HeartMath: An Effective Tool for Behavioral Health Providers in Substance Abuse Counseling Practice
Sep 11
3 min read
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In my experience as a counselor who specializes in treating substance misuse, addiction wreaks havoc on people's lives. While many therapies have their place, I've discovered that for many of my clients, using HeartMath has been a game-changer. The difficulties of treating substance use disorders are widely acknowledged. It is a recurrent, chronic illness that interferes with all facets of a person's life. Motivation and dedication to the process of recovery are necessary, yet they are frequently insufficient. Self-regulation issues underlie many addiction problems, which makes it extremely challenging to control stress, emotions, and cravings.
About ten years ago, while looking for creative ways to support my clients in better managing their stress and emotions—two major contributors to addiction relapse—I came upon HeartMath. I could relate to the HeartMath science, which emphasizes heart rate variability (HRV) and fostering coherence between the heart, mind, and emotions. I made the decision to look into it more, and I have been utilizing HeartMath with hundreds of individuals who are battling addictions of all kinds, from opiates to alcohol.
Teaching people to self-generate a high coherence state—a state in which the heart, brain, and neurological system are all in harmony—is the fundamental component of the HeartMath system. This is accomplished by purposefully arousing happy feelings in addition to employing straightforward yet effective strategies like breathing and heart awareness. The intention is to improve "coherence," which is a state in which the body's rhythmic processes exhibit greater harmony, order, and synchrony. Resilience, cognitive performance, and emotional control all improve as a result.
I've discovered that most people can use these approaches, even those who are just beginning their recovery and are having difficulty with acute emotional dysregulation, resistance to counseling, or denial. My clients eventually pick up on the ability to identify when they're starting to feel tense or nervous and take a few minutes to "shift and raster," as we say in HeartMath, to a more composed state. This makes it possible to think more clearly, control emotions better, and make more logical decisions—all of which are essential for healing. HeartMath equips people with the self-regulation abilities they need to take an active role in their own healing.
The biofeedback feature of HeartMath, which offers immediate feedback on the body's internal rhythms, is among its most alluring features. For my clients, witnessing the shift in their physiological reactions while they work on the techniques serves as a potent teaching aid and source of motivation. They soon discover that they can affect their own physiological state in a beneficial way. This feeling of authority and control is especially crucial for people who frequently feel helpless to overcome their addiction.
The studies back up what I've seen in my practice. Research indicates that HeartMath treatments enhance HRV coherence, lessen stress and anxiety, and enhance cognitive functioning and emotional regulation. Emotional functioning, spiritual well-being, and decreased severity of cravings were found to significantly improve in a dissertation on the application of HeartMath in alcohol recovery. Numerous populations saw improvements in psychological and physical results, according to a systematic evaluation of HeartMath studies. These results highlight HeartMath's potential as a supplement to conventional therapy methods.
My own experience is that HeartMath works best in conjunction with other research-proven therapies such as motivational interviewing (MI) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). It offers useful strategies for controlling the strong feelings and urges that can obstruct recovery. One client, a 35-year-old guy who is addicted to opioids, is a prime example of HeartMath's potential. He struggled to control his anxiousness and dissatisfaction early in treatment, frequently losing his cool throughout the work week. He became skilled at transitioning into coherence when under stress after learning HeartMath, which enabled him to remain composed and focused throughout counseling and then apply that at work. He gradually reported less worry and desires in between sessions, and he made notable advancements in his 12-step recovery.
HeartMath has been a valuable addition to my counseling toolset, even though it is not a panacea for addiction. It gives a means of addressing the fundamental deficiencies in self-regulation that underlie substance abuse and imparts useful abilities for handling stress and emotions. It gives me great satisfaction as a counselor to watch my clients acquire these abilities and apply them to better their lives. I recommend HeartMath to other counselors who work with addiction. The methods are simple to pick up and incorporate into current modalities. It has had a really positive effect on my clients' recovery journeys, and I think it may have a similar great effect on those who are battling addiction.
Resources & Research
Studies on Addiction and HeartMath