Biofeedback
Zoe utilizes biofeedback by measuring your Heart Rate Variability (HRV) in-session and teaching you how to develop coherence. Coherence is a process coined to describe when the heart, brain and nervous system are in-sync. Research shows that the heart says much more to the brain than the other way around. In fact, research over 20 years has shown the efficacy of Coherence for improving psychological and physical health (more info).
Heart Rate Variability is a particularly good indicator and gives us a 'window' into your nervous system and psychological response in 'real time'. It can show us the relationship between two important aspects of your autonomic nervous system - the sympathetic (fight/flight response) and the parasympathetic (rest/digest response).
Over time by practicing Coherence in-session Zoe can teach you how to shift more easily into a para-sympathetic nervous system response (down-regulate) and also shift negative emotional states into positive emotional states allowing better emotional regulation over time.
Another important aspect of this process is the ability to re-train your breath pattern. Re-training your breath pattern is one of the most simple, yet powerful techniques you can learn to manage your physical and psychological health. A poor breath pattern such as shallow, upper chest breathing is the physiological route to stress and anxiety. Just consciously re-shaping your breathing pattern can make an enormous difference.
