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From Sensory Room to Living Room By Chantal Spencer An exploration in everyday therapeutic sensory designs for adults Table of Contents: Introduction...........................................................................p5 Self Regulation .....................................................................p7 The Science Part...................................................................p18 Market Research...................................................................p28 Disability In The Real World .................................................p32 Digital Product Design...........................................................p48 Material Experimentation.......................................................p60 Conclusion ............................................................................p78 Bibliography...........................................................................p86 From sensory room to living room: What does that mean? This project is an exploration into how objects , and our interaction with them, can improve our lives. I’m interested in what connects the psycho- logical and biological ,and how such interactions with physical objects can influences our own sensory health. 18 months ago I set up an organisation that mentors and supports artists with invisible disabilities. This work has given me an insight into the day to day lives and additional needs that being a disabled person brings. As a disabled person myself I have a very personal view of what it is like to be disabled. But no disabled person is the same, even those who share a condition may have very different issues. For me it was important to find a thread that links not only disabled people together but those who may consider themselves non-disabled. As an advocate and activist for disabled people’s rights, one of my sig- nificant objectives is integration. It was important for me that this project produced objects that would be useful and appealing to a wide range of people both abled and disabled. Having recently been diagnosed with a condition that is thought to have been brought on by trauma, I discovered that our psychological state can and does manifest as physical symptoms. Many pain management strategies used by the NHS focus on good mental health and its capa- bility in reducing symptoms such as chronic pain, skin and bowel condi- tions etc…I like to think of myself as an open minded person, but I have to admit this really did take some time to convince me. What you see in this publication is that journey, from how to take these ideas and questions and turn them into something useful, whilst raising awareness and bringing people together. p5 Autism Stimming Original,Useful Self Care On Object That Can Public Transport : Disability In Market Improve People’s 2nd Year Project The Real Self Care Research Wellbeing World Self Universal Design Mental Material Regulation Within Public Health Experimentation Transport Dissertation Physical Pain Health Management From Sensory Room Self-Regulation:Capacity vs Stimuli to Living Room One of the most important factors in how our psychology affects our body is understanding what stress is. Stress in it’s simplest format is our brain having to cope with On the right you can see a brain that is experiencing stress. more stimuli than it can process at that moment in time. It’s capacity to process the stimuli is very low and the amount The illustration on the left shows you a balance brain, of stimuli is much higher, this creates a state of stress. And it processing capacity is high, and stimuli is less than the is these periods of stress that can have a negative impact on capacity of the brain. our physical health. p8 From Sensory Room Self-Regulation:Understanding mental stress and how to improve it to Living Room Why does my ability to cope with stress change from day to day? To answer that question, first we need to p5 look at how we process stimuli and how factors can impact on our capacity to process them. Our brain absorbs everything we Many external factors can af- encounter in day to day life as fect the brains ability to process information, these are referred to stimuli; tiredness, ADHD, grief, as stimuli. They can be anything dysphoria to name but a few. Fig 4: Illustration by author: from anxious thoughts, work- load, social interactions, emo- These factors act like a vice, tions good or bad, to physical inhibiting the brains flow of regis- pain, lights, sound etc. These tering to then processing stimuli, are referred to as stimuli and leading a person to feel burned they all need to be processed by out and stressed. the brain. p10 Dysphoria Learning disability Autism ADHD Dyslexia From Sensory Room Self-Regulation:Understanding mental stress and how to improve it to Living Room So how do we break that vice? The process is called self-regulation: Self-regulation can present itself own ability to process stimuli as in many formats. Some people oppose to the simple reduction may choose meditation or mind- of external stressors. It encour- fulness as an aid to increase the ages us to self-care regularly brains capacity for processing, throughout the day to keep our thus reducing stress brains and bodies in a healthy balance. Neuro-divergent people are known to use stimming or Having explored Proprioception proprioceptive relief to help calm and Interoception last year, what their minds. I am most interested in stimming within this project and how that These methods of stress reduc- can be turned into a 3D object tion focuses on improving our for me to make. p13 From Sensory Room Self-Regulation:Jargon Buster to Living Room Stimming: Triggers: Masking: Is a slang term for Self-Stimulatory Be- This is a term used to describe This is a term used to describe when a haviour. Everyone has stims that they do something that reminds a person of a person has certain behaviours that are subconsciously, from twisting your hair to Psychological imprint from a time in their intrinsically part of themselves but feel biting your nails. Some people choose to past. These can be good or bad and can unable to show them in general day to day stim purposefully to help block out bring on a flashback state in a person that life. Neuro-divergent people often hide external stimuli. This type of stimming is reduces their ability to process the here their behaviours and personality traits to generally more pronounced and obvious and now. Psychologically they are living appear more neuro- typical. Those with from hand flapping to staring into twinkly in two times simultaneously.Triggers state mental health conditions often hide their lights. Stim objects are often used to help can last from fractions of a second to anxiety or depression. Habitual masking the user enter a deeper state of months at a time, and can have significant creates serious mental health issues, relaxation. The more stimy the object, the impact on a persons’ daily life if they have low self esteem and even post traumatic more external stimuli it blocks. experienced trauma. stress. Proprioceptive relief: Interoception: Dysphoria: This is a term used to describe deep This is a term used to describe a This is a term used to describe a feeling pressure relaxation. Proprioception is person’s ability to read their own bodily of sadness or disconnect with the world. your sense of where you are placed in the and emotional needs. Many People can experience dysphoria as part physical world. This sense is responsible neuro-divergent people and those living of mental health conditions. This can for the good feeling you get from receiving with mental health disorders are affected leave a person feeling disassociated and a hug or curling up under a nice heavy du- by reduced interoception. This can unable to focus vet. Some people use weighted blankets sometimes manifest as a complete and other deep inability to name emotions, this is called pressure products to give them alexithymia. It is important for proprioceptive relief. self-regulation as you can easily overload yourself if you are unable to identify your state of mind. p15 Is there any Science that can explain how this all works? From Sensory Room Biopsychology: The triune brain theory to Living Room The Triune brain theory was from the first creatures on the earth. tical reasoning. This is where your habits developed in 1960s by a Neuroscientist This part of our brain is the first thing live and are in charge, so to get through called Paul D MacLean. As with all that informs us in any given situation, to the lizard brain, first it is important to theories about brain function and particularily in stressful ones. It is your create new habits. If we look at the hot evolution it is impossible to know fight or flight response. This is what lots pan example again, the Mammalian definitively if this is actually 100% of people believe is activated through brain will be the part of your brain that accurate. But it is non the less a very stimming. It’s considered to be the root registers that you should not touch a hot interesting perspective on brain of how we can retrain ourselves to be pan again, it understands that there is evolution and helps us understand that calmer and healthier in general. more to this situation than just the heat. the brain, as an organ, has defined func- For example, if we were to touch a hot It is where you learn that you should be tions and origins. pan, our lizard brain would be the first to careful of pans as it is where we process register this stimulus, it would register it basic emotions such as fear. Habits then as pain and trigger your fight or flight form from these interactions feeding into MacLean describes the response and left to itself would mean the instinctual responses of the Lizard brain’s evolution in three that you would always avoid touching brain. pans. There is no reasoning in this part parts.

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