Heart Rate Variability, Respiration Rate & How to Create an Adaptive Human System - with Dr Jack (JP) Ginsberg PhD - Episode #50

Today we welcomed Dr Jack Ginsberg PhD to The Unveil Podcast for an in-depth discussion into his primary areas of research: heart rate variability and heart rate variability feedback.

Dr. Ginsberg earned a B.S. in Biology cum laude from Yale University,  an M.A. in Anthropology from Brandeis University and in Psychology from Boston College, and a PhD in Clinical Neuropsychology from the University of Memphis (TN). Presently he is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist/Neuropsychologist in South Carolina after retiring from the Columbia (SC) VA hospital in 2019. He is currently adjunct faculty at Saybrook University (departments of Applied Psychophysiology, Clinical Psychology, and Research) and Research Associate Professor at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine.

Dr. Ginsberg  has been a PI, Co-PI or Co-I on research grants from the DoD, VA, and NIH studying heart rate variability (HRV) and HRV biofeedback in patients with either chronic pain or PTSD. Currently he is collaborating with researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Duke  University School of Medicine, and University of South Carolina School of Medicine on grant proposals under review by NIH and DoD to study heart rate variability and heart rate variability biofeedback.

During this exceptionally detailed, yet supremely simplifying podcast, Victoria and Dr Ginsberg talk about:

• Dr Ginsberg’s history and progression into the field of heart rate variability studies, research and use in clinical practice
• What heart rate variability actually is - and why it’s important
• What heart rate variability is telling us about about someone’s orientation to the world around them
• The realm of respiration and the relationship between respiration and heart rate variability (this is fascinating: a must-listen for anyone who breathes… which is everyone!)
• What biofeedback is - especially when it comes to heart rate variability
• How to use emotional regulation to support change in nervous system state, and therefore heart rate variability, to increase adaptability for the individual

Whilst this is a very “regular person” discussion, we do also touch on the clinical application of heart rate variability within chronic pain conditions and PTSD. We also lightly cover the utilization of heart rate variability as a monitoring tool to track illness within populations.

We hope you enjoyed this podcast - and, as Victoria mentions in the outro, the HRV Institute are having their first ever annual conference, all details of which can be found by clicking this link here.

For a full transcript of this episode, click here.