How FST-Biofeedback Works

In a stress response, the amygdala prompts the hypothalamus to initiate the release of epinephrine and norepinephrine, to ensure non-essential organs (e.g., skin, gut, prefrontal cortex, etc.) are inhibited in deference to more critical systems such as the pulmonary, cardiovascular, and skeletal muscle systems, which from an evolutionary perspective are deemed more critical for fight-or-flight.  

Similarly, for thermal regulation purposes, acetylcholine is triggered to increase sweat production, including in the hands which have a high concentration of sweat glands.  The net result is a discernible drop in finger skin temperature (FST) resulting from increased stress.  Sensors within the Resilience Smart Ring allow it to track variations in finger skin temperature and to assess and report a wearer’s current stress levels, inclusive of distress triggered by trauma related memories, situations, and feelings.

Clinical research confirms that slow, deep breathing (DB) utilizes descending pathways to decrease sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity, while increasing para-SNS activity.  Thus, DB can be used to facilitate a quicker return to a pre-stress (more intentional) homeostasis, provided that the DB session is employed early enough in the progression of the stress induced symptoms.  Resilience Deep Breathing Intervention software guides a user through a short DB session upon the alerting of a high-distress state, which enables the quicker resolution of symptoms.

The importance of being able to accurately detect and measure distress can be understood in terms of the Stress Progression Model (SPM)—see the accompanying figure.  Many ailments, e.g., cancer and heart disease, which can be correlated to chronic stress, share the tenet that early detection and intervention play an important role in the achievement of a successful outcome.  Likewise, the SPM asserts that the early awareness of stress induced symptoms can lead to their faster resolution.  The thought is that if a conservative intervention (e.g., deep breathing) is pursued early enough in the progression of a stressful state, then induced symptoms can successfully and more quickly be interrupted—thus avoiding distress.  Note that distress is an emotional outcome of severe or chronic stress.

As shown in the SPM figure, a primary objective is to expedite the awareness of symptoms of stress, including those triggered by trauma related memories, situations, and feelings, by means of biofeedback powered app notifications (i.e., Alerts), which announce the start of a software implemented guided, interventional DB session (i.e., Mitigation).  Theoretically this accelerates the resolution of the distress induced symptoms by means of the more optimally timed use of deep breathing for relaxation and focus, vis-à-vis descending interoceptive pathways.  

Completion of the deep breathing session allows a user receiving an FST-biofeedback-powered distress notification to counteract their mental health induced symptoms via the continuation of conscious breathing afterwards—returning their FST to a temperature level that is indicative of a relaxed state.  Moreover, continuous use of the system teaches users to associate their specific stress inducing activities with their corresponding interoceptive (ascending) signals; allowing trained users to independently initiate a more-timely DB session for each new encounter with stress.

In summary, The RTP’s mobile apps utilize biofeedback-powered distress notifications, from an MSSD Smart Ring, to guide a user through a deep breathing session, or similar complementary mitigation.  In the case of deep breathing, the sessions utilize descending interoceptive pathways to disrupt and reduce the severity of mental health induced symptoms that a user may be experiencing in real-time, as they arise.