Report on a case study process evaluation of a HeartMath intervention and faith following a traumatic experience

Abstract

An initial study was undertaken on a HeartMath intervention, focusing on coherence, resilience and faith following a traumatic experience. Quantitively, there were significant post-intervention positive improvements in physiological coherence, and improvements in resilience and faith, and, qualitatively, positive integrated thematic changes in experiences of sense of coherence, resilience and faith. Correlations revealed various Sense of Coherence Scale items correlated with Brief Resilience Scale and Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire items, and there were inter-related and overlapping experiences of sense of coherence, resilience and faith integrated themes and sub-themes. The first study’s recommendations included that a case study process evaluation of a HeartMath intervention and faith following a traumatic experience be undertaken. The aim was to identify causal, correlation and relationship mechanisms of change. For this case study, the sample consisted of five participants purposefully selected from the original cohort. Information from a qualitative questionnaire on before, during and after intervention experience of sense of coherence, resilience, faith and HeartMath, as well as the HeartMath intervention, were collected. Emerging causal, correlation and relationship mechanisms of change in the form of integrated themes and subthemes are discussed.