What we do
About Vicki Williams
Sydney Behavioural Health works with patients who suffer from stress
related health problems – helping them develop changes in their
behaviour to improve their emotional and physical health. Long-term
stress is related to premature ageing. Almost 40% of people experience
high or very high levels of stress that is threatening their emotional and
physical health. Some of the key health and lifestyle problems we can
help patients with include:
Vicki Williams, PhD is a consultant psychologist and
educator involved in applied psychophysiology and
biofeedback for the treatment of stress-related
emotional and physical health problems. She has
developed this niche area of expertise as a safe,
drug-free and sustainable solution to enable
people to enjoy optimal health, peak performance,
and balanced relationships.
• periods of anxiety or depression
• high blood pressure
• fertility health problems
• insomnia
• frequent headaches
• irritable bowel syndrome
• overeating
• smoking
• overuse of alcohol
Contact us p 9439 5252 f 9439 5242
Level 1, 121 Alexander Street Crows Nest 2065
www.sydneybehaviouralhealth.com.au
BETTER HEALTH
IN A HEARTBEAT
How we do it
Sydney Behavioural Health uses safe and effective, drug-free
therapies to manage the physical and emotional reactions that
can cause health problems.
What is Heart Rate Variability?
What is Biofeedback?
Heart rate variability refers to changes in the time interval between
one beat of the heart and the next. Greater variability in heart rate is
an adaptive quality that has implications for physical, emotional, and
cognitive health. Research has shown that variability is reduced in clinical
depression and chronic stress and that heart rate variability biofeedback
is useful in reducing symptoms of medical and psychiatric conditions
including: anger, anxiety disorders, asthma, cardiovascular conditions,
depression, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue, and chronic pain.
Biofeedback is a learning process in which people are taught to improve
their health and performance by observing signals generated by their
own bodies, particularly heart rate variability. We teach patients how
their thoughts and emotions impact their heart rate, breathing, and skin
temperature, and how to control these physical responses to influence
optimal health. Biofeedback promotes sustained changes in thinking,
emotions, physical state, and behaviour, improving physical and
emotional health problems.
Current research suggests that each person has a “resonant breathing
frequency” at which heart rate variability is the greatest, and this resonant
frequency can be measured by biofeedback instruments. There is no
resonant frequency value that is ideal for everyone; individual resonant
frequency is produced when in a relaxed state, with a positive emotional
tone, and breathing diaphragmatically at a rate of 5 to 7 breaths per
minute. Daily practice of breathing at your resonant frequency increases
heart rate variability and improves health.
We also use the latest clinically validated biofeedback techniques.
This ground-breaking therapy teaches patients how to regulate
their physical state to promote sustained change.
Who can benefit?
• People with high-pressure, stressful careers.
• People who have suffered long-term personal stress (from relationships or personal problems such as infertility).
• People with chronic health problems such as cardiovascular health problems, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, premenstrual syndrome.