My average work day is pretty frenetic. The phone rings incessantly, my deadlines loom and my cats meow loudly when I'm on the phone with CEOs of very important companies. It all gives me stress. So I was keen to test the emWave, a high-tech gadget that promises to detect unhealthy stress and trains you to relax into a healthy state. This is achieved using simple techniques you can do on the couch or from your desk chair while at your computer.
The emWave gadget is a small device with the dimensions of a business card case. It has a series of lights that strobe down the left face and a power/mode button in the middle that doubles as a heart sensor when you put your finger on it. Come to think of it, the emWave wouldn't be out of place as a prop on a space adventure show. If you pull it out during a visit with the grandchildren, and you can learn a few lines from Star Trek, you'll be the hippest grandparent around.
Of course, this gadget isn't about amusing children; it's about being around for a long time to enjoy them. Your prime directive, to use a Star Trek-ism, is to gain a mastery of the emWave. That, however, takes some practice.
Heart and harmony
Here's how it works: The emWave analyzes your heart rhythms for what HeartMath calls "coherence." That's a buzzword scientists use to describe a highly efficient physiological state in which the nervous, cardiovascular, hormonal and immune systems work efficiently and harmoniously. It's what 1990s hipsters would call "chilling out."
The emWave is supposed to help you chill out and achieve higher coherence using a series of guided breathing exercises paired with a visualization technique for summoning positive feelings. It sounds a bit "woo-woo," but trust me when I say you'll understand how it feels when you use it.
I sat down with the device on a particularly stressful day when three different editors were clucking like agitated chickens for delivery of articles. (Note to self: Send emWaves to editors this holiday season.)
The emWave must access your heartbeat, so you have two choices regarding this. You can either put your finger on the device or clip a wired accessory (included) that reads blood flow (your pulse) from your earlobe. The ear clip makes you look a bit funny, so you may not want to wear it in public. That said, effective use of a coat collar to hide the ear clip can make it appear as if you're listening to a music player. Fear of being gawked at, of course, may lead to stress, but I digress.
Look toward the light
The top light on the device will glow either red (stressed), blue (moderate), or green (relaxed). A moving light rolls up and down a light strip on the device as you breathe deeply. As you start to visualize happy things—romping bunnies, summer days, double-digit returns on your investments—breathe deeply from the center of your chest, and you can put your system into coherence. Practice makes perfect. If your light is green for more than five seconds, you get a reward bar on the light strip.
As an aside, the emWave is hooked to my ear as I type this. Curiously, the light gets really red as I get more intense and start typing fast. When I stop working and think of chasing butterflies when I was six years old, it glows green. I also found that it actually helps to giggle and think of funny things during a session. You can get to high coherence when you laugh, it seems, which suggests that laughter really is the best medicine.
Practicing the breathing and visualization techniques—and getting into high coherence quickly and staying there—takes some work and commitment. However, the gadget comes with a well-written booklet and a well-produced "coherence coach" CD that will help you learn effective techniques. The voice that hosts the CD is calming and reminds me of a slow-talking micro-economics professor I had years ago: "When supply...meets demand...you have equilibrium...of price and quantity."
Getting technical
For extra tools, you might instead consider the PC version of the product ($299), which comes with a finger sensor that connects to your Windows computer. It works with Windows 98, Me and XP, but doesn't work well with Windows Vista. There is no Mac version, either. I ran it on a Pentium III computer that's about five years old with hardly any problems. However, the Emotional Visualizer (more on that to come) didn't work because the video card wasn't up to spec.
The included software visually shows your level of coherence along with your heart rate, and includes lots of reference material as well as coherence games. One game makes a hot-air balloon gain altitude over a landscape as your coherence level goes up. It's quite ingenious and a fun way to practice getting into a higher level of coherence. The Emotional Visualizer tool on the disk helps you practice generating positive emotions. There are four of these exercises. One of them, for example, shows a child sending light toward Earth. The light increases as your coherence level, detected via the finger sensor, improves.
The emWave products are clever technologies that can help you reduce your stress level. That said, you will have to commit to spending some time with the tools and the coaching materials to learn how to use the device effectively.
HeartMath recognizes that, and offers good support resources as well as a free electronic training course at emwave.com [1]. (Click "e-training" at the top of the page.)
The bottom line: The emWave is a fun way to obey your doctor's orders to work at reducing the stress in your life. If you succeed, to borrow another phrase from Star Trek, you'll live long and prosper.
Shopping info:
emWave Personal Stress Reliever: $199
emWave PC Stress Relief System: $299
More information:
heartmath.com [2]
emwave.com [3]
-Andy Walker is a contributing editor for ELDR. Visit him at his website, cyberwalker.com [4].