Integrated Course (IC)
Aims
Upon completion of the course, students will obtain:
- Knowledge regarding the physiological mechanisms involved in the occurrence of psychosomatic symptoms.
- The basic skills for the use of psychophysiological recording tools and analysis of collected data.
- Knowledge of the applied psychophysiology protocols most widely used in clinical practice.
Programme
This course explores the main applications of psychophysiology in the assessment and treatment of psychosomatic symptoms. In particular, physiological mechanisms associated with cardiovascular, respiratory, electrodermal, muscular, and central nervous system (EEG) activity will be presented. In addition to the discussion of models integrating mental and bodily processes, practical exercises involving the recording of psychophysiological indices and the implementation of applied psychophysiology protocols will be offered.
Exam
The exam will be divided into two parts: a multiple-choice written test, to be taken on Moodle, and an oral exam for those who pass the written test.
Bibliography
Mandatory bibliography for the exam:
- Khazan, I. (2019). Biofeedback and mindfulness in everyday life: Practical solutions for improving your health and performance. WW Norton & Company. https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393712933
- Shaffer, F., McCraty, R., & Zerr, C. L. (2014). A healthy heart is not a metronome: an integrative review of the heart’s anatomy and heart rate variability. Frontiers in psychology, 5, 1040. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25324790/
Reference bibliography for the course:
- Cacioppo, J., Tassinary, L., & Berntson, G. (Eds.). (2016). Handbook of Psychophysiology (4th ed., Cambridge Handbooks in Psychology). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Khazan, I. Z. (2013). The clinical handbook of biofeedback: A step-by-step guide for training and practice with mindfulness. John Wiley & Sons.
- Fisher, S. F. (2014). Neurofeedback in the treatment of developmental trauma: Calming the fear-driven brain. WW Norton & Company.
- Van der Kolk, B. (2020). Il corpo accusa il colpo: mente, corpo e cervello nell’elaborazione delle memorie traumatiche. Raffaello Cortina Editore.