emWave Personal Stress Reliever

I bought a stress eraser last year and liked it a lot, so I gave it to my son who was stressed out in law school. Instead of replacing it I decided to give EM Wave a try. I think many people have trouble choosing between these two similar items. Maybe I can help. First, I can tell you that both are useful. You probably won't go wrong with either. However, they are quite different and you may prefer one.

Stress Eraserstrengths

Stress Eraser provides true biofeedback in the form of a continuous graph that you can influence by changing your breathing or even thinking. If you follow their instructions you can learn to control the graph and doing so you learn to relax. The unit is solid. It is scientifically valid and it seems like it due to the accurate feedback.

Stress Eraserweaknesses

To use the stress eraser you must look at the graph that forms on the unit. I can't see it without my glasses. You must also have your finger in the correct position on the unit. That makes it hard to position the unit so that you can see the graph while lying down. Thus, if you want to use it to help go to sleep it is difficult. Another thing which may be a weakness or a strenght is that it is more or less a one trick pony. No bells and whistles. But it does what it does very well.

EM Wavestrengths

EM wave is more complicated, but not hard to use once you read the instructions. The unit is light weight and has colored lights, which you may like or feel is too much like a toy. I prefer the graph of Stress Eraser if I am using the unit during the day (it is more rapidly responsive and just seems more scientific), but at night trying to go to sleep the EM Wave is better because you don't need to see it very accurately...just follow the blinking lights. Another advantage of EM Wave is that you either put your finger on the unit (like Stress Eraser) or you can attach an ear monitor. The ear unit is great because you don't need to keep your hand on the unit. To use EM Wave thre are three different modes. In the basic mode the unit has a panel of lights that indicates a breathing pattern for you to follow. This pattern is not actual feedback, just a suggested breathing rate (you don't need to spend this much money for that). In the Heart Rate mode (HR)it follows your heart activity similarly to Stress Eraserso this is actual feedback. In either mode there is another light that changes color depending on whether or not you are in "coherence". Essentially I take it to mean that you are relaxed, though they talk about it in New Age speak, so it is unclear to me what exactly it signifies. In the third mode you only see the "coherence" light, which saves batteries and removes all of the distractions. Actually the unit is even more complicated than this, but those are the essentials.

EM Wave Weaknesses

The unit seems flimsy compared to the Stress Eraser. It is unclear exactly what the "coherence" indictor actually indicates. The coherence coach CD is hardly worth watching. The website and other information is a bit non-scientific with all the talk about "heart breathing". All of that new age stuff will work, but depending on your personality you might find it a bit much.

Final comments

OK so it sounds like I like the Stress Eraser more...but actually I find the EM Wave more useful due to my intended use of falling asleep with it. If you use the HR mode on the EM Wave it is more similar to Stress Eraser..real feedback. If you don't wear glasses or don't expect to use the unit while lying down, Stress Eraser is probably better. EM Wave is more interesting, with colored and blinking lights and multiple modes, but it doesn't have the same degree of biofeedback. Nevertheless, EM Wave does give enough biofeedback and if you use it you will learn to relax. Again, both are good...just different.

This device didn't work the first time it was sent and I had to get it replaced (which was done VERY efficiently, I might add). The new device works, but it is complicated to do anything but the basic breathing exercise. Also, I have difficulty getting the ear piece working. However, even the basic breathing exercise has been very helpful. In fact, I am now able to simulate usage of the device while on the golf course (and other times of stress) by breathing and imagining the read-out on the device. It calms me down and is definitely a stress reducer. I just need to take the time now to figure out all the other things I can do with the device. NOTE: It could use better instructions. That could help quite a bit.

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I'm a Reiki practitoner who meditates, and also deals with anxiety and depression.

I have so far been able to use this to effectively and successfully control anxiety, stress, and anger at home or when I'm out. Before I work with Reiki, I can make sure I'm in the proper "zone" to get the most out of it. When I meditate, I can make sure I'm in the proper zone there too. It helps me get to sleep faster, and stay there. I know there's more uses; I'm experimenting as much as possible.

I purchased this to help me work through quitting some nasty anti-depressants. I give it two thumbs up for how much it's helped with that, and 2 big toes up for everything else it's helping me with.

It seemed pricey, but not after I calculated the annual cost of meds and doctor visits, and then thought about the lack of side effects associated with this biofeedback method.

Oh, and it's insanely easy to use, especially if you take the time to read the user's manual and work through the 30-minute (free!) online tutorial. If you're still confused, you can join a free teleclass.

So if I need to use it to, say, control an impending panic attack, I can fire it up and use it immediately no flipping through the manual looking for that set of instructions I thought was "right there, dammit!"

I'm so glad I can finally move on with my life, drug-free.

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To be totally honest, I bought the EmWave because it was so much cheaper than the hand-held biofeedback products that I was actually wanting. I was disappointed when I received it because all it does is measure your pulse and breathing rate. What would this prove? The machine has three zones that it tracks. From what I can tell, despite what the instruction booklet says, if your breathing is shallow, the emwave will put you in the lowest zone. If you breathe deeply, the emwave will rate you in one of the two higher zones. The deeper and steadier your breath, the higher your zone. I was really irritated when I found out that's all it was doing. The problem is, I can't keep my irritation because it works. If you do the deep breathing for at least 5 minutes, you will find that your stress level decreases dramatically. I have actually come to work and found voice mails or e-mails waiting for me that have put me at the highest stress levels. If I use the Emwave, I calm back down. Now, the trick is to learn to use it immediately upon receiving the stressful news rather than reacting and then using the machine. ;) Bottom line, I recommend it. It works.

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I have purchsed (and returned) Stress Eraser. I found it annoying. It prompts you to exhale at a beep. As best I could tell, that's all it does. If this is what you want -to moduate breathing for enhanced calm -count to 4 as you breathe in, count to 8 as you breathe out, and -at the end of the exhalation hold for two. Count consistently as fast or as slow as you need to. This will produce better results for you than the Stress Eraser (and it's free).

The EmWave is a different technology altogether. It is a biofeedback device, but that is not what makes the technology different. It has an infrared sensor which measures the smoothness of your heart beat (systolic and diastolic). When there is a smooth rhythm, this is called "coherence." When you are in a state of coherence, a huge array of biological benefits kick in. To use the hand-held (a little bigger than a credit card and not as thick as a pack of cards), you use a thumb sensor pad or an earclip.

In an EmWave session, you regulate your breathing and then learn to "breathe through you heart." Once you have done this, you hook onto a positive emotion, and this creates coherence. As you move through differnet levels of coherence, different colored lights are displayed, and different soothing beeps are played.

EmWave is useful for depression, stress, anxiety, pain management, and -most subtly -for learning how to choose what you want to feel in the face of any life circumstance. It gets easier and easier to do with time, and more and more gratifying. This is a world-class device, and the training offered by HeartMath is superb. Their books are the best I've read on depression, anxiety, etc. and I have read dozens on both subjects. This is a powerful and deceptively simple aid. Do take the free training; it'll guide you through the bells and whistles.

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