What is Heart Rhythm Therapy?

Scientific instrumentation for assessing emotional strengths.
Coping skills to manage the physical heart's response to affective states.
Experiential tools you can teach for heart-mind-body integration.
Homework exercises to reverse self-defeating behaviors.

Revolutionary in its energetic model and methods of intervention, Heart Rhythm Therapy is a heart-centered, experiential process using breath work and imagery. Easily integrated into your practice, HRT helps clients to integrate their hearts and minds and bring balance into their lives and relationships. Included in Heart Rhythm Therapy are a model of character development, both objective and self-assessment instruments, and safe and reliable tools for in-session interventions and at-home use to help clients apply what they have learned in therapy and make powerful shifts in their lives to live congruently.

The Four Dimensions of the Heart

The heart is the center of the emotional body. When the energy within the heart rises, it lifts and brightens the mind. If this energy is too strong, its effect becomes distorted, and manic behavior develops; if too weak, the mind becomes pessimistic. In a similar way, the energy of the heart extends downwards, sideways, and to the front; in each case, if it is too strong or too weak a specific type of emotional condition will develop.

The dimensions of the energetic-emotional heart can be measured in the magnetic field, Heart Rate Variability and self-assessment and therapist-assessment instruments.

By consciously energizing the heart through breathing practices and visualizations, one creates a balanced energy in the four dimensions which allows a natural affective response, without distortion, through a beautiful and functional personality. Recognition and appreciation of the great emotional strengths of others leads to self-discovery of the same strengths. Emotional distortions and deficiencies transform into positive and then exemplary qualities as the therapy progresses from alleviation of dysfunction to building positive self-images, optimistic interpretations of life events, and self-confidence, and finally to a noble and generous character. This progression is monitored by the measurement tools for the dimensions of the heart as the emotional states create specific physiological changes.

Heart Rate Variability and Health

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is a measure of the minute differences in time between the beats of your heart. HRV is one of the hottest areas of health and biofeedback research because studies have found that a low HRV is the single most important leading indicator of heart disease.* Heart Rhythm Meditation is the most effective way known to increase HRV.

Your HRV pattern shows the state of your emotional-energetic heart. The graph below shows the HRV of a subject who experienced 4 periods of emotional distress (a, b, c, and d), when asked about his finances. The emotional distress causes a spike in the heart rate, which is very stressful for the heart.

When the same person practices Heart Rhythm Meditation, an ideal, smooth pattern emerges, called coherence, which activates the parasympathetic nervous system, lowering blood pressure, stress hormones, respiration rate, and heart rate.** Now the subject was asked repeatedly about his finances with no stress effect. This coherent pattern can persist through the day, giving a new ability to handle stress.

* Ponikowski et al., (1997) "Depressed HRV as an independent predictor of death in chronic congestive heart failure secondary to ischemic or idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy." American Journal of Cardiology, 79(12):1645-50
Tsuji et al., (1996) "Impact of reduced HRV on risk for cardiac events. The Framingham Heart Study." Circulation, 94(11):2850-5

** McCraty, R., B. Barrios-Choplin, et al. (1998). "The impact of a new emotional self-management program on stress, emotions, heart rate variability, DHEA and cortisol." Integrative Physiological and Behavioral Science 33(2): 151-170.

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"This is a paradigm-shifting advance for therapists."
-- Shari Sippola, MA, LPC

"Not only has Heart Rhythm Therapy revolutionized my practice as a therapist, it has been a dynamic catalyst for my own personal growth."
-- Jeanie Underwood, MFT

"With Heart Rhythm Therapy there is a sweet tenderness in my office that helps my clients heal."
-- Cindy Bowman, MFT

"I have been using Heart Rhythm Therapy in my practice and now clients often refer their friends who specifically request Heart Rhythm Therapy."
-- Linda Turner, MFT

You can receive Heart Rhythm Therapy by phone

IAM offers a one-day seminar in HRT for health-care providers, giving 6 CEUs, in 18 cities in the USA and the UK.

For information about Heart Rhythm Therapy seminars, click here.

PO Box 86149, Tucson, AZ 85754 Call tollfree 1-888-310-7881, or email us heart@IAMheart.org Site Map | Brochure