Stress regulation

Heart coherence training

Your body has a built-in calm button. Heart coherence training teaches you to use it. With simple breathing exercises you settle your nervous system and build your resilience to stress.

What is heart coherence?

Heart coherence describes how well your heartbeat, breathing and brain function work together. The more those three are attuned to each other, the more your system is in balance. That balance shows up as emotional calm, clearer thinking and a greater ability to recover from stress.

With ongoing stress that balance is disturbed. Your heart rhythm becomes more irregular, your breathing shallower and your nervous system stays on alert, even when there is no danger left. That costs an enormous amount of energy.

Heart coherence training teaches you to regulate your heart rhythm through calm, rhythmic breathing. In doing so you deliberately activate the parasympathetic nervous system, the part that steers rest and recovery. Practising seven to ten minutes, two or three times a day, already has a measurable effect on your resilience to stress.

Scientific basis: heart rate variability (HRV) is a clinically validated measure of how the autonomic nervous system is functioning. Higher HRV is associated with better emotion regulation, resilience and recovery from stress. McCraty & Shaffer (2015) published an extensive review of the evidence for HRV biofeedback in stress and anxiety in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine.

Who is it for, and when?

✓Stress and burnout: calming the nervous system

✓Anxiety and panic attacks: regulating the physical response

✓Sleep problems: settling the body before sleep

✓Hyperventilation: reprogramming your breathing

✓As a complement to CBT, EMDR or mindfulness

Important: heart coherence is an additional technique, not a standalone treatment for mental health disorders. A provider decides whether and how it fits within your treatment.

Related complaints

Stress Burnout Anxiety disorder Chronic hyperventilation Sleep problems

Related treatments

Mindfulness ACT PMT Positive psychology

Frequently asked questions

Is heart coherence scientifically proven? +

Research into heart rate variability (HRV) and stress regulation is well documented. Heart coherence as a standalone treatment for mental health complaints has weaker evidence. It is therefore used as an additional technique within a broader treatment plan.

Do I need equipment? +

Not for a basic training. A provider guides you through breathing exercises. If you want to measure your heart coherence there is dedicated HRV equipment, but it is not required.

Who is it for? +

For people with stress, burnout, anxiety or sleep problems who want to regulate their stress response better.

Getting started

Ready for a first conversation?

Book an intake with a certified provider. Together you will look at whether heart coherence is the right approach for your situation.

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Sources: McCraty & Shaffer (2015), Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine · HeartMath Institute research