Coaching with heart? Heart rate variability in systemic coaching

The aim of this study was to investigate, on the basis of a qualitative study, whether the use of heart rate variability as an intervention method in systemic coaching adds value to the coaching process. The measurement of heart rate variability - a method of analysing heart rhythms based on a 24-hour ECG - allows numerous conclusions to be drawn regarding a person's vitality. This method is already used in a wide variety of fields, such as clinical research, workplace health promotion, preventive medicine and elite sport. In order to examine the actual potential applications of heart rate variability in systemic coaching, a qualitative study was conducted in the form of guided interviews. Seven systemic coaches were interviewed for this purpose. The study identified both benefits that support the use of heart rate variability as an intervention method in systemic coaching, as well as certain aspects that cast the use of heart rate variability in systemic coaching in a critical light.