Tachycardia

`Tachycardia (Rapid Heart Beat)`
	Assessment of condition
		Overview Your family doctor or heart specialist (cardiologist) may have told you that you suffer from tachycardia, or rapid heart beat, perhaps even when you're supposed to be "at rest." Some of the same mechanisms associated with Panic Attacks, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, or "plain old stress" are also related to your rapid heart rate. Sensors To educate you about the interaction of your thoughts, behaviors, and physical changes, a multimodal biofeedback approach would be used. A skin temperature sensor (thermistor), muscle tension sensor (EMG sensor), photoplethysmograph, sweat gland sensors (EDR sensor), and possibly EEG sensors to assess brain wave changes consistent with panic and anxiety would be used during different sessions. Where sensors are placed The skin temperature sensor is typically affixed to your index finger. Non-invasive, painless skin surface EMG sensors are usually placed on yourforehead. The photoplethysmograph is usually placed on your index finger or thumb. Sweat gland sensors are usually placed on the middle and ring fingers of either hand. EEG (brain wave) sensors are placed on your ears and/or ear lobes and scalp.
	Behavioral intervention
		Learning and behavioral change Many of the same principles that apply to Panic and Anxiety interventions apply to the intervention for tachycardia, or rapid heart beat. If you think of anxiety or panic as a specific type of physical state --- that is, the state of sympathetic activation or autonomic arousal --- then you may logically, and correctly, conclude that by voluntarily reversing those physical states, you can decrease your panic and anxiety. Famous researchers and clinicians for several decades have confirmed the obvious: You cannot suffer from panic or anxiety if you are relaxed! Therefore, you will learn about the types of physical changes that accompany panic and anxiety. More important, you will learn how to effect the opposite physical changes! Heart rate variability training and diaphragmatic breathing are relatively easily learned techniques, and they would be first skills for you to learn. You would be taught to coordinate the activity of your heart and lungs --- something called coherence --- with this type of training. Skin temperature (thermal) biofeedback would be taught so that you would learn to increase circulation in your fingertips and toes, a technique that is known to decrease autonomic arousal. Your muscle tension would be assessed with EMG sensors. In addition, one or more sessions may be devoted to the monitoring and training of sweat gland activity, primarily for the purpose of demonstrating how your thoughts can either lower or raise your panic and anxiety. Brain wave biofeedback (neurofeedback) may be used to demonstrate how intrusive thoughts, rumination, and "worry" are reflected in High Beta wave activity. Alpha-Theta neurofeedback training may be used to train you into deep relaxation states --- a feeling of physical and psychological "peace" that you may not have experienced for many years!he principal Number of sessions The number of sessions is totally dependent upon your particular issues, and the severity and duration of the problems.
	Change in behavior Goals The goal would be the eventual normalization of your heart rate. The number of "beats per minute" should fall into the general range for someone your age and weight and with your medical history and types of medication your have been prescribed.

Advanced Biofeedback Center