FAU Implements University-Wide HeartMath Training
Florida Atlantic University is the first university nationwide to institutionalize HeartMath training for its faculty, staff and students.
More than 70 percent of FAU's 30,000 students take classes at FAU's first and largest campus and the majority of the University's 175+ degree programs are based here. Located just three miles from the Atlantic Ocean and the beautiful beaches of Boca Raton, the campus features everything you expect from a modern university -- suite-style housing for nearly 4,000 students, brand-new athletics and recreational facilities, art galleries, a cafe/movie theater complex and so much more -- all in a vibrant, tropical setting with a student body that is the most diverse of all of Florida's public universities.
The HeartMath Institute, based in California, is a nonprofit organization whosemission is to help people bring their physical, mental, and emotional systems into balanced alignment with their heart’s intuitive guidance. In theeducational setting, HeartMath has been shown to increase student graduation rates and test scores, as well as reduce test and social anxiety.
Since its implementation, 23 faculty members of FAU’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, as well other FAU employees, recently completed the 30-hour training to become certified HeartMath trainers.
“We’re thrilled to be the hub for the integration of HeartMath within FAU,” said Marlaine Smith, Ph.D., dean of the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing. “HeartMath techniques can be used for self-care to enhance resilience, health, and well-being. As nurses, we know that caring begins with caring for self.”
The nursing college has since added the training to its curriculum, and other colleges on campus plan on adding it to their curriculum in the near future for FAU students.
“HeartMath training is important for university students because it gives them a practical way to reduce stress and enhance their ability to learn new information quickly,” said Rollin McCraty, director of research at the HeartMath Institute.
FAU Deputy Police Chief Sean Brammer recently received HeartMath training, and said he wants the entire FAU police department to be trained as well.
“I’m more cognizant of who I am, what’s going on internally, and how I can translate that to the outside,” he said. “HeartMath resets your internal battery, makes you more aware of your emotions, and helps you learn what’s depleting you and what’s energizing you.”
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