Stress Research – HeartMath® System
StressRx is licensed to teach the HeartMath System to individuals. Following are summaries of stress research and field testing that validate the effectiveness of the system.
Nearly 1,400 people at six global companies showed the following results were sustained six months after taking HeartMath training:
- 60% reduction in anxiety
- 45% reduction in exhaustion
- 41% reduction in intent to leave the job
- 24% improvement in the ability to focus
- 25% improvement in listening ability
- 17% improvement in home/work conflict
The Heart of Grinnell: A Community-Wide Rural Health Wellness Initiative: A Pilot Observational Study And A Prospective Study Design
Todd C. Linden, M.A., FACHE; Cory Jackson, M.A.; Sheryl Rutledge, M.S., CHES, RCEP; Chad Nath; Laura Nelson; Journal of Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, A Peer-Reviewed Journal, 2010;16 (4):46-49.
Summary:
In 2007, the leadership team at Grinnell Regional Medical Center participated in a pilot project with the Institute of HeartMath (IHM) to assess the stress level of individual team members and its effect on the organization.
At the beginning of the project, the leadership team completed a Personal and Organizational Quality Assessment (POQA-R). Results showed that a high percentage of the participants were experiencing fatigue, anxiety, difficulty sleeping, and depression.
The leadership team participated in a Transforming Stress workshop and began using IHM techniques to deal with the stresses in their personal and professional lives. A 1-month follow up revealed improvement in six of the 10 categories assessed: fatigue, anxiety, depression, anger management, resentfulness, and stress symptoms.
Coherence and Health Care Cost – RCA Actuarial Study: A Cost-Effectiveness Cohort Study
Woody Bedell; Mariette Kaszkin-Bettag, Ph.D. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, A Peer-Reviewed Journal, 2010;16 (4):26-31.
Summary:
Adjusted medical costs were reduced by 3.8% for HeartMath participants in comparison with an increase of 9.0% for the control group. For the adjusted pharmacy costs, an increase of 7.9% was found compared with an increase of 13.3% for the control group. Total 2008 savings as a result of the HeartMath program are estimated at $585 per participant, yielding a return on investment of 1.95:1. These findings show that HeartMath stress-reduction and coherence-building techniques can reduce health care costs.
Impact of a Workplace Stress Reduction Program on Blood Pressure and Emotional Health in Hypertensive Employees
Rollin McCraty, Ph.D., Mike Atkinson, and Dana Tomasino, B.A. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 2003; 9(3): 355-369
Summary:
Results suggest that a brief workplace stress management intervention can produce clinically significant reductions in BP and improve emotional health among hypertensive employees. Implications are that such interventions may produce a healthier and more productive workforce, enhancing performance and reducing losses to the organization resulting from cognitive decline, illness, and premature mortality.
An Inner Quality Approach to Reducing Stress and Improving Physical and Emotional Well-being at Work
Bob Barrios-Choplin, Ph.D., Rollin McCraty, Ph.D., and Bruce Cryer, M.A. Stress Medicine 1997: 13(3): 193-201.
Summary:
This exploratory field study examined the impact of an Inner Quality Management program (IQM) on a group of Motorola employees. IQM is a training program designed to help people increase productivity through improved health, communication, goal clarity, positive mood and job satisfaction, and through the reduction of tension, burnout, physical symptoms of stress and negative mood. Both psychological and physiological measures were assessed in the 6-month study. The study involved three groups: managers, engineers and factory workers. Results showed that contentment, job satisfaction and communication significantly increased after the training, while tension, anxiety, nervousness and physical symptoms of stress significantly decreased. Blood pressure in hypertensive individuals decreased, and there was reduction in sympathetic nervous activity. Implications for workplace well-being are discussed.
