De-Escalating Panic Attacks in Stressful Environments

Team 5 | XRStellaR

THE TEAM

Rachel De Paz

Developer

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Manouj Kumar Govindaraju

XR Developer

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Lorena Lopez Hechavarria

User Experience & Environment Designer

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Zevensuy Rodriguez

Producer

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Brandon Sands

Subject Matter Expert

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Tianyun (Lydia) Wang

Interaction Designer

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Approach

What are you prototyping?

Café SereniTea is a seated VR experience for the Oculus Quest. As the experience begins, a series of environmental stressors appear, resulting in a panic attack. The user is then coached through exercises to mitigate the attack severity from the POV of someone experiencing the attack and also the POV of a friend witnessing a panic attack. The first set of exercises practice self-regulation strategies, while the second set of exercises practice peer support through recognizing and neutralizing environmental stressors.

Common Triggering Events

Life Stressors

-Observed Financial Hardship

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Expectation of Judgment/Confrontation -Aggressive Campaigner

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Loud or Chaotic Auditory Stimulus

-Booming Radio

Problem Space Summary

• What is your general topic?
• Social Anxiety/ Panic Disorders
• What is the problem/question you’re tackling?
• How do environments influence the onset and severity of a panic attack? How can those suffering from panic attacks mitigate their symptoms?
• How can peers recognize attacks and assist their friends in de-escalating a panic attack by removing stressors?
• Why does it matter?
• Social anxiety is highly prevalent in the general population and is resurgent with the recent return from isolation due to COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. Many people may need to learn skills to manage stressful environments and may not have professional support.

What We Built

INTERNAL Perspective

How does it address your problem/question?

Café SereniTea gives Users insight into the lived experience of those suffering from panic attacks and provides skills they can use to navigate distressing situations.

Breathing Exercises Reduces Increased Heart Rate

Positive Memory Recall Filters Overwhelming Auditory Stimuli

Fixation on Neutral Object Corrects Tunnel Vision

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EXTERNAL Perspective

How does it address your problem/question?

Café SereniTea gives users skills they can use as peer bystanders to navigate distressing situations.

Steering Conversations Away From Stressful Topics Reduces Increased Heart Rate

Requesting Softer Music Filters Overwhelming Auditory Stimuli

Diverting Unwanted Attention Corrects Tunnel Vision

Implications for the Future

Add richer animation and facial expressions, as well as emotive voice recording.

Add elements for greater user immersion, and gamify additional coping strategies.

Address additional settings and storylines.

Explore additional issues from different POVs

(patient/clinician, child/parent, peer/peer, etc.)

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Questions? Connect with the XRStellar Team!

De-Escalating Panic Attacks in Stressful Environments

Team 5 | XRStellaR

References

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