The Use of Observations of Arousal States and Heart Rate Variability Data to Inform Best Practice

The ultimate goal of all interventions, whether Therapeutic or Educational, is to enable the capacity for Self Regulation & Co-Regulation. Self Regulation is the ability to attain, maintain and change arousal states appropriately for a task or interpersonal situation (Williams & Shellenberger 1996). When the stress response is activated in an extremely prolonged or repetitive manner the neural networks undergo a “use dependent” alteration. The end effect is an alteration in the baseline activity and reactivity of the stress response systems (Perry et al 1995). Traditional observations of arousal, that occur in therapy sessions, may not fully inform of the state of arousal presented. This conference presentation describes the integration of Heart Rate Variability (HRV) metrics and the preliminary research findings the Authors have investigated.