Call for papers: Special section on HeartMath for Psychology

Abstracts and full articles are sought for a special edition of the Journal of Psychology in Africa on the theme of the HeartMath for Psychology (in general and Africa in particular) with special reference to the promotion of planetary and continental health, education and development.

Africa regularly features in international broadcasts illustrating contexts of chaos, incoherence,corruption and crime, as scenes of overpopulation, inequity, unemployment, poverty, illness, injustice and violence seemingly continue to be the order of the day. All this occurs withina planetarybackgroundof international terrorism, global warming and shocking natural disasters, which reflect a continent and planet in desperate need of healing.

The HeartMath system has produced research mapping patterns of profound coherence, harmony, interconnectedness andconsistency,typicallyevident in human populations. Example studies include those related to heart communication of electromagnetic, neurochemical, biophysical and hormonal information that are intimately related to psychophysiological personal, social and global health promotion (Alabdulgader, McCraty, Atkinson, Dobyns, Vainoras, Ragulskis, & Stolc, 2018; Edwards, 2015; 2016; 2018a; Childre, Martin, Rozman, & McCraty, 2016). Other studies have examined practical, heart-based tools and techniques for people of all ages to use in the moment to relieve stress and promote health, creativity, intuitive insight and zoned performance (McCraty, 2016; McCraty & Zayas, 2014), as well as biofeedback technology to facilitate heart rate variability (HRV) and coherence feedback training (Childre & Martin, 2000; Edwards, 2018b; McCraty, 2017; McCraty, Atkinson, Tomasino, & Bradley, 2009).

Prospective HeartMath studies in the African context could include those on:

• Illness prevention, health promotion, educational and developmental facilitation. As examples, studies may focus on the present, eternal moment, the afterlife, ancestral consciousness and Spirit (uMoya in Nguni languages), indigenous knowledge structures and practices including those on ancestral consciousness, communal spirituality, beliefs and practices, divine healing, intuition and emotional intelligence, which are all eminently suitable for HeartMath HRV and coherence assessment, intervention and evaluation tools and techniques.

• HeartMath studies would contribute to the decolonisation agenda by assessing, evaluating and facilitating social coherence, self-concept, insight, empowerment, freedom, human rights interventions, actionsandexperiences.Thesecouldbeclinical, educational, developmental, community, social, and/or research psychology orientated.

• Conceptual, critical and theoretical studies of the HeartMath system with regard to education and health practices in African cultural contexts would provide developmental direction, as well as specific vision and mission templates for state and local governmental agencies.

• Individual, couple, family, group and community case studies are needed that deal with the assessment, intervention and evaluation of psychological behaviour using HeartMath approaches, methods and techniques that have special relevance in African contexts.

• Special investigations may include assessment, intervention and evaluation of violence, crime, corruption, trauma, social justice, truth, reconciliation, forgiveness, appreciation, care, love, children’s enrichment programmes, sport and exercise. All these and many other potential research areas have received extensive investigations, which are documented and freely available from the HeartMath website at https://www.heartmath.org/research/research-library.

Submission of abstracts

The deadline for submission of abstracts is 1 February 2019, and for full manuscripts 1 May 2019. Anticipated publication date is October 2019.

Abstracts should be 150–175 words in length and generally address the following: background/motivation, rationale/purpose, questions/hypotheses, approach/ method, results/findings, discussion/implications. Full length manuscripts should conform to the publication requirements of the Journal of Psychology in Africa.

Please submit manuscripts to:

• Prof Steve Edwards

• University of Zululand

• Psychology Department

• Private Bag X1001 KwaDlangezwa, South Africa

Please use both the following email addresses when submitting manuscripts electronically:

• [email protected]

• [email protected]