Vol 5 No 2 (2026)

• Acute Effects of Rope Therapy (Vestibular Stimulation) on Heart Rate Variability Coherence in Taiwanese Social Workers: A Within-Subjects Pilot Study

  Dr. Benny W. L. Lam, Dr. Adrian Low Eng Ken, Mr. Tony Chau, Mr. Marco Wong

  Background: Social workers represent a high-risk occupational group for chronic stress, burnout, and reduced autonomic regulation. Bottom-up, body-based interventions targeting vestibular-autonomic pathways may offer accessible alternatives to cognitive approaches; however, empirical evidence in helping professions remains limited.

  Objective: To examine acute changes in heart rate variability (HRV) coherence following a single session of Rope Therapy (RT) — a structured vestibular stimulation intervention — in Taiwanese social workers reporting occupational stress and anxiety.

  Methods: Thirteen Taiwanese social workers (12 female, 1 male; ages 25–42 years, M = 31.6, SD = 6.5) completed a single intervention session comprising a pre-intervention HRV measurement, a structured RT protocol involving graded rotational vestibular stimulation, and a post-intervention HRV measurement. HRV was recorded using the emWave Pro system (HeartMath Institute), with coherence score — an index of cardiorespiratory synchronization reflecting autonomic regulation — low/medium/high coherence ratios, and average heart rate as primary outcomes. Within-subjects analyses employed Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, with effect sizes reported as r.

  Results & Conclusion: See full text.

  PDF