The compassionate vagus: A meta-analysis on the connection between compassion and heart rate variability

Abstract

This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.

Attachment styles modulate neural markers of threat and imagery when engaging in self-criticism

“…In the therapeutic context this is the aim of Compassion Focused Therapy 42 . This approach includes inviting the individual to engage in compassionate mind training skills and practices, in order to build their inner sense of safeness and increase both resting and task-related physiological markers of soothing, safety and self-regulation (i.e., measured via an increase in Vagal Tone from Heart-rate Variability, HRV) which can facilitate improved threat processing 23 , 43 – 45 . Once developed, the therapy can then move to focusing on understanding the forms and functions of self-criticism, shame and trauma 46 .…”

“…Here, we can begin to examine how well participants are able to self-regulate threat and distress, which we would argue can be predicted from prior knowledge of attachment style, as well as physiological markers of soothing, safety and self-regulation 23 . Parallel research has investigated how compassion practices such as Compassionate Mind Training may affect neurophysiological markers of self-relating styles with measurement of Heart-rate variability 23 , 43 , 49 , 50 . Our current findings suggest that this research could be extended to target specific attachment styles.…”

“You are already all you need to be”: A case illustration of compassion‐focused therapy for shame and perfectionism

“…CFT uses breathing practices, friendly voice tones, facial and body expressions, and imagery practices, that focus on activating and developing soothing-affiliative processing systems (e.g., parasympathetic system) that facilitate the regulation of affect (e.g., downregulation of the threat system), and help soothe and calm individuals when distressed (Gilbert, 2010(Gilbert, , 2014. Extensive studies on HRV and the physiological underpinnings of social brain/motives have empirically supported the CFT model and its practices (Di Bello et al, 2020;Matos et al, 2017;Petrocchi, & Cheli, 2019). CFT also includes psychoeducation and focuses on helping people understand that the way that the human brain has evolved makes us vulnerable to negativity bias, self-critical self-monitoring, fearful imagining, and rumination.…”

Compassion: From Its Evolution to a Psychotherapy

“…There is a long history of philosophical and spiritual writings, highlighting the value of compassion as an antidote to suffering and anti-social behavior (Dalai Lama, 1995;Lampert, 2005;Ricard, 2015). However, it has only been in the last 30 years or so that we have seen substantial research on the neurophysiological, psychological, and social dimensions of compassion and compassion training (for reviews see Weng et al, 2013;Gilbert, 2017a;Seppälä et al, 2017;Stevens and Woodruff, 2018;Petrocchi and Cheli, 2019;Singer and Engert, 2019;Di Bello et al, 2020;Kim et al, 2020a). This work has been accompanied by the development of various forms of general compassion training (e.g., Jazaieri et al, 2013;Singer and Engert, 2019;Condon and Makransky, 2020) and cultivating compassion to address personal problems like self-criticism (Neff and Germer, 2017) and mental health issues (Germer and Siegel, 2012;Kirby and Gilbert, 2017).…”