skip to main content
10.1145/2317956.2318017acmconferencesArticle/Chapter ViewAbstractPublication PagesdisConference Proceedingsconference-collections
research-article

Sonic Cradle: designing for an immersive experience of meditation by connecting respiration to music

Published:11 June 2012Publication History

ABSTRACT

Sonic Cradle is a chamber of complete darkness where users shape a peaceful soundscape using only their respiration. This interactive system was designed to foster a meditative experience by facilitating users' sense of immersion while following a specific attentional pattern characteristic of mindfulness. The goal of Sonic Cradle is twofold: first, to trigger the proven effects of mindfulness on stress, and second, to help teach and demystify the concept of meditation for users' long-term benefit. This paper presents the design phase of the project, starting by theoretically grounding the initial concept. We then discuss 15 co-design sessions which provided informal conceptual validation and led to several concrete design iterations aimed at balancing users' perceived sense of control. The presented approach to designing an interactive stress management system can be considered research through design, as it also resulted in a novel theoretical framework for the psychology of media immersion which has implications for a wide range of research areas.

References

  1. Baer, R. A. Mindfulness Training as a Clinical Intervention: A Conceptual and Empirical Review. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice 10, 2, 2003. 125--143.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  2. Bandura, A. The Primacy of Self-Regulation in Health Promotion. Applied Psychology: An International Review 54, 2 2005. 245--254.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  3. Bohlmeijer, E., Prenger, R., Taal, E., and Cuijpers, P. The effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy on mental health of adults with a chronic medical disease: a meta-analysis. Journal of Psychosomatic Research 68, 6, 2010. 539--544.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  4. Chi, P.-Y., Chen, J.-H., Chu, H.-H., and Lo, J.-L. Enabling Calorie-Aware Cooking in a Smart Kitchen. In Proc. Persuasive Technology 2008. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, 2008. 116--127. Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  5. Consolvo, S., McDonald, D. W., and Landay, J. A. Theory-driven design strategies for technologies that support behavior change in everyday life. Proceedings of the 27th international conference on Human factors in computing systems, ACM, 2009. 405--414. Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  6. Csíkszentmihályi, M. Flow: the psychology of optimal experience: steps toward enhancing the quality of life. New York, N. Y. Harper Collins Publishers, 1991.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  7. Damasio, A. Descartes' error: emotion, reason, and the human brain. Avon Books, New York, 1995.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  8. Davies, C. and Harrison, J. Osmose: towards broadening the aesthetics of virtual reality. SIGGRAPH Comput. Graph. 30, 4, 1996. 25--28. Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  9. Davies, C. Changing Space: Virtual Reality as an Arena of Embodied Being. Chapter in Beckmann, J.'s The Virtual Dimension: Architecture, Representation, and Crash Culture. Princeton Architectural Press, 1998. 144--155.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  10. De Couvreur, L. and Goossens, R. Design for (every)one: co-creation as a bridge between universal design and rehabilitation engineering. CoDesign 7, 2 2011. 107--121.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  11. Engel, A. K., & Singer, W. Temporal binding and the neural correlates of sensory awareness. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 5(1), 2001. 16--25.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  12. Ermi, L., & Määyrä, F. Fundamental components of the gameplay experience: Analysing immersion. In Proc. of DIGRA 2005, Vancouver, Canada, 2005.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  13. Farb, N. A. S., Segal, Z. V., Mayberg, H., Bean, J., McKeon, D., Fatima, Z., & Anderson, A. K. Attending to the present: mindfulness meditation reveals distinct neural modes of self-reference. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 2(4), 2007. 313--322.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  14. Fjorback, L. O., Arendt, M., Ornbøl, E., Fink, P., and Walach, H. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy - a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 2011.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  15. Fogg, B. A behavior model for persuasive design. Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Persuasive Technology, ACM, 40:1--40:7, 2009. Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  16. Gallagher, S. Neural simulation and social cognition. Mirror Neuron Systems, 2009. 1--17.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  17. Gatchel, R. Biofeedback as an Adjunctive Treatment Modality in Pain Management. American Pain Society Bulletin, 14 (4), 2009.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  18. Gatchel, R. J., Robinson, R. C., Pulliam, C., and Maddrey, A. M. Biofeedback with pain patients: evidence for its effectiveness. Seminars in Pain Medicine 1 (2), 2003. 55--66.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  19. Gregory, R. L. Knowledge in perception and illusion. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 352(1358), 1997. 1121.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  20. Hoffman, H. G. et al., Virtual reality as an adjunctive pain control during burn wound care in adolescent patients. Pain 85, no. 1--2, 2000. 305--309.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  21. IJsselsteijn W. et. al. Persuasive Technology for Human Well-Being: Setting the Scene. In Persuasive Technology. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, Berlin, Heidelberg, 2006. 1--5. Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  22. Kabat-Zinn, J., Massion, A., Kristeller, J., et al. Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Am J Psychiatry 149, 7, 1992. 936--943.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  23. Kabat-Zinn, J., Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Context: Past, Present, and Future. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice 10, no. 2, 2003. 144--156.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  24. Kjellgren, A., Sundequist, U., Norlander, T., and Archer, T. Effects of flotation-REST on muscle tension pain. Pain Research & Management: The Journal of the Canadian Pain Society, 6, 4, 2001. 181--189.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  25. Lombard, M. and Ditton, T. At the heart of it all: The concept of presence. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 3, 2, 1997.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  26. Lutz, A., Dunne, J. D., and Davidson, R. J. Meditation and the neuroscience of consciousness: An introduction. Cambridge University Press, 2006.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  27. Lupien, S. J., McEwen, B. S., Gunnar, M. R., and Heim, C. Effects of stress throughout the lifespan on the brain, behaviour and cognition. Nat Rev Neurosci 10, 6, 2009. 434--445.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  28. Mahrer, N. E. and Gold, J. I., "The use of virtual reality for pain control: A review," Current Pain and Headache Reports 13, no. 2, 2009. 100--109.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  29. Moraveji, N., Olson, B., Nguyen, T., et al. Peripheral paced respiration: influencing user physiology during information work. Proceedings of the 24th annual ACM symposium on User interface software and technology, ACM, 2011. 423--428. Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  30. Moraveji, N., Oppezzo, M., Habif, S., and Pea, R. A Theoretical Model of Calming Technology: Designing to Mitigate Stress and Increase Calm. Workshop on Interactive Systems in Healthcare, 2011.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  31. Murray, J. Hamlet on the holodeck: the future of narrative in cyberspace. Free Press, New York, 1997. Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  32. Nechvatal, J. Towards an Immersive Intelligence: Nervous Views from Within. Leonardo, 34(5), 2001. 417--422.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  33. Oatley, K. Such stuff as dreams: the psychology of fiction. Chichester West Sussex, U. K. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  34. Palmer, D. Contemplative Immersion: Benjamin, Adorno & Media Art Criticism. In Transformations, Issue 15, 2007.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  35. Ryan, M. Narrative as virtual reality: immersion and interactivity in literature and electronic media. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Univ. Press., 2001. Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  36. Sanches, P., Höök, K., Vaara, E., et al. Mind the body!: designing a mobile stress management application encouraging personal reflection. In Proc. of Designing Interactive Systems, ACM, 2010. 47--56. Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  37. Schein, M., Gavish, B., Herz, M., et al. Treating hypertension with a device that slows and regularises breathing: a randomised, double-blind controlled study. Journal of human hypertension 15, 4, 2001. 271--278.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  38. Shaw, C. Toward a theory of neuroplasticity. Philadelphia: Psychology Press, 2001.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  39. Shaw, C., Gromala, D., and Fleming Seay, A. The Meditation Chamber: Enacting autonomic senses. Proc. of ENACTIVE/07, 2007.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  40. Shea, D. D. et al., "The effect of sensory deprivation in the reduction of pain in patients with chronic low-back pain," Spine 16, no. 5, 1991. 560--561.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  41. Simons, D. J., & Chabris, C. F.. Gorillas in our midst: Sustained inattentional blindness for dynamic events. Perception 28, 1999. 1059--1074.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  42. Slater, M. Place illusion and plausibility can lead to realistic behaviour in immersive virtual environments. Philosophical Transactions B, 364(1535), 2009. 3549.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  43. Stoyva, & Carlson. A Coping/Rest Model of Relaxation and Stress Management. Chapter 38 in Handbook of Stress: theoretical and clinical aspects (2nd ed.). Maxwell Macmillan Canada, 1993.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  44. Wiederhold & Wiederhold, Virtual Reality and Interactive Simulation for Pain Distraction. Pain Medicine 8, no. 3, 2007. S182--S188.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  45. Zeier, H. Arousal reduction with biofeedback-supported respiratory meditation. Biofeedback and Self-Regulation 9, 4, 1984. 497--508.Google ScholarGoogle ScholarCross RefCross Ref
  46. Zimmerman, J., Stolterman, E., & Forlizzi, J. (2010). An analysis and critique of Research through Design: towards a formalization of a research approach. In Proc. of Designing Interactive Systems, ACM, 2010. 310--319 Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library

Index Terms

  1. Sonic Cradle: designing for an immersive experience of meditation by connecting respiration to music

      Recommendations

      Comments

      Login options

      Check if you have access through your login credentials or your institution to get full access on this article.

      Sign in
      • Published in

        cover image ACM Conferences
        DIS '12: Proceedings of the Designing Interactive Systems Conference
        June 2012
        828 pages
        ISBN:9781450312103
        DOI:10.1145/2317956

        Copyright © 2012 ACM

        Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than ACM must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected]

        Publisher

        Association for Computing Machinery

        New York, NY, United States

        Publication History

        • Published: 11 June 2012

        Permissions

        Request permissions about this article.

        Request Permissions

        Check for updates

        Qualifiers

        • research-article

        Acceptance Rates

        Overall Acceptance Rate1,158of4,684submissions,25%

        Upcoming Conference

        DIS '24
        Designing Interactive Systems Conference
        July 1 - 5, 2024
        Copenhagen , Denmark

      PDF Format

      View or Download as a PDF file.

      PDF

      eReader

      View online with eReader.

      eReader