Integrating HRV Biofeedback and Substance Use Treatment — with Dr. David Eddie

Find the article here: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2839605

Episode Summary

In this insightful episode of The Heart Rate Variability Podcast, host Matt Bennett sits down with Dr. David Eddie, a clinical psychologist and researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital and Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School. Together, they explore how Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is transforming the landscape of addiction recovery, psychotherapy, and digital mental health.

Dr. Eddie shares how HRV can serve as both a biomarker for relapse risk and a tool for emotional regulation, shedding light on how AI, wearable technology, and stress-detection algorithms could revolutionize real-time intervention in substance use treatment.

Listeners will gain a deeper understanding of how HRV biofeedback, digital monitoring, and personalized algorithms can support clients in recovery, enhance self-awareness, and inform clinicians’ decision-making in psychotherapy.

Key Topics Covered

• How Dr. David Eddie began his HRV journey during graduate research at Rutgers and the Recovery Research Institute.

• HRV as a biomarker for pathology and relapse risk in substance use disorder and mental health conditions.

• Developing stress-detection algorithms that leverage real-time HRV data through wearables and AI.

• Challenges of variability and individual differences in HRV data across populations.

• Integrating ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and ambulatory psychophysiological monitoring for clinical insights.

• How HRV biofeedback supports recovery and emotional regulation in psychotherapy and addiction treatment.

• Ethical and practical issues around proprietary algorithms, data transparency, and commercial wearables.

• The future of HRV research, AI integration, and passive monitoring in clinical psychology.

Key Takeaways

• HRV is both a symptom and contributor to addiction and mental health challenges, offering potential for early detection of relapse risk.

• Wearables and AI can help clinicians intervene in real time — possibly preventing relapse or emotional crises before they occur.

• Personalized baselines and individual calibration are essential to improve algorithm accuracy for diverse populations.

• HRV biofeedback provides an accessible, evidence-based method to help clients build resilience, reduce craving, and regulate their nervous system.

• Future advances will make passive, scalable HRV monitoring a core element of digital mental health and recovery care.

About the Guest

Dr. David Eddie is a clinical psychologist and researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Recovery Research Institute and the Center for Digital Mental Health, as well as an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. His work focuses on addiction recovery, psychophysiology, and integrating HRV into digital and clinical interventions.

Follow his work at Recovery Research Institute or through Harvard Medical School publications.