© 2004, HeartMath LLC, all rights reserved -- Page 1

What is stress?
Stress has become the number one malady of our time. The constant pressure
associated with living in a fast-paced world has created an environment where
nearly everyone is suffering from excessive stress.

Stress is a term used to describe the wear and tear the body experiences in
We look at reaction to everyday tensions and pressures. Change, illness, injury or career
outside events and lifestyle changes, are common causes of stress, however, it's the pressure
as the source of and tension we feel in response to the little everyday hassles - like rush hour
stress, but in traffic, waiting in line, and too many emails - that do the most damage.
fact stress is
Stress is the body and mind's response to any pressure that disrupts its normal
really caused by balance. It occurs when our perception of events doesn’t meet our
our emotional expectations and we are unable to manage our reaction. As a response, stress
reactions to expresses itself as resistance, tension, strain or frustration that throws off our
events. physiological and psychological equilibrium, keeping us out of sync. If our
equilibrium is disturbed for long, the stress can become disabling.

Stress is often misunderstood. We look at outside events as the

source of stress, but in fact stress is really caused by our emotional
reactions to events. The stress we experience in today’s world
often goes unnoticed. Many people have simply adapted to stress in
To find out more an unhealthy way, resigned to thinking it’s “just the way it is”.
about HeartMath Unfortunately unmanaged stress has created a pandemic of low-
solutions to stress grade anxiety and depression.
and other related
How does stress affect health?
e-books click here Stress affects people physically, mentally and emotionally.
to sign up now. According to the American Institute of Stress, up to 90% of all
health problems are related to stress. Too much stress can
contribute to and agitate many health problems including heart
disease, high blood pressure, stroke, depression and sleep
disorders. Additional studies confirm the debilitating effects of
stress on our health:

• Three 10-year studies concluded that emotional stress was more predictive
of death from cancer and cardiovascular disease than smoking. People who
were unable to effectively manage their stress had a 40% higher death rate
than non-stressed individuals.

• A Harvard Medical School study of 1,623 heart attack survivors found that
when subjects got angry during emotional conflicts, their risk of subsequent
heart attacks was more than double that of those that remained calm.

• A 20-year study of over 1,700 older men conducted by the Harvard School of
Public Health found that worry about social conditions, health and personal
finances all significantly increased the risk of coronary heart disease.

• Over one-half of heart disease cases are not explained by the standard risk
facts, such as high cholesterol, smoking or sedentary lifestyle.

• According to a Mayo Clinic study of individuals with heart disease,

psychological stress was the strongest predictor of future cardiac events,
such as cardiac death, cardiac arrest and heart attacks.

© 2004, HeartMath LLC, all rights reserved -- Page 2

How stressed are you?
Everyone responds to stress differently. Take this quick test to see if there are
areas in your life where you are experiencing stress.

I feel overly tired or fatigued.

I often am nervous, anxious or depressed.

I feel driven, hyperactive, and restless. HeartMath's

research has
I tend to make snap decisions but with errors.
shown when
I have sleep problems. you learn how
to intentionally
I have repeated headaches or minor aches and pains.
shift to a
I worry about job security, financial obligations or relationships. positive
emotion, heart
What can I do about it? rhythms
The first step is to understand how stress works. It's not the events or situations
that do the harm; it's how you respond to those events. More precisely, it's how immediately
you feel about them that determines whether you become stressed or not. change.

Emotions, or feelings, have a powerful

impact on the human body. Emotions like
frustration, insecurity and depressing
feelings are stressful and inhibit optimal
health. Positive emotions like appre-
ciation, care, and love not only feel good,
they promote health, performance and
well being.

HeartMath's research has shown when you

learn how to intentionally shift to a
positive emotion, heart rhythms
immediately change. A shift in heart
rhythms may not seem important but in fact it creates a favorable cascade of
neural, hormonal and biochemical events that benefit the entire body. The
stress-reducing effects are both immediate and long lasting. The Freeze-
Framer Learning System is designed to help you learn how to change your
emotional state and heart rhythms to reduce your stress levels and revitalize
your entire body.

How does it work?

When you're stressed, your body is out of sync. Typical negative emotions we
feel when stressed—like anger, frustration, anxiety and worry—lead to
increased disorder in the heart's rhythms and in the nervous system. In
contrast, positive emotions like joy, appreciation, care and kindness create
harmony in the heart's rhythms and the nervous system. Other bodily systems
sync up to this rhythm which scientists call coherence. Because coherence
leads to more mental clarity, creativity and better problem solving abilities, it's
easier to find solutions and better ways of handling the stressful situation—and,
feel better.

© 2004, HeartMath LLC, all rights reserved -- Page 3

 Research at the Institute of HeartMath has shown that emotions are reflected
in the beat-to-beat changes in the heart's rhythms. This is called heart rate
variability, or HRV. The analysis of HRV is recognized as a powerful, non-
invasive way to measure nervous system dynamics. New clinical research
identifies HRV as a key indicator of preventable stress and shows a relationship
to a wide range of health problems.

Freeze-Framer 2.0 displays heart coherence

How can I create and gain the physiological coherence needed to

reduce stress?
The Freeze-Framer® Learning System uses advanced technology to provide an
interactive tool to use in your daily life to create new levels of coherence and
reduce the effects of stress. This complete system consists of an easy-to-use
finger sensor and software that displays your heart rhythms (HRV), offers
games, a tutorial and much more. The Freeze-Framer has been specially
designed to teach you how to bring your emotions, mind and body into greater
coherence. You’ll also learn the Quick Coherence® tool, a simple, easy way to
interrupt the stress response and quickly reduce the impact stress has on your
health, performance, and overall well being.

With your Freeze-Framer you can see your heart

rhythm patterns in real time on the computer screen.
When you apply the Quick Coherence tool you can
see the changes in your heart rhythm (HRV) patterns.
By correlating the patterns on the screen with a calm
internal feeling, you learn to find and maintain
physiological coherence. You learn self-control of
emotions, which helps reduce the symptoms of
stress. Seeing your heart rhythms and a coherence
score in real time can accelerate your progress. You
learn how to quickly change your reactions to stress,
increase your energy and improve your overall health
and well-being.

Regular use of the HeartMath System has resulted in significant stress reduction
benefits by people with ADD/ADHD, anger, anxiety and panic disorders,
arrythmias, asthma, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, depression, diabetes,
digestive disorders, hypertension, and sleep disorders.

"The Freeze-Framer is a revolutionary product that helps me deal with accumulated

stress through short tension busting ‘inner workouts’ that I look forward to everyday."

--Barnet Bain, Hollywood movie producer,

What Dreams May Come, CEO of Metafilmics

© 2004, HeartMath LLC, all rights reserved -- Page 4

Frequently Asked Questions
1. Question: There are a lot of stress management programs and products
available. What’s different about the HeartMath approach?

Answer: Most stress management programs and products

deal with the “effects” of stress not with the cause.
Many programs focus on the importance of watching our
diets, exercising more, relaxation techniques and so on.
These approaches can help but are most often applied
after the fact—to get over stress not to prevent it.

With HeartMath techniques and the Freeze-Framer

Learning System you address the causes of stress,
negative emotions and nervous system chaos. It helps you
re-train your mind and body to respond differently to
potentially stressful situations. The System is already
being used successfully by executives and managers in
Fortune 100 companies, the military, health care
professionals and educators and it’s based on solid
scientific research.

2. Question: Some people seem to thrive on stress and think stress is good
because it motivates us. What are your thoughts on this?

Answer: Stress can be a motivator, up to a point. Without challenges we

wouldn’t grow, learn new things or reach beyond our limits and comfort zones.
However, studies have clearly shown that at a certain point—long before most
people realize it—stress begins to diminish our performance and negatively
impact our health. Statistics clearly show that chronic stress—not the everyday
stress associated with motivating us to meet a challenge—has become highly
prevalent throughout the world, especially in Western industrialized nations.
It’s damaging the lives of hundreds of millions of people, taking a heavy toll on
society as a whole.

3. Question: I’m recovering from a serious health problem. It’s causing me a

lot of stress and I know that stress is bad for
my health and recovery. How can the Freeze-
Framer help me deal with the stress I’m
feeling?

Answer: Many people recovering from an illness

do experience a considerable amount of stress
in the form of worry, anxiety, boredom and
dealing with change. The Freeze-Framer can
help because it teaches you how to synchronize
your nervous system while at the same time
learning how to regulate your emotions. This
reduces a lot of unnecessary stress, which
promotes healing. Using it for 15 to 30 minuets

© 2004, HeartMath LLC, all rights reserved -- Page 5

 a day will help you create a more calm and balanced state of being and can
become an important part of overcoming the stress associated with disease.

4. Question: When using the Freeze-Framer how will I know it’s working?

Answer: As you learn how to become more coherent you’ll feel better right
away. That’s because when you’re stressed, your body is out of synch. Typical
negative emotions we feel when stressed, like anger, frustration, anxiety and
worry lead to increased disorder in the heart’s rhythms and in the nervous
system and we can certainly feel that. In contrast, positive emotions create
harmony in the heart’s rhythm and the nervous system and when that happens
it’s easy to tell the difference. You can feel the stress going away, being
replaced with a more calm and clear state.
To stay up to
date with the How and When to Use the Freeze-Framer
latest stress The Freeze-Framer works on almost any PC computer. It's easy
solutions click to install and the Quick Start Guide, Help Menu and
comprehensive, multi-media Tutorial make it easy to
here to sign up. understand and use. It's as simple as placing your index finger
on the sensor, opening the program and clicking the Start
button with your cursor.

You can observe your changing heart rhythms, play one of the
Freeze-Framer's games and practice the Quick Coherence
technique to improve your coherence score. You can also save
your session for review later and compare sessions to track your progress.

It is suggested that you use it for 15 to 30 minutes a day in one or two sessions.

• You can use it at the office when you need a break, before or after
meetings, or before engaging in a task that requires extra mental clarity
and creativity.

• Use it during air or train travel to reduce travel stress.

• Use it before going to bed to release the stress has built up during your
day, or use it in the morning to help set the tone for the day.

• If you have had an especially stressful episode it's a great way to get back
into balance fast.

• Children have stress too and the Freeze-Framer can help them learn how to
better manage their emotions.

There are so many uses for the Freeze-Framer you will be certain to find
applications that are right for you and your lifestyle.

"The Freeze-Framer has helped me better appreciate all the good things I
have. It has reduced my stress level, lowered my blood pressure, and helped
me balance work with the rest of my life. It has also helped me make better
business decisions."
--Mark Dubovoy
Leapfrog Ventures (venture capital)

© 2004, HeartMath LLC, all rights reserved -- Page 6

Glossary of Terms

Cardiac Coherence—A mode of cardiac function in which the heart’s rhythmic

and electrical output is highly ordered. HeartMath research has shown that the
positive emotions such as love, care, and appreciation increase coherence in
the heart’s rhythmic beating patterns. During states of cardiac coherence,
brain wave patterns have been shown to entrain with heart rate variability
patterns; in addition, nervous system balance and immune function are
enhanced. Overall, the body functions with increased harmony and efficiency.

Coherence—Logical connectedness, internal order, or harmony among the

components of a system. This term can also refer to the tendency toward
increased order in the informational content of a system or in the information
flow between systems. In physics, two or more waveforms that are phase-
locked together (so that their energy is constructive) are described as
coherent. Coherence can also be attributed to a single waveform, in which
case it denotes an ordered or constructive distribution of power content.
Recently, there has been a growing scientific interest in coherence in living
systems. When a system is coherent, virtually no energy is wasted, because of
the internal synchronization among the parts. In organizations, increased
coherence enables the emergence of new levels of creativity, cooperation,
productivity, and quality at all levels.

Core Heart Feelings—Psychological qualities commonly associated with the

heart. These qualities represent some of the most beneficial and productive
human values and traits. There are many core heart feelings, including love,
compassion, nonjudgment, courage, patience, forgiveness, appreciation, and
care.

Emotion—A strong feeling. Emotions include any of the various complex

reactions with both mental and physical manifestations—examples include love,
joy, sorrow, and anger. Emotional energy is neutral, attaching itself to positive
or negative thoughts to create emotions.

Emotional Management—The degree of ability one has to consciously control

emotional responses.

Heart—A hollow, muscular organ in vertebrates that keeps the blood in

circulation throughout the body by means of its rhythmic contractions and
relaxations. The body’s central and most powerful energy generator and
rhythmic oscillator, the heart is a complex, self-organized information-
processing system with its own functional “little brain” that continually
transmits neural, hormonal, rhythmic, and pressure messages to the brain.

Heart Intelligence—A term coined to express the concept of the heart as an

intelligent system with the power to bring both the emotional and mental
systems into balance and coherence.

Heart Rate Variability (HRV)—The normally occurring beat-to-beat changes in

heart rate. Analysis of HRV is an important tool used to assess the function and

© 2004, HeartMath LLC, all rights reserved -- Page 7

balance of the autonomic nervous system. HRV is considered a key indicator of
aging, cardiac health, and overall well-being.

Perception—The act or faculty of apprehending by means of the senses; the

way in which an individual views a situation or event. How we perceive an
event or an issue underlies how we think, feel, and react to that event or
issue. Our level of awareness determines both our initial perception of an
event and our ability to extract meaning from the available data. Research is
showing that when the mind’s logic and intellect are harmoniously integrated
with the heart’s intuitive intelligence, our perception of situations often
changes significantly, offering wider perspective and new possibilities.

Stress—Pressure, strain, or a sense of inner turmoil resulting from our

perception and reactions to events or conditions. A state of negative emotional
arousal, usually associated with feelings of discomfort or anxiety that we
attribute to our circumstances or situation.

“Freeze-Framer has been a successful method for managing work related

stress. In addition, I've also noticed that it's easier for me to be removed or
be objective when it comes to politics in the organization.”

-Mike Guerra
Sergeant, Atherton Police Department

Additional HeartMath Resources

Books:
The HeartMath Solution
Overcoming Emotional Chaos
Transforming Anger
The Inside Story

For more information about how you can learn to effectively stop the negative
effects stress is having on your life and to order your Freeze-Framer learning
system or other HeartMath products contact:

HeartMath LLC
14700 West Park Avenue
Boulder Creek, California 95006 USA
www.heartmath.com
800-450-9111

Sign up for HeartMath e-newsletter.

HeartMath is a registered trademark of Institute of HeartMath, Freezer-Framer is a registered

trademark of Quantum Intech, Inc and Quick Coherence is a trademark of Doc Childre.

© 2004, HeartMath LLC, all rights reserved -- Page 8