Heart Rate Variability Podcast

Access to the pilot study can be found at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10484-024-09621-w Link to Optimal HRV Training Series Janell Mensinger, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Clinical and School Psychology at Nova Southeastern University. Dr. Mensinger is a passionate and dedicated mentor to graduate students pursuing doctoral degrees in clinical psychology and teaches courses in statistics, theories of measurement, and eating disorders. She is an elected Fellow of the Academy of Eating Disorders and has been doing research in the field eating and body concerns for over 20 years. She is widely published with over 65 peer-reviewed journal articles and has presented all over the world on topics related to her program of research, which primarily focuses on the intersection of weight stigma and disordered eating. Her research includes one of the first randomized controlled trials highlighting the importance of promoting a weight-neutral over a weight-centric approach to health and wellbeing. More recently, in search of more accessible digital interventions for individuals who are struggling with eating and body concerns, she piloted the successful use of a smartphone-based heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback app for enhancing mindful self-awareness and reducing disordered eating among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. She was just awarded a R16 SuRE grant from the National Institutes of Health to provide graduate students in clinical psychology with high quality research experiences investigating methods to optimize the validity of measuring mind-body phenomena. This work specifically aims to improve our understanding and measurement of interoceptive sensibility (i.e., a positive body connection and ability to adaptively read bodily cues), especially as it relates to early detection of eating disorders across the weight spectrum. 

In this episode, Dr Torkil Færø joins Matt to discuss his book The Pulse Cure. Dr Torkil Færø discusses his personal journey with HRV and how it informs his work as a medical doctor.  Learn more about his book: The Pulse Cure: Balance Stress, Optimise Health and Live Longer Dr Torkil Færø's website: https://thepulsecure.com/ Dr Torkil Færø is a general practitioner and emergency physician, documentary filmmaker, author and photographer. In 1996 he was one of the first Norwegian medics to work for Doctors Without Borders when he worked in war-torn Angola. Over a 25-year career as a freelance doctor, he has worked all over Norway, had tens of thousands of consultations and gained a unique picture of the diseases that plague us. He has learned that the cause is most often found in the stresses our lifestyles place on our bodies. Færø is also an award-winning photographer, author of Kamerakuren (The Camera Cure), and has made documentaries about his pilgrimages to Nidaros and Santiago de Compostela. An inveterate traveler, he has made his way by bicycle, motorbike, kayak, sailboat and car through over 80 countries, and speaks eight languages. He lives in Oslo with his wife and two children.

In recognition of Brain Injury Awareness Month, Dr. Gevirtz joins Matt to discuss his recent research on heart rate variability and brain injuries. Learn how HRV biofeedback helps repair key brain functions after an injury.  Dr. Gevirtz's article: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10484-023-09592-4 Dr. Richard Gevirtz is a Distinguished Professor of Psychology for the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University in San Diego. He has been in involved in research and clinical work in applied psychophysiology and biofeedback for the last 30 years and served as the president of the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, 2006-2007. His primary research interests are in understanding the physiological and psychological mediators involved in disorders such as chronic muscle pain, fibromyalgia, and gastrointestinal pain. In this vein, he has studied applications of heart rate variability biofeedback for anxiety, pain, gastrointestinal, cardiac rehabilitation, and other disorders. He is the author of many journal articles and chapters on these topics. He also maintains a part time clinical practice treating patients with anxiety and stress related disorders. https://www.alliant.edu/faculty/richard-gevirtz Optimal HRV Training Series: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/optimal-hrv-78838069273

In this episode, Dr Dave interviews one of his students, Laurie Wagner, who is already a well-seasoned master. They cover some innovative strategies to increase vagal tone and HRV and go deep into some powerful supplements most people have never heard of.

In this replay of a classic episode, Dr. Ron Siegel joins Inna and Matt to discuss his new book, The Extraordinary Gift of Being Ordinary, and his decades of experience in mindfulness and meditation. Sign up for one of our upcoming trainings: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/optimal-hrv-78838069273 Dr. Siegel is an Assistant Professor of Psychology, part-time, at Harvard Medical School, where he has taught for over 35 years. A long-time student of mindfulness meditation, Dr. Siegel serves on the Board of Directors and faculty of the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy and the faculties of the Center for Mindfulness and Compassion at the Cambridge Health Alliance and the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He teaches internationally about mind-body medicine and the application of mindfulness and compassion practices in psychotherapy and other fields. Find out more about Dr. Siegel's work at https://drronsiegel.com/ Check out Dr. Siegel's new book at https://amzn.to/3Ik2LpR

In this episode, Inna Khazan and Matt talk about the importance of low-frequency heart rate variability for biofeedback and mindfulness practices. We also discuss the new Optimal Zone feature in the Optimal HRV app to utilize this science. 

In this episode, Joey Scrivani joins Matt to discuss his journey with heart rate variability and healing trauma. Joey shares how he uses his experience to help other first responders deal with the trauma and challenges of their work.  About Joey:  My name is Joey Scrivani I’m 34 years old and a happily married father of two young boys. I am offering this course as a way to give back and teach skills I wish I would’ve had when I started my fire service career. After 10 years in the fire service, I was diagnosed with PTSD. My symptoms included panic attacks, disassociation, suicidal ideations, sleep issues, anxiety and depression. As I began my treatment, I found it lacking as the conventional treatment was aimed at giving pharmaceuticals to help my symptoms while failing to address the nervous system and the body. This approach placed me in a victim mindset and has been ineffective for me. After trying the conventional approach, I started to experiment with things outside the mainstream. Ice baths, saunas, breath work, meditation, journaling, TRE, float tanks, EMDR, neurofeedback, plant medicines and many other non-conventional approaches ended up being what gave me relief and allowed me to pull myself out of despair. Fast forward 3 years from my initial treatment and I am now working to give people skills before pills.  Through Conscious Movements, participates are introduced to the language of body and taught how to use their breath and movement to regulate themselves. Conscious Movements works on a physical, mental, emotional, and energetic level and encourages the practitioner to tune into the body and allow the mind to settle back. Through conscious attention, breath and movement we are able to connect to deeper parts of ourselves and encourage healing in a way conventional medicine doesn’t offer. Learning the skill of self-regulation allows you to be the best version of yourself, whether that's a friend, parent, partner, boss, employee, athlete, or student. https://www.conscious-movements.com https://www.instagram.com/conscious_movements?igsh=MThtZWdlbHdpdHFsNg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr https://conscious-movements-s-school.teachable.com/

In this episode, Dr. Fred Shaffer returns to discuss the frequency domains of heart rate variability and what they tell us about the health of our nervous system and bodies.

In this episode, Dr. Inna Khazan joins Matt to discuss the relationship between skin conductance, sympathetic activation, stress, and heart rate variability (HRV). Get Inna's Book Biofeedback and Mindfulness in Everyday Life: Practical Solutions for Improving Your Health and Performance

Saša Harper joins Matt to discuss integrating heart rate variability into her work as an Attention Deficit Disorder Coach and someone working to thrive with ADHD herself.