Stress Provocation and Recovery: Cardiovascular and Self-report Outcomes Following a Brief Feelings-based Intervention

The purpose of the current study is to explore the regulatory effects of a novel, brief feelings-focused intervention called Tracking a Feeling (TAF) on psychophysiological and self-reported variables following a laboratory-induced stressful experience. The sample included 18- to 35 year-old men and women of varying ethnic backgrounds (TAF, N=30; Control, N=19; 84% women). In a laboratory setting, subject's blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) was assessed every two minutes throughout the four phases of study protocol (baseline, stressor, intervention, recovery), while the PANAS was completed between each phase. Contrary to our predictions, results revealed no significant effect of TAF intervention on physiological markers. However, TAF participants reported significantly more PA at the post-intervention phase, which was consistent with our hypothesis, and continued to report higher levels of PA after a 10-minute recovery period when compared to the control. Results provide evidence to support TAF as an effective emotion regulation strategy that can support health by mitigating the stress response via increasing PA. Keywords: experiential therapy, emotion regulation, brief intervention, reactivity, recovery, affective intervention