I am a psychologist with beginning level background in biofeedback. I have a C-2 (J&J) system that has pretty good RSA training modality and I have done some RSA training with a few patients. I have found promising results, but feel like I need to be more educated in the field. I am especially interested in finding a good resource on a)general RSA biofeedback information and b) RSA training with headache patients.

If anyone has any thoughts, please let me know.

Thanks so much.

Heart Rate Variability (HRV/RSA)
San Francisco, CA May 23-25, 2002

Workshop Outline

Day One
Overview of Heart Rate Variability and Cardiac Functioning
• Practicum 1: The phenomenon of HRV
• What is HRV?...What physiologic reflexes or systems regulate HRV
• How does psychological functioning influence HRV?
• What mechanisms confound the interp'n of psychological influences on HRV
HRV Assessment and Normal Cardiac Functioning
• Practicum 2: Guidelines for EKG hook-up and HRV-BFB programs • What is normal cardiac functioning?
• How do we asses electrophysiologic functioning of the heart?
• How can we confirm that HRV information is based upon a normal EKG?
• Practicum 3: Orientation of HRV
Clinical Interpretation of HRV
•How do we assess and interpret HRV?
• How do we know when HRV data is clinically meaningful?
• Practicum 4: Interpreting the HRV profile
Clinical Management of the HRV Record
• Cautionary notes and technical specifications for HRV recording
• How do we identify and edit inter-event intervals in the HRV signal?
• What are the conventional decision rules for editing HRV data?
• Practicum 5: Ensuring the HRV indices are clinically meaningful
• Practicum 6: Editing HRV data in the clinical record
Respiratory Influence on HRV
• What is the origin of RSA?
• What HRV indices do we need to use (and avoid) in RSA BFB?
• Practicum 7: Introduction to RSA
• Practicum 8: Respiratory Influence on HRV
Open forum/Open lab

Day Two
Using the PPG to monitor vascular functioning
• What are the physiologic determinants of blood flow?
• What is the basic structure of the peripheral pulse wave?
• How can peripheral wave form analysis be utilized in the clinical setting?
• Practicum 9: PPG Wave Form Analysis of Response to Sympathetic Arousal
Cardiovascular Reactivity to Stress
• What is the most valid, reliable, and meaningful assessment of stress?
• What is the physiologic basis of the cardiovascular stress response?
• Is there a taxonomy to guide the clinical interpretation of stress reactivity?
• Can cardiovascular reactivity to stress be modified?
• Demonstration: Multimodal Assessment of Stress Reactivity
• Practicum 10: Multimodal Assessment of Stress Reactivity
HRV-BFB as a New Stress Reduction Treatment to improve Heart Health
• What are the recognized psychosocial risk factors for coronary heart disease?
• Do current behavioral treatments reduce CHD risk?
• What is the clinical rationale for offering HRV-BFB to clients? • Is there evidence-based guide for HRV-BFB?
• Practicum 11: Countering C-V Stress Reactivity with HRV-BFB
• Open forum

Day Three
Question & Discussion re. Clinical Application of HRV-BFB
The 10 Most Important Practice Guidelines for HRV-BFB
• Detailed discussion of the most important challenges that can compromise the standard of practice of HRV-BFB practitioners
Special Applications of HRV-BFB: Smoking Cessation
• What are the "best evidence" guidelines for smoking cessation counseling?
• Review of major evidence-based treatments for smoking cessation
• Current priorities and challenges in decreasing relapse to smoking • Rationale for HRV-BFB as an important component in smoking cessation
• Practicum 13: Review of smoking cessation materials and pharmacotherapies
• Open forum

http://health.dir.groups.yahoo.com/group/biofeedback

I am not sure what they use in their training, but there are people who attended the seminars from Stens Corp.