Dr. Chris Marrero

Think about your heartbeat. If you are an average adult, it will go “thump thump” around 60 to 100 times per minute. This is known as your resting heart rate. Between every “thump thump” lies a small period of time—let’s say around 1000 milliseconds—referred to as the “inter-beat-interval.” Image: firstbeat.com Scientists used to believe that a steady heart rate throughout the day—and thus a consistent inter-beat-interval—is a sign of positive health. This makes intuitive sen

Mental Healthcare is as important as physical healthcare. Not only can therapy increase your general satisfaction with your life, but it can improve the quality of your relationships, increase job and academic performance, and may even be able to help you live longer by reducing the levels of stress that shave years off your life. Like other high quality and professional services, therapy can be expensive. If your budget is tight, and you're concerned about accessing quality

People commonly asked about the difference between biofeedback and neurofeedback. They may have heard both words but the difference is a mystery. ​ Simply speaking, biofeedback an umbrella term for all body-focused feedback training modalities-- including neurofeedback. It's much like the umbrella term "doctor." All psychologists are doctors, but not all doctors are psychologists-- some are physicians and some are art historians! ​ Neurofeedback focuses solely on the brain an

'Tis the season for holiday shopping. Between all the endless ads for toys, scarves, and other predictable gift ideas, it's often hard to find something special for the people we love. Instead of the same-old stuff, consider some of these unique ideas instead. Each of them will promote wellness and show that you really care. 1. Accelerate biofeedback results using this Stress Thermometer. Available at Tools for Wellness for $21.95. 2. Soothe your mind and enjoy a good chuckle

Intrigued by the idea of biofeedback, but not sure what it is? Maybe you've heard it's amazing for stress, anxiety, and even headaches, but you don't know why. Join Dr. Marrero-Howieson and team for a FREE biofeedback seminar at Marrero Psychology and online. Each seminar will introduce you to biofeedback and answer your questions. In each seminar, you will: 1.Learn the basic science behind biofeedback 2.Discover the conditions biofeedback treats 3.Learn about the people that

Earlier this week, I had the privilege of being featured in an article in Voyage LA. A couple of months ago Voyage LA reached out to ask if I'd like to be interviewed. After picking up my jaw from the floor, I enthusiastically consented, not really sure what to expect or how it would go. They were so friendly and helpful, and the interview process was a breeze (who knew?). I can't help but be proud and a little giddy at the final product. I'm in a magazine. It's not something

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) affects an estimate 11% of the world. In as many as 2/3 of the cases, the causes are unknown and treatment success is intermittent or unpredictable and may involve drastic changes in diet and unpleasant medication side effects that impact other areas of your life. In recent years, research on biofeedback has shown significant effectiveness in the treatment of IBS. One study in 2014 showed that nearly 70% of the participants experienced FULL REMI

For being one of the things we do every day, all day long, breathing doesn't get enough time in the lime light for just how important it is. Aside from the obvious, life sustaining reasons for breath, it's actually a key that will let you directly regulate your fight-or-flight response. Why spend another minute of your life feeling like your stress is beyond your control? By practicing the specific breathing rate exercise in this video, you will reduce your stress, anxiety, a

Everyone feels anxiety. It's a normal part of the human experience. Think about it: it's super helpful when you're hiking in the woods and something big and hairy approaches you-- less so when it's happening while you're driving or trying to sleep. When these things happen, it's a sign that you have exercised your anxiety response too much, and your anxiety "muscles" would fit right in with all the Muscle Beach bodybuilders. Anxiety is triggered by the part of our nervous sys

Did you know that mood rings can really help you gauge how you're doing? Now, they don't ACTUALLY tell you if you're hungry or in love, but they can tell you how stressed you are. Really! (Psst...make sure you read all the way to the bottom to find the tip to reduce stress!): As you heard on the video, I'll give you a Stress Square for free if you come by the Buy Local Health and Fitness Festival on September 9th! (You'll also get to play with other biofeedback equipment, and