Enhancing interoceptive sensibility through exteroceptive-interoceptive sensory substitution
Author: Oran Goral#1, Iddo Yehoshua Wald#1,2, Amber Maimon#1,3, Adi Snir1, Yulia Golland4, Aviva Goral1, Amir Amedi5
Affiliation:
1 Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Technology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel.
2 Digital Media Lab, Bremen University, Bremen, Germany.
3 Computational Psychiatry and Neurotechnology Lab, Ben Gurion University, Be'er Sheva, Israel.
4 Sagol Center for Brain and Mind, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel.
5 Baruch Ivcher Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Technology, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel. amir.amedi@runi.ac.il.
Conference/Journal: Sci Rep
Date published: 2024 Jun 27
Other:
Volume ID: 14 , Issue ID: 1 , Pages: 14855 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-63231-4. , Word Count: 185
Exploring a novel approach to mental health technology, this study illuminates the intricate interplay between exteroception (the perception of the external world), and interoception (the perception of the internal world). Drawing on principles of sensory substitution, we investigated how interoceptive signals, particularly respiration, could be conveyed through exteroceptive modalities, namely vision and hearing. To this end, we developed a unique, immersive multisensory environment that translates respiratory signals in real-time into dynamic visual and auditory stimuli. The system was evaluated by employing a battery of various psychological assessments, with the findings indicating a significant increase in participants' interoceptive sensibility and an enhancement of the state of flow, signifying immersive and positive engagement with the experience. Furthermore, a correlation between these two variables emerged, revealing a bidirectional enhancement between the state of flow and interoceptive sensibility. Our research is the first to present a sensory substitution approach for substituting between interoceptive and exteroceptive senses, and specifically as a transformative method for mental health interventions, paving the way for future research.
Keywords: Biofeedback; Body awareness; Human Computer Interaction; Interoception; Respiration; Sensory substitution.
PMID: 38937475 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-63231-4
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