Resonant frequency biofeedback training to increase cardiac variability: Rationale and manual for training

Heart rate and blood pressure, as well as other physiological systems, amon g healthy people, show a complex pattern of variability, characterized by m ultifrequency oscillations, There is evidence that these oscillations refle ct the activity of homeostatic reflexes. Biofeedback training to increase t he amplitude of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) maximally increases the amplitude of heart rate oscillations only at approximately 0.1 Hz. To perfo rm this task people slow their breathing to this rare to a point where reso nance occurs between respiratory-induced oscillations (RSA) and oscillation s that naturally occur at this rate, probably triggered in part by barorefl ex activity, we hypothesize that this type of biofeedback exercises the bar oreflexes, and renders them more efficient. A manual is presented for carry ing out this method, Supporting data are provided in Lehrer; Smetankin, and Potapova (2000) in this issue.