Tuesday, February 3, 2026
12:10pm-1:30pm
Speaker: Judith Andersen, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Toronto, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada; University of Toronto, Temerty Faculty of Medicine Affiliate
Location: Online
To help us plan, please register at the below link:
https://shulab.mie.utoronto.ca/events/psycheng-seminar-registration-2026-feb-3-dr-judith-andersen/
Abstract: Science has demonstrated that internal physiological states during stress occur continuously to shape perception, cognition, emotion and behaviour. The role of police is unique among first responders, requiring the ability to successfully use weapons and tactics during intense physiological stress reactivity while simultaneously being ready to engage in controlled verbal-social interaction to de-escalate situations that do not call for the use of force. Clearly, maintaining flexibility between states of pure sympathetic and modified sympathetic/parasympathetic arousal is necessary and requires expertise in the modulation of the autonomic nervous system. Chronic stress and allostatic load further increase the risk of occupational errors and poor health outcomes among law enforcement officers. Our research group tailored and tested breathing techniques for police building on various established theories and clinical practice such as the vagal tank theory and the neurovisceral integration model. The current presentation describes a decade of research on the application of heart rate variability biofeedback (HRVB) in novel ways among law enforcement officers during active field training and assessment. For example, officers are taught to rapidly shift physiological states by using ambulatory equipment for an HRVB paced breathing protocol that maximizes resonant frequency and comfort (we call this ‘Recovery Breathing’). As a further extension of HRVB used at the speed of operation, we developed the ‘Reset Breath’ maximizing short term RSA. Through bidirectional signaling between the lungs and the brain, HRVB observations indicate that the Reset Breath modulates sympathetic and parasympathetic interplay via communication among the vagus nerve, the mid-brain, and the prefrontal cortex. This change in brain function provides a brief window of opportunity for the officer to refocus their attention enabling the officer to regain situational awareness and focus on the resources available to help them meet the demands of the situation. The talk will also address the associated benefits of training HRVB in police (e.g., reductions in use of force and shooting errors, improved health).
Biography: Dr. Judith P. Andersen is an Associate Professor in Psychological and Brain Science at the University of Toronto, Mississauga and Director of the HART Lab. Her research identifies biological mechanisms linking acute and chronic stress to health and performance in high-risk populations and develops heart rate variability biofeedback interventions to enhance resilience and reduce police lethal force errors. Her work appears in Nature Reviews Psychology, Psychoneuroendocrinology, Psychosomatic Medicine, Health Psychology, and AAPB among other journals. She is a former Associate Editor of the British Journal of Health Psychology and co-author of the textbook, Health Psychology (2026). More at hartlab.net.
To help us plan, please register at the below link:
https://shulab.mie.utoronto.ca/events/psycheng-seminar-registration-2026-feb-3-dr-judith-andersen/