The Resilient Heart™ –
Trauma-Sensitive HeartMath® Certification
For professionals working in a therapeutic relationship with individuals who have experienced trauma. This online training is offered in cooperation with HeartMath USA. To become certified in Europe you should also have the HeartMath Coach certification. We recommend taking this online training after you have completed the training to become a HeartMath coach.
This HeartMath certification course was especially designed by trauma specialists to teach practitioners how to incorporate the HeartMath skill set in a trauma-sensitive manner to build their client’s resilience and capacity for emotional regulation following trauma.
The program is for professionals who provide, or would like to provide, trauma-informed care within a therapeutic relationship – such as trauma therapists, licensed and certified health professionals, chaplains, clergy and peer-to-peer counselors.
This trauma-sensitive certification course contains over 12-hours of trauma-focused video content providing a rich expanse of information and expertise across topics including the neurophysiology of trauma, developmental trauma, collective trauma and how to integrate HeartMath into the different therapeutic modalities used to treat trauma.
This beautifully filmed course combines masterful knowledge, intuitive wisdom and powerfully emotional stories from trauma practitioners around the world, woven together with compelling cinematic moments to create a distinctly unique and engaging course that is both educational and heart-warming to watch.
The HeartMath tools and techniques taught in this course are intended as an adjunctive skill set for practitioners to facilitate a variety of trauma-focused therapies aimed at improving the symptoms associated with trauma. HeartMath is not meant to replace other trauma-focused therapies or be used in isolation for trauma processing.
This program works well for practitioners who see clients both virtually and in-person.
Enrollment Fee:
€ 410 Sale Price € 205
Self-Paced Learning with Live Q & A Sessions
Also included in this course is a Comprehensive Resource Library which includes course notes, client handouts, and over 50 related research publications.
In This Course, You Will:
- Learn practical tools to use “in the moment” that build resilience and improve the capacity for emotional regulation for yourself and your clients or patients.
- Learn about heart rate variability (HRV) as a measure of physiological regulation, and how to use HRV biofeedback as an additional tool for self-regulation.
- Learn to use and teach the HeartMath skill set in a trauma-sensitive manner.
- Gain foundational, up-to-date knowledge about the neurophysiology of trauma, attachment, developmental trauma, intergenerational trauma and collective trauma.
- Discover how to integrate HeartMath with other trauma-focused therapies including EMDR, Brainspotting, somatic psychotherapies, exposure and wilderness therapy.
- Learn new and powerful perspectives of how the intelligence of the heart can help to address some of the most challenging aspects of trauma’s impact on the mind and body.
Attend Live Q & A Sessions
Join the trauma-sensitive HeartMath community with monthly online Q &A sessions, led by Dr. Jorina Elbers or other trauma specialist experienced in integrating HeartMath techniques into different trauma therapies. These Q&A Zoom calls are held on the 1st Wednesday of each month at 10 am PT.
Instructors for this course:
Learn from highly skilled practitioners specializing in a wide variety of trauma-focused therapies including EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), Brainspotting, Hakomi, Somatic Experiencing, Wilderness Therapy, Acupuncture and Polarity Therapy.
Your Core Trainers
Steve Sawyer, LCSW, CSAC , Dr. Sara Gilman, PsyD, LMFT, Susann von Meijenfeldt, RSW, CPCC, CHT and Sheva Carr, MA LAc BCPP, RPP, RPE
Learn from medical and science experts about the neurophysiology of trauma, the neurophysiology of emotions, and heart-brain interactions:
Dr. Jorina Elbers, MD, MSc and Rollin McCraty, PhD
Special Guest Interviews With:
Dr. Daniel Siegel, MD, Drs. John Gottman, PhD and Julie Gottman, PhD and Thomas Hübl
From the Front Lines
Nine long-time HeartMath Certified Practitioners share in-depth stories, revealing their success of using HeartMath with the different populations they serve:
- Refugees
- Veterans
- At-Promise Youth
- Perpetrators
- Survivors of human trafficking
- Incarcerated women
- Adults with brain injuries
- Children and teens
Course Content—8 Parts
Your capacity to care for others depends on how you care for yourself. Part One includes heart-focused tools for building your own resilience and introduces the concept of "HeartSpace", which facilitates co-regulation and attunement between you and your client/patient.
The impact of trauma is psychological, physiological and relational, interfering with our health, our well-being, and our ability to relate to others. Part Two reviews the neurophysiology of trauma and how to introduce HeartMath tools and techniques to clients for emotional self-regulation.
Regular practice of techniques for emotional and physiological regulation widens our “Window of Tolerance” and increases our resilience. Part Three discusses the concepts of bottom-up processing, heart rate variability and coherence to create a new physiological baseline for the nervous system.
Coherence is an optimal physiological state arising from integration and enables greater access to the intuitive self. Part Four discusses how integration of trauma creates coherence and how this can be utilized to increase our wisdom and access to our inner guidance system.
HeartMath tools and techniques can be used as an adjunctive skill set for the treatment of trauma. Part Five discusses how to integrate the HeartMath skill set into a variety of trauma-focused therapies and across different client populations.
Trauma interferes with our relationship with others and with ourselves. Part Six deals with the relational impact of trauma and how HeartMath techniques can be used to create a bridge for trauma survivors to safely reconnect with themselves and with others to foster trust and relationships.
Whether you work with children or with adults who used to be children, knowledge about childhood trauma and attachment is essential. Part Seven discusses the signs of trauma in children, how attachment patterns influence their response to traumatic events, how to use HeartMath with children and parents, and how to help communities heal intergenerational trauma.
Trauma is a collective experience with shadows that affect us all. Part Eight discusses the impact of collective trauma, how to facilitate and use HeartMath for group trauma processing, and the concept of post-traumatic growth and resilience.
Eligibility for Certificate of Completion
Course enrollment is open to all learners. A Certificate of Completion will be issued to learners who choose to take the multiple-choice question exam and pass with >75% correct. Repeated attempts at the exam are accepted to obtain the passing mark.
Eligibility for HeartMath Certification
Additional Criteria to become a Trauma-Sensitive HeartMath™ Certified Practitioner:
- Professional Standards
State, provincial or nationally licensed or certified professionals as listed below:- Licensed Mental Health Professionals
- Licensed Medical Professionals
- Certified Health Professionals (training must include consultation, mentoring, in-person training, or internship)
- Ordained Clergy
- Students in a licensure-track medical or mental health educational program
Click here for a detailed listing of eligible professionals.
Professional Standards for Certification: List of Eligible Professionals
Note: Equivalent certifying bodies in countries outside the US are acceptable.
Licensed Mental Health Professionals
Licensed Medical Professionals
- Addictions, Alcohol and Drug, Chemical Dependency/Substance Abuse Counselor
- Behavior Analyst (board certified)
- Child Life Specialist
- EMDR Practitioner
- Hakomi Practitioner
- Licensed Mental Health Counselor
- Licensed Professional Counselor
- Marriage and Family Therapist
- Occupational Therapist
- Occupational Therapist Assistant
- Psychoanalyst
- Psychologist
- Psychologist Assistant
- Recreational Therapist
- Social Worker
- Somatic Experiencing Practitioner
- Somatosensory Integration Practitioner
- Speech Language Therapist
- Audiologist
- Chiropractor
- Dentist
- Emergency Medical Technician
- Esthetician
- Medical Doctor (MD, DO, MBBS)
- Midwife
- Naturopath
- Nurse – LPN, LVN, RN, BSN, MSN, PhD, Nurse Practitioner, Advanced Practice Nurse
- Optometrist
- Pharmacist
- Physical Therapist
- Physical Therapy Assistant
- Physician Assistant
- Registered Dietician
Certified Health Professionals (training must include consultation, mentoring, in-person training, or internship)
- Alexander Technique – certified by an AmSAT-certified teacher
- Anat Baniel Method NeuroMovement Practitioner
- Art Therapist from a program accredited by the American Art Therapy Association
- Ayurvedic practitioners certified by NAMA-approved programs.
- Biodynamic Breathwork & Trauma Release Facilitator
- Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapist
- Biofeedback Technician - certified by BCIA
- Biofeedback Practitioner - certified by BCIA
- Biodynamic Breathwork & Trauma Release System (BBTRS) Practitioner
- BodyTalk Practitioner
- Brainspotting Practitioner
- Brennan Healing Science Practitioner
- Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist – certified by the NSTRC
- CHEK Practitioner certified by the CHEK Institute
- Craniosacral Therapist certified by the Upledger Institute
- Doula, Certified
- Eden Energy Medicine
- Emotional Freedom Technique Practitioner certified by ACEP or EFT International
- Equine Assisted Learning Facilitator
- Equine Assisted Therapist
- Feldenkrais Practitioner
- Functional Diagnostic Nutrition® Practitioner
- Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach
- Hanna Somatic Education® Practitioner
- Healing Touch Practitioner
- Health & Wellness Coaches from programs approved by the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching and Wellcoaches
- Note: Other coaches (life, personal, etc.) are not eligible. Refer to our Building Personal Resilience program
- Health Educator certified by NCHEC
- Homeopath – certified by the CHC, ABHt, HANP or NASH
- Hypnotherapist certified by AAPH, ASCH, or SCEH
- Integrative Nutrition Health Coach certified by IIN
- Kinesiologist
- Kinesiotherapist
- Massage Therapist – Licensed or Certified
- Medical Herbalist registered with AHG Certification requirements
- Medical Qijong Practitioner from programs approved by NCCAOM
- Music Therapist certified by CBMT
- Myofascial Release Therapist
- Neurofeedback Practitioner – certified by BCIA
- Neurofeedback Technician – certified by BCIA
- NLP Master Practitioner
- Nutritional Therapy Practitioner certified by NTA
- Nutritionist - Certified Clinical Nutritionist certified by the CNBC
- Nutritionist - Certified Nutritional Professional certified by the NANP
- Nutritionist - Certified Nutrition Specialist certified by BCNS
- Nutritionist - Holistic Nutritionist certified by the NANP
- Osteopathic Manual Practitioner certified by a member of the OIA
- Pilates Teacher – in-person training only
- Polarity therapists (RPP or RPE only – Advanced Training required)
- PSYCH-K (Facilitator or Instructor only)
- Quantum Touch Practitioner
- Reflexologist – certified by the American Reflexology Certification Board
- Registered Yoga Teacher certified by the Yoga Alliance
- Reiki (Level III or higher)
- Rolfer
- Somatic Education Practitioner, Certified Clinical
- Somatic Movement Educators and Therapists
- Somatic Yoga Practitioner
- Tension and Trauma Release Practitioner
- Therapeutic Touch Practitioner
- Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner (Acupuncturist, DAOM, etc.) from programs approved by NCCAOM
If you have questions about your professional eligibility for certification, please complete this Certification Eligibility Request form
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Educational Standards
Applicants must achieve >75% on the course final exam. -
Required Documentation of Certification Eligibility
Applicants will be required to upload a copy of their professional designation document(s) indicating proof of current licensure, certification, or student status.
Upon certification, licensed and certified health professionals in independent practice can apply to be listed in the HeartMath USA Directory of Certified Professionals. Listing is at the sole discretion of the HeartMath LLC.
Enrollment Fee:
€ 410 Sale Price € 205
Note: You will receive your code shortly after placing the order. Because this process is done manually it can take longer in case of weekends or holidays.