Abstract

This study investigated biofeedback using heart rate variability (HRV) and psychometric measures. An original, mixed, quantitative and qualitative, within subjects, pre-test and post-test design was employed to evaluate the influence of a HeartMath training programme on measures of HRV, sense of coherence, mindfulness and relaxation in a convenience sample of 13 participants with age range 26-62 (M = 41.46, SD = 14.39) years. Participants were required to attend a three-hour workshop and complete 30 minutes of HeartMath training that included 5 different biofeedback sessions. Paired sample t-tests indicated significant differences on all outcome variables with medium to large effect sizes. Qualitative findings revealed positive and informative experiences of taking part in the research. Integrated findings supported and extended previous studies attesting to the value of HeartMath training.

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