title: Heart rate variability and the anxious client: cardiac autonomic and behavioral associations with therapeutic alliance.
abstract: This exploratory study was designed to investigate the link between a client's heart rate variability (HRV) and the forming of a therapeutic alliance (TA) during psychotherapy. Change in HRV is associated with many psychological and physiological situations, including cardiac mortality. Cardiac effects were evaluated during therapy in 30 symptomatically anxious clients using HRV during six weekly 1-hour therapy sessions (S1-S6). Therapeutic index (TI), a measure of TA, was evaluated using skin conductance resonance between client and therapist. The Working Alliance Inventory provides a subjective measure of TA. State and trait anxiety and mood states were also assessed. Most HRV parameters were highest during S4. The sympathovagal balance was highest in S1 but stabilized after S2. In S4, TI was linked to high HRV parameters. Overall higher anxiety levels seem to be associated to lower HRV parameters. Conversely, in S4, high HRV parameters were linked to higher mood scores. This study found that a subjective measure of TA contradicted the physiological outcome. Results suggest that physiological data collected during therapy are a more accurate barometer of TA forming. These research findings suggest a need for further research identifying physiological markers in clients with a variety of mental health disorders over long-term therapy.
authors.affiliation: *University of Technology (UTS), Department of Medical and Molecular Biosciences, Sydney, NSW, Australia; and †Academic Governing Board, Gestalt Therapy, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Trisha
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Stratford
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meara
authors.forename: M Gestalt
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Psychotherapy
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lal
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response / Q000502:physiology*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult