A multisensory mindfulness experience: exploring the promotion of sensory awareness as a mindfulness practice.
Carolyn Finck, Alba Avila, William Jiménez-Leal, Juan Pablo Botero, Daniel Shambo, Susana Hernandez, Felipe Reinoso-Carvalho, Veneta Andonova
Frontiers in Psychology 2023 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1230832 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Exploratory pilot study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 68 |
| Population | Adults with prior mindfulness experience, similar across groups in mean age, sex, and occupation |
| Intervention | audio |
| Measures | Heart rate variability (HRV) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Biofeedback Heart rate variability Multisensory experience design Sensory stimulation Technology |
| Key points | Both the audio-only and multisensory mindfulness conditions produced increases in parasympathetic activity after the experience, with only small differences between conditions. No significant pre-to-post differences in state anxiety were observed. The authors contend that physiological responses can diverge from self-reported psychological measures, suggesting parasympathetic monitoring may serve as an indicator of present-moment connection. |
Abstract
In this preliminary and multidisciplinary exploratory study, we assessed whether a mindfulness practice could be enhanced through a multisensory experience design that mimics the "beginner's mind," relying on sensory awareness and biofeedback processes as participants interact with the experience. We piloted and designed two conditions, being (a) a guided mindfulness practice based on the senses as an anchor to the present moment, using audio instruction only; and (b) an experience of mindfulness practice with successive sensory stimulation (olfactory, audio, and visual stimulation) followed by an interactive experience with biofeedback that provides a visual representation of the person's heartbeat in real-time. For each of the conditions we assessed anxiety (state and trait), as well as other psychological variables pre- and post-experience. Additionally, we measured the heart rate variability (HRV) at baseline, during each stage of the experience as well as post intervention. We collected valid data for a total of 68 individuals. Both groups were similar regarding mean age, sex, and occupation and had similar prior experience with mindfulness. There were no significant differences regarding prior state or trait anxiety between the groups. Analysis of the physiological variables showed that for both groups there was an increase in the parasympathetic activity after the multisensory experience, with small differences in the conditions of stimulation. We did not observe significant differences between the pre and post measures for state of test anxiety. The observed parasympathetic activity variations after both experiences compared with pre and post-surveys demonstrate the importance of physiological vs psychological inspection beyond the common human rational experience that is not always resonate with the body's response and impacts the needed literacy to self-awareness of emotional well-being. Participants in both conditions could effectively connect with the experience, while achieving a physiological response different from their baseline state. The acceptance of the designed stimuli was very high, although more research is still needed to uncover its full potential. In sum, the design of multisensory experiences using technology to create an interactive connection with the sensory stimulus, is a promising field in mindfulness and especially in practices involving sensory awareness through the monitoring of parasympathetic activity as an inference indicator of the present-moment connection.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- Exploring technology-assisted mindfulness: a systematic progressive review on the role of virtual reality Virtual Reality September 2, 2025
- Mindfulness training decreases the habituation response to persistent food stimulation. Scientific Reports April 25, 2025
- Human-Computer Co-Regulation: A Review of Biofeedback for Meditative Practice Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive Mobile Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies September 30, 2026
- Understanding How Pranic Healing Facilitators' Observed Experiences and Outcomes Arise: A Critical Realist Explanatory Model. Cureus July 2026
Cites 5
- The toronto mindfulness scale: Development and validation Journal of Clinical Psychology 2006
- Mindfulness Interventions Delivered by Technology Without Facilitator Involvement: What Research Exists and What Are the Clinical Outcomes? Mindfulness 2016
- Mindfulness: a systematic review of instruments to measure an emergent patient-reported outcome (PRO). Quality of Life Research March 29, 2013
- What are the benefits of mindfulness? A practice review of psychotherapy-related research. Psychotherapy June 2011
- Inward-attention meditation increases parasympathetic activity: a study based on heart rate variability. Biomedical Research October 1, 2008