Self-identification of Mental State and Self-control Through Indirect Biofeedback

Abstract

Aiming to help persons with mental health problems identify their own mental state and control it, not by visiting specialists passively but by proactively confronting their symptoms, this paper proposes an indirect biofeedback system that externalizes and objectifies the physiological state of users to allow them to self-control their inner state but also to control their physiological state. In the proposed system that we have developed, based on a display representation of physiological information with colors and shapes, the users can grasp their inner state and control it by different methods of breathing that help control their autonomic nervous system. Also, this paper clarifies the usefulness of the proposed system, showing the experimental results in comparison with the conventional direct feedback waveform display system.