Intro into HeartMath
Updated: Aug 22
Learning HeartMath skills to increase Coherence is not only beneficial for an individual's overall well-being, but I believe it to be a crucial life skill for Parents and Healthcare Workers alike.
The stable, coherent magnetic field radiating approximately 3-feet from the heart is referred to as the HeartSpace—this is measurable through the use of a magnetometer.
What is Coherence?
It is a state of optimal functioning where heart, mind and emotions are in sync. Physiologically, the immune, hormonal and nervous systems function in a state of energetic coordination.
Heart Coherence is an optimal physiological state associated with increased cognitive function and mental clarity, creativity, self-regulatory capacity, emotional stability, intuition and resilience.
A dysregulated state is fueled by Depleting Emotions such as anger, frustration, irritation, impatience, anxiety, worry, fear, resentment and shame. HeartMath skills facilitate quick emotional shifts, converting the individual into coherence by focusing on creating Replenishing Emotions such as care, appreciation, gratitude, courage, honor, dignity, kindness, patience, tolerance and compassion. HeartMath also builds resilience of our Autonomic Nervous System (ANS).
By using the emWave Pro heart-monitoring system to measure Heart Rate Variability (HRV), clinicians can map out the client’s capacity for emotional and physiological self-regulation. The appropriate breathwork and visualization tools can then be taught so the client can work towards increasing their nervous systems adaptability to reduce these disruptions in resilience.
Disruptions in an individual's resilience occur because the ANS loses flexibility after traumatic events, sustained chronic stress or illness. The individual’s nervous system adapts to these stressors by getting stuck in either hyper- or hypo-arousal states, or can oscillating between the two. This chronic loop of dysregulation makes it difficult to maintain resilience; the body systems struggle and the individual may notice weakened immune functioning, no improvement on their current health protocols and that they are overly reactive rather than calmly responsive.
Post Traumatic Growth is an achievable state for those who have experienced trauma or chronic stress. Simple skills can be taught and applied to a client’s day-to-day to improve coherence, allowing for all the body systems to operate more efficiently for better health outcomes, relationships and overall quality of life.