Cardiac Coherence Therapy

What is cardiac coherence therapy?

Cardiac coherence therapy (CCT) involves the use of biofeedback to control heart rate variability (HRV) - the moment-to-moment change in heart rate. With the help of the clinician, a person can learn to make the heart rate fluctuation more rhythmic or coherent. The skills learned with the use of the biofeedback can be practiced at home for relaxation and can be used as a stress management tool during daily activities. However, the program is much more than a simple relaxation technique - you will learn to appreciate yourself, to substitute stressful responses with more positive emotions, and to more freely engage your caring side.

What are the indications for cardiac coherence therapy?

• Cardiac coherence therapy has been used most commonly for general wellness and stress management
  
• Individuals who are experiencing stress related to family and work
  
• Individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, and phobias
  
• Individuals experiencing the effects of stress on their mental or physical health or relationships
  
• Individuals with health problems that can have a significant stress component such as hypertension and coronary artery disease

The Science behind Cardiac Coherence Therapy

The Heart–Brain Connection

Most of us have been taught in school that the heart is constantly responding to “orders” sent by the brain in the form of nerve signals. However, what is not as commonly known is that the heart actually sends more signals to the brain than the brain sends to the heart! Moreover, these heart signals have a significant effect on brain function - influencing how we process emotions as well as higher mental functions such as attention, perception, memory, and problem-solving. In other words, not only does the heart respond to the brain, but the brain continuously responds to the heart.

Scientists at the Institute of HeartMath have demonstrated that different patterns of heart activity (which accompany different emotional states) have distinct effects on higher mental and emotional functions. When we are under stress or experiencing negative emotions, the heart rhythm pattern becomes erratic and disordered and the corresponding pattern of nerve signals travelling from the heart to the brain blocks higher mental functions. This limits our ability to think clearly, remember, learn, reason, and make effective decisions. (This helps explain why we may act impulsively and unwisely when we’re under stress.) The heart’s input to the brain during stressful or negative emotions also has a profound effect on the brain’s emotional processes—actually serving to reinforce the negative emotional experience of stress.

In contrast, when we feel good, the heart’s input to the brain is more ordered and stable which improves higher mental function and hence reinforces positive feelings and emotional stability. This means that by learning to generate heart rhythm coherence, we learn to sustain positive emotions, which not only benefits the entire body, but also profoundly affects how we perceive, think, feel, perform and make decisions.

More about Cardiac Coherence Therapy : www.integratedmindcare.co.uk