Become an Expert in HRV Biofeedback

Master the science of Heart Rate Variability in this professional training program, led by Harvard Medical School faculty member Dr. Inna Khazan and co-sponsored by AAPB. This course fulfills the official BCIA didactic requirement—the essential first step toward a BCIA HRV certificate.

This program combines complex physiological science with practical clinical application in a 16-hour curriculum derived from Harvard expertise, offering 16 CE credits and a BCIA-recognized foundation for career advancement as a specialist.

Heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback is a rapidly growing, evidence-based intervention in mental health, medicine, performance coaching, and stress resilience. It provides an objective, real-time signal responsive to breath and thought, enabling clients to modulate their autonomic nervous system for effective self-regulation from the first session. The research is robust, applications are diverse, and demand for board-aligned practitioners is increasing.

Contrary to assumptions, biofeedback does not require costly hardware or extensive training. With the right knowledge and platforms like Optimal HRV, HRV biofeedback can be implemented using affordable sensors, making professional-grade tracking accessible.HRV, the natural fluctuation in heart rate regulated by the autonomic nervous system, is linked to stress resilience, emotional regulation, cardiovascular health, and performance. HRV biofeedback trains clients to breathe at their resonant frequency, thereby increasing HRV, enhancing self-regulation, and improving stress and performance responses.

This 16-hour virtual training provides a standardized, evidence-based foundation for HRV biofeedback, based on the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance (BCIA) HRV Biofeedback Blueprint of Knowledge. Taught by BCIA-authorized trainer Dr. Inna Khazan and co-sponsored by the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (AAPB), it meets the highest international standards for clinical excellence.

Busy that day? Recordings available — you'll still earn your Certificate of Completion.

Can't attend live? Recordings are available and count toward your Certificate of Completion. Note that CE credits require live, full attendance.

Who This Is For

This training is the right fit if you are:

• A mental health professional — psychologist, therapist, counselor, social worker, or marriage and family therapist — looking to integrate HRV biofeedback and longitudinal tracking to strengthen clinical outcomes and give clients an objective sense of their own progress.

  
  

• A medical or health professional — physician, nurse practitioner, or allied health professional — interested in using HRV biofeedback as a powerful tool to improve autonomic nervous system health. This training focuses on combining clinical protocols with remote tracking to manage stress, cardiac health, chronic illness, and pain by restoring autonomic balance and resilience.

  
  

• A performance professional — sport psychologist, mental performance consultant, athletic trainer, or strength and conditioning specialist — seeking to use biofeedback training and recovery tracking as objective, measurable methods to build resilience and optimize performance under pressure.

  
  

• A health or organizational coach — health coach, corporate wellness consultant, or organizational consultant — who wants to ground their coaching work in validated physiological science and utilize HRV biofeedback to deliver measurable outcomes to clients and employers.

  
  

• A breathwork practitioner or integrative wellness provider who wants to bridge their existing breathwork expertise with clinical HRV science, structured biofeedback protocols, and data-driven tracking.

  
  

• Any professional pursuing the BCIA HRV Certificate of Completion who needs a didactic program that fully meets the official BCIA Blueprint requirements, taught by a trainer officially listed and verified by BCIA.

What Past Participants Say

Meet Your Instructors

Dr. Inna Khazan, PhD, BCB, is a Chief Science Officer of Optimal HRV and a faculty member of Harvard Medical School, BCIA Board Certified Biofeedback Provider (BCB), BCIA-Authorized HRV Didactic Trainer —  Founder and Director of Boston Center for Health Psychology, Biofeedback Author, "The Clinical Handbook of Biofeedback " (Wiley-Blackwell), and "Biofeedback and Mindfulness in Everyday Life" (Norton)

Dr. Inna Khazan is one of the most widely respected educators, clinicians, and pioneers in applied biofeedback and HRV in North America. A licensed clinical psychologist specializing in biofeedback and mindfulness-based approaches to optimizing health and performance, she has spent more than 20 years helping people overcome a wide range of personal and professional challenges — from anxiety, depression, and chronic pain to high-performance stress management — and has trained hundreds of professionals across medicine, psychology, coaching, and research.

She is a Faculty Member at Harvard Medical School, where she teaches and supervises clinical trainees, and the founder of the Boston Center for Health Psychology and Biofeedback, one of the most established clinical biofeedback practices in the United States. As Chief Science Officer at Optimal HRV, her work continuously bridges rigorous research and real-world clinical application. Recognized as a pioneer in mindfulness-based biofeedback, she is a popular and sought-after speaker at national and international biofeedback and mindfulness conferences.

Crucially for professionals seeking BCIA credentials, Dr. Khazan is an officially authorized HRV didactic trainer listed by BCIA. Not all HRV courses qualify for BCIA didactic credit — this one does, because it is taught by a BCIA-accredited instructor. You can verify her status and confirm this training meets the BCIA didactic requirement directly on the BCIA website.

Her teaching is known for a quality that is genuinely rare in professional training — she makes demanding physiology accessible without ever dumbing it down. Participants consistently report leaving not just with knowledge, but with a working clinical protocol they can implement immediately.

Matt Bennett, MA, MBA, Co-Founder & CEO, brings a distinct and complementary perspective to this training. As co-founder of Optimal HRV — one of the leading HRV biofeedback platforms in the field — he has spent years at the intersection of evidence-based practice and real-world implementation, working with clinicians, coaches, athletes, and organizations to develop HRV-based training solutions that are practical, scalable, and outcome-focused.

Matt's contribution to this training reflects his focus on the applied, operational side of HRV biofeedback: how to structure programs, how to work with clients across diverse settings, how to integrate HRV data into performance and wellness systems, and how to build practices that use HRV biofeedback as a structured, repeatable, and client-friendly intervention.

Together, Dr. Khazan and Matt bring scientific precision and applied implementation into the same room — a combination that makes this training especially valuable for professionals who want to understand HRV deeply and use it well.

Co-sponsored by AAPB and accredited by the BCIA for HRV biofeedback didactic training

Dates:

Monday, July 27, 2026

Tuesday, July 28, 2026

Wednesday, July 29, 2026

Thursday, July 30, 2026

Timings:

12 pm to 4 pm Eastern 

11 am to 3 pm Central

10 am to 2 pm Mountain

 9 am to 1 pm Pacific

Format: Live Virtual via Zoom 

Fulfills the BCIA HRV Didactic Requirement  with 16 CE Credits Awarded for Full Attendance

Level: Introductory

Busy that day? Recordings available — you'll still earn your Certificate of Completion.

Can't attend live? Recordings are available and count toward your Certificate of Completion. Note that CE credits require live, full attendance.

Sessions are held Monday through Thursday, for 4 hours per day, totaling 16 instructional hours. All sessions are live and synchronous. Full attendance is required for CE credit.

What You Will Get

This program is structured around the official BCIA HRV Blueprint of Knowledge — the authoritative curriculum framework established by the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance for HRV biofeedback didactic training.

It is co-organized by AAPB (the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback), the leading professional organization in the field.

Upon completing this course with full attendance, you receive:

✓ Certificate of Completion bearing the official BCIA stamp

✓ 16 continuing education credits (live/full attendance required — see CE details below)

✓ Fulfillment of the BCIA HRV Didactic Education Requirement – This fulfills the 16-hour "Blueprint of Knowledge" training required by BCIA. It is the mandatory first step toward earning your full BCIA HRV Certificate (which requires a separate application, fees, and a passing score on the BCIA proctored exam).

✓ Practical skills you can use immediately — not conceptual understanding alone, but structured protocols, session frameworks, and clinical strategies

This training is a professionally accredited, Blueprint-aligned, BCIA-authorized training designed to meet the standards set by one of the most respected credentialing bodies in the field.

All 16 Hours Are Mapped To The BCIA Blueprint

Every session is structured around the official BCIA HRV Blueprint of Knowledge.

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What You Will Walk Away With

Beyond knowledge, this training is designed and evaluated on application. By the end of 16 hours, you will be able to:

• Explain HRV biofeedback clearly and confidently to any client, colleague, or referring provider — using language appropriate for each audience

• Set up and interpret HRV biofeedback instrumentation accurately, including BVP, ECG, respirometry, and accessory SEMG

• Assess client breathing patterns and distinguish functional from dysfunctional breathing with clinical precision

• Measure individual resonance frequency using the established step-by-step protocol

• Teach resonance frequency breathing effectively, troubleshoot common challenges, and adapt your approach for different clients

• Structure a complete HRV biofeedback training session from intake through practice assignment design

• Interpret both time domain and frequency domain HRV measurements in a clinical context — and explain them to clients

• Integrate emotional regulation strategies into biofeedback sessions in a coherent, evidence-informed way

• Navigate contraindications, side effects, and ethical considerations with confidence

• Apply HRV biofeedback protocols across clinical populations and performance settings

• Design home practice assignments that promote generalization and sustain the gains made in session

Learning Objectives:

• Be competent in setting up and verifying HRV instrumentation

• Interpret core HRV measures to guide training decisions

• Deliver a complete HRV biofeedback session with appropriate documentation, ethics, and scope-of-practice considerations

• Apply templated session plans and take-home practice protocols for immediate clinical deployment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What This Course Is, And What Comes Next

This training fulfills the BCIA HRV didactic education requirement — the foundational, formal step in the BCIA HRV Certificate of Completion pathway. Upon finishing this course with full attendance, you receive a Certificate of Completion bearing the official BCIA stamp.

The BCIA HRV Certificate of Completion requires three steps in total:

Step 1 — Didactic Training

• (fulfilled by this course) 16 hours of education aligned with the official BCIA HRV Blueprint of Knowledge, taught by a BCIA-authorized trainer.

Step 2 — Ethics Requirement

• 3 hours of ethics/professional standards coursework, completed within the last 5 years.

Step 3 — Examination

• Passing the proctored, 50-item BCIA HRV knowledge exam, plus a signed agreement to abide by BCIA's Professional Standards and Ethical Principles and a completed application.

Full requirements and current fees are specified by BCIA at: https://www.bcia.org/hrv-certificate

This course is the right place to start—and the most credible. You leave with a recognized credential, immediately applicable clinical skills, and a clear, confident path forward through the remaining steps.

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Target Audience: This training is designed for psychologists, counselors, marriage and family therapists, social workers, psychiatrists, physicians, nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, behavioral medicine clinicians, biofeedback practitioners, neurofeedback providers, integrative and behavioral health professionals, and qualified performance professionals such as athletic trainers, strength and conditioning specialists, mental performance consultants, and wellness coaches working within their scope of practice.

CE Credits: CE information to be provided with registration details. This training is designed to support the didactic education component of the BCIA HRV Certificate pathway.

Materials included in this course may include interventions and modalities beyond the authorized practice of mental health professionals. As a licensed professional, you are responsible for reviewing the scope of practice, including activities defined by law as beyond the boundaries of practice, in accordance with your profession’s standards.

Continuing Education Statement

Psychologists: The Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback maintains responsibility for the program and its content.

The following state boards accept courses from APA providers for Counselors: AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, ME, MO, NC, ND, NH, NE, NJ, NM, NV, OK*, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WI, WY 

MI: No CE requirements

The following state boards accept courses from APA providers for MFTs: AK, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, IN, KS, MD, ME, MO, NE, NC, NH, NJ, NM, NV, OK*, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, WY

The following state boards accept courses from APA providers for Addictions Professionals: AK, AR, CO, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, IN, KS, LA, MD, MO, MT, NC, ND, NE, NJ, NM, NY (out-of-state held), OK*, OR, SC, UT, WA, WI, WY 

* OK accepts APA credit for live, in-person activities. For all ethics and/or online courses, an application is required.

MA / MFTs: Participants can self-submit courses not approved by the MAMFT board for review.

The following state boards accept courses from APA providers for Social Workers: AK, AR, AZ, CA, CO, DE, FL, GA, ID, IN, KY, ME, MN, MO, NE, NH, NM, OR, PA, VT, WI, WY

Financial Disclosures:

There is known commercial support for this program.

Our presenters have financial interests to disclose. Dr. Khazan (Chief Science Officer) and Matt Bennett (Co-Founder of Optimal HRV) are affiliated with Optimal HRV. Optimal HRV produces in-app biofeedback training modules. The presenters may benefit financially from the research findings on in-app biofeedback training modules presented herein. This training will be presented free of commercial bias.

Other Information

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA) STATEMENT: ADA accommodations will be made in accordance with the law. If you require ADA accommodations, please indicate your needs at the time of registration. We cannot ensure the availability of appropriate accommodations without prior notification.

Contact name(s): Leslie Shivers, AAPB Executive Director

Email: [email protected]

Telephone: 800-477-8892 or +1 303-422-8436

Address: PO Box 461797, Aurora, CO 80046-1797 

Participants are asked to be aware of the need for privacy and confidentiality throughout the program. If program content becomes stressful, participants are encouraged to process these feelings during discussion periods. If participants have special needs, we will make every attempt to accommodate them in compliance with the ADA.

Refund/Cancellation Policy: Please contact OptimalHRV at [email protected] to request a refund or cancellation. Cancellations received at least 2 weeks prior to the training will be refunded minus a $10 processing fee. Cancellations within 2 weeks of the event will not be refunded, but may be credited toward future events. We cannot refund fees for registrations canceled after the presentation begins.

Busy that day? Recordings available — you'll still earn your Certificate of Completion.

Can't attend live? Recordings are available and count toward your Certificate of Completion. Note that CE credits require live, full attendance.

Choose Your Enrollment

Register Now

Limited Seats Available:

Whether you are starting your journey toward the BCIA HRV Certificate of Completion, expanding your clinical toolkit with objective physiological data, deepening your performance coaching practice, or simply looking for continuing education that genuinely changes what you do, this training was built for you.

Dr. Khazan's HRV training sessions consistently fill up. With only four days of live instruction and a structured session format, capacity is limited.

July 27–30, 2026 | Live via Zoom | 16 CE Credits | BCIA Didactic Requirement Fulfilled

Questions? Contact us at [email protected]

BCIA requirements: https://www.bcia.org/hrv-certificate

IMPORTANT NOTICE: 

We will communicate full participation requirements, attendance expectations, and any CE or certificate-related requirements during registration and course onboarding. Register today to build competency in HRV biofeedback and strengthen your clinical or performance practice.