-).

The Importance of Including Psychophysiological Methods in Psychotherapy.

This paper describes characteristics of sophisticated use of psychophysiological therapy procedures and describes a scoping review of evidence that adding psychophysiological procedures to psychotherapy improves outcome. It also reviews literature describing comparisons between psychophysiological procedures and various CBT and other verbal psychotherapy procedures when used as monotherapies. Some details of progressive muscle relaxation, autogenic training, and biofeedback are described that often are omitted in standard clinical training, including the method of diminishing tensions and differential relaxation training in progressive muscle relaxation, use of autogenic discharges and hypnotic instructions in autogenic training, and resonance frequency training in heart rate variability biofeedback and slow breathing.

Can HRV Biofeedback Training Improve the Mental Resilience of Icelandic Police Officers?

High heart rate variability (HRV) is increasingly recognized as an indicator of a healthy regulatory system, reflecting the dynamic balance between sympathetic (SNS) and parasympathetic (PSNS) nervous system activity. According to the neurovisceral integration model, this balance is managed by the central autonomic network (CAN), comprised of specific brain regions involved in emotional, attentional, and autonomic regulation. HRV thus reflects the performance of the cognitive, affective, and autonomic regulation system.

Physiological Effects of Psychological Interventions Among Persons with Financial Stress: A Systematic Review, Meta-analysis, and Introduction to Psychophysiological Economics.

It is known that economic problems can cause psychological stress, and that psychological stress causes physiological changes often linked to disease. Here we report a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies on physiological effects of psychological treatment for individuals with economic problems. Of 5071 papers in our initial PsycInfo search, we identified 16 papers on physiological effects for psychological treatment of the economically stressed.

Real-time heart rate variability biofeedback amplitude during a large-scale digital mental health intervention differed by age, gender, and mental and physical health.

Heart rate variability biofeedback (HRVB) is an efficacious treatment for depression and anxiety. However, translation to digital mental health interventions (DMHI) requires computing and providing real-time HRVB metrics in a personalized and user-friendly fashion. To address these gaps, this study validates a real-time HRVB feedback algorithm and characterizes the association of the main algorithmic summary metric-HRVB amplitude-with demographic, psychological, and health factors.