20| Matthew Bennett: Post-traumatic Growth & Recovery Resiliency Using HRV Tracking

How do you know if you're doing what you intended to do? More specifically- while working towards a health & wellness goal- How do you know if what you're spending your time and energy doing is actually bringing you closer to what you desire?

As coaches and clinicians we spend years learning how to assess a person and choose initial interventions to achieve healing and performance goals. But as you work with someone can you confidently determine if your training parameters or interventions are bringing you closer or further away from your desired outcome? 

This episode of the Move Without Limits we interview Matt Bennett to give some light to the world of biomarkers- heart rate variability (HRV), in particular. As a psychotherapist Matt found he could measure progress with behavior and self-report but he had no way to “get under the skin”, as he says. For Matt,  working in a trauma-informed environment, the true goal is to heal the underlying neurological injury left over by trauma. That's why biomarkers are a helpful measure. 

Originally Matt’s interest in HRV came from working in special education schools, child welfare, homelessness, HIV & public health arenas. But what he cares about most now and what he doesn’t think is given enough attention to is trauma-informed care of the healthcare practitioners. Matt is concerned with the burnout of professions in mental health, social services, education and healthcare. If the health and healing of the underlying neurobiological injury left over by trauma of the workforce isn’t taken care of- how can we be expected to spend our lives helping other humans? I’m sure you’ve heard the saying- You can’t pour from an empty cup. Today’s episode gives meaning and helpful action to that phrase.

Matt has a master’s degree in community psychology and executive development (non-profit management), as well as a master’s in business administration in health care. Matt specializes in the delivery of trauma-informed care, quality improvement, results-based leadership, and Motivational Interviewing. Matt has successfully combined his academic pursuits as a researcher, blogger, and published author with his practical experience in leading non-profit organizations and educational institutions to develop research-based solutions to improve the health of individuals and organizations.

Check out the Optimal HRV App Here
Listen to the Optimal HRV Podcast
Find Matt's Books Here:

• Connecting Paradigms: A Trauma-Informed & Neurobiological Framework for Motivational Interviewing Implementation
• Talking about Trauma & Change: A Connecting Paradigms' Supplement
• Heart Rate Variability: The Future of Trauma-Informed Care
• The Heart(beat) of Business: Positioning Heart Rate Variability as a Competitive Advantage

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