Biofeedback Volume 48: Issue 1

Scientific research across a number of areas, including applied psychophysiology, biofeedback, and neurofeedback, is facing considerable scrutiny for poor replication rates, high numbers of false-positive findings, and insufficient scientific rigor. There are many factors underlying this replication crisis in scientific research; yet incentives for more rigorous research practices at the institutional and editorial levels lag behind the need for improvement. The author provides examples of replication and rigor difficulties in scientific research with an eye toward psychophysiological research, including researcher flexibility in data analysis, “p-hacking,” insufficient sample sizes, and lack of availability and implementation of rigorous methodological and publication guidelines. Subsequently, the author highlights examples and opportunities for improvement, including decreasing researcher flexibility, reporting sample size information, increasing sample sizes through collaboration, improving reporting standards/following established guidelines for reporting psychophysiological data, and increasing adoption of preregistration and registered reports. The author concludes that the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (AAPB) can improve clinical practice and perception of public and scientific credibility by implementing rigorous and transparent research practices with a focus on replicability and clear methodological and reporting techniques and standards.

The resonance frequency (RF) is the rate at which a system, like the cardiovascular system, can be activated or stimulated for maximal variability. Precise RF measurement is needed to standardize training protocols to help researchers determine the importance of RF breathing in achieving clinical and optimal performance outcomes. Lehrer and colleagues have developed and standardized a psychometrically reliable RF measurement protocol that can facilitate training and replication. This article provides a detailed description of their protocol and explains the nuanced decision-making process involved in identifying the RF. The validity and reproducibility of results using this protocol depend on quality control in (a) confirming that individuals successfully follow a breathing pacer, and (b) manually removing artifacts from data records. While this protocol requires an electrocardiogram or photoplethysmograph sensor and a respirometer, professionals should consider the addition of autonomic, musculoskeletal, and respiratory measures to better understand the patterns of physiological activity produced by different breathing rates.

“Can you see my scars? Can you feel my heart?”

These touching lines about one person who can feel another were written by Boy Epic, a pop artist from Dallas, Texas, who rose to fame after uploading his songs, earning him millions of views.

We borrowed his lyrics to address some questions about online therapy.

Online therapy is becoming common practice in all disciplines of psychotherapy. Both psychodynamic therapists (Scharff, 2013) and cognitive-behavioral therapists (Andersson, 2018) use the Internet, particularly video conferences, for their work.

The concept of disembodied therapy questions traditional assumptions of necessary conditions

SPECIAL ISSUE: Lessons Learned: A Pilot Study on the Feasibility of Using Biofeedback Monitoring in a Remote Setting with Special Forces Veterans in Saipan

Lauren Bethune ScroggsPhD,

Amelia SaulPhD, LRT, CTRS,

Jennifer McKinnonPhD, and

Carmen RussonielloPhD

Special Issue: Empirically Supported Protocols for Biofeedback Practice I

Improving the Rigor and Replicability of Applied Psychophysiology Research: Sample Size, Standardization, Transparency, and Preregistration

Resonance Frequency Assessment: The Challenge of Standardizing Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback Research

Incorporating Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback into Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Introduction

Can You Feel My Heart (Via Your Camera and Sensors)? The Role of the Body, Its Absence, and Its Measurement in Online Video Psychotherapy

SPECIAL ISSUE: Lessons Learned: A Pilot Study on the Feasibility of Using Biofeedback Monitoring in a Remote Setting with Special Forces Veterans in Saipan

SPECIAL ISSUE: The ACT of Biofeedback—Training for Psychological Flexibility

SPECIAL ISSUE: The Effect of Perceived Racial Discrimination in African Americans on HRV

PRACTICE MANAGEMENT: The Business of Neurofeedback: Keys to a Successful Practice

SPECIAL ISSUE: Improve Client Care by Dispelling HRV Myths