Contrasting Cognitive, Behavioral, and Physiological Responses to Breathwork vs. Naturalistic Stimuli in Reflective Chamber and VR Headset Environments: Randomized Control Study
Ninette Simonian, Micah Alan Johnson, Caitlin Lynch, Geena Wang, Velu Kumaravel, Taylor Kuhn, Félix Schoeller, Nicco Reggente
bioRxiv September 19, 2024 preprint DOI: 10.1101/2024.09.17.613581 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 126 |
| Population | Adults participating in an immersive experience study (details not specified) |
| Interventions | breathwork rain stimuli |
| Measures | Trail Making Test RTACC, Architex Total Speed, STAI, breath rate, MODTAS, awe, ego dissolution, openness to experience |
| Topics | Breathwork |
| Key findings | Anxiolytic experiences created in the MindGym maintained full efficacy when delivered via 360-degree VR recordings, with no significant differences in effectiveness or immersion between the original environment and its virtual reproduction. All conditions improved cognitive performance and reduced anxiety, breathwork reduced breath rate more than rain, and individual differences such as absorption and openness moderated responses. |
Abstract
The MindGym, a novel immersive technology utilizing a reflective chamber environment, was developed to create standardized experiential content, including anxiolytic experiences. This study examined whether therapeutic experiences originally created in the MindGym could maintain their efficacy when delivered via 360-degree recordings through virtual reality (VR) headsets. A randomized controlled trial (N=126) compared anxiety reduction, cognitive performance, and physiological responses across four conditions: MindGym and VR platforms, each delivering either breathwork or rain stimuli. Results demonstrated significant improvements across all conditions in cognitive performance (Trail Making Test RTACC, p.fdr<.001; Architex Total Speed, p.fdr<.001) and anxiety reduction (STAI, p.fdr<.001). Breathwork conditions produced greater decreases in breath rate compared to rain stimuli (p.fdr=.002). Treatment responses were moderated by individual differences, with absorption (MODTAS) predicting both awe (p.fdr=.004) and ego dissolution (p.fdr=.015), while openness to experience interacted with stimuli type to influence anxiety reduction (p.fdr=.038). The anxiolytic effects originally generated in the MindGym maintained full efficacy when translated to VR delivery, with no significant differences in effectiveness or immersion between the original environment and its virtual reproduction. These findings establish the MindGym as a viable content creation platform for immersive, anxiety-reducing experiences that can be successfully adapted to more accessible delivery systems, while highlighting the potential for personalization based on individual differences. Future research should investigate the translation of more complex MindGym-generated experiences to expand accessible anxiety management tools.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on breathwork, most cited first.