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Heart Rate Variability Following Treatment For Ptsd: Testing The Polyvagal Theory, Brittany F. Goodman
Heart Rate Variability Following Treatment For Ptsd: Testing The Polyvagal Theory, Brittany F. Goodman
Dissertations
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been linked to lower heart rate variability (HRV), including measures of vagal tone. Treatments targeting the autonomic nervous system (ANS) have demonstrated efficacy in improving vagal tone, but it is less clear whether similar effects can also be achieved with cognitive therapies. The polyvagal theory has suggested that symptoms of social dysfunction are linked to vagal tone through a phylogenetically organized response to stress. HRV was collected during rest, reactivity (exposure to personalized trauma scripts), and recovery using a scripted imagery paradigm in female PTSD positive physical and sexual assault survivors (N = 41) …