Trauma-Informed Lens Podcast

Episode 67: Heart Rate Variability & The Fear Response

Posted on January 10, 2019

Conditioned fear responses and learning safety cues are critical components of both the etiology of trauma-related dysfunction and recovery from traumatic experiences.  Can inter-individual differences in physiological measures predict our ability to extinguish conditioned fear responses and to learn new safety cues?   In this episode, Matt, Jerry & Curt discuss an article describing a study that asked these very questions.

Discussion questions:

1. Can you identify the way the fear response manifests in those you work with?
2. Does our discussion about HRV provide you any insight into possible strategies to help clients manage stress and fear?

Article for this week: Resting HRV Predicts Safety Learning Fear Extinction