[{"date_updated":"2026-09-16T09:58:10Z","status":"public","date_created":"2026-09-16T09:12:52Z","user_id":"236796","abstract":[{"text":"Breath-based interactions in virtual reality typically map breathing onto discrete visual objects or downstream physiological proxies. Viscereality takes a different approach, mapping lung volume onto a surrounding space composed of particles arranged in an orb enclosing the participant through interoceptive-exteroceptive sensory\r\nsubstitution, such that inhalation expands the environment outward and exhalation contracts it inward. The aesthetic texture of the particle field is controlled by coupled oscillators governing phase relationships among individual particles' animation cycles, making visual organisation an experimentally adjustable parameter independent of the respiratory mechanics. In a preregistered within-subjects study (N = 39), participants completed three 10-minute audio-guided box-breathing sessions in counterbalanced order: a high-symmetry VR condition in which oscillator coupling transiently aligned particles into geometric coherence during breath holds, an asymmetric VR condition\r\nin which coupling remained irregular throughout, and a black-screen control with only a minimal breathing performance indicator. Subjective experience was assessed with an altered states of consciousness questionnaire, temporal experience tracers, and three pictographic self-related measures. Relative to the black-screen control, VR conditions improved breathing synchronization, shifted participants toward a more spatially extended frame of self-reference, and produced altered-state profiles with strong perceptual effects, moderate positive effects, and weaker distressing effects. Despite lasting only 10 minutes, perceptual and positive effect intensities were superficially\r\ncomparable to those reported in 90-minute facilitated breathwork sessions conducted without VR, while negative effects were lower. Temporal experience tracers converged with the retrospective questionnaire across all dimensions. Participants remained blind to the aesthetic symmetry manipulation, which also yielded no difference on any outcome measure. These results suggest that even a brief bioresponsive VR breathing session can meaningfully augment both breathing behavior and subjective experience, and may warrant further exploration as a complement to established breathwork practices.","lang":"eng"}],"_id":"7164","citation":{"alphadin":"<span style=\"font-variant:small-caps;\">Fejer, George</span> ; <span style=\"font-variant:small-caps;\">Holzapfel, Till</span> ; <span style=\"font-variant:small-caps;\">Blum, Johannes</span> ; <span style=\"font-variant:small-caps;\">Hirvonen, Taru</span> ; <span style=\"font-variant:small-caps;\">Lalidis Mateo, Anestis-Pere</span> ; <span style=\"font-variant:small-caps;\">Gaebler, Michael</span> ; <span style=\"font-variant:small-caps;\">Lenggenhager, Bigna</span>: <i>Breathing Space: Spatial Mapping of Breath and Cardiac Biofeedback for Affective State Representation and Coherence Training in Viscereality</i> : OSF, 2025","mla":"Fejer, George, et al. <i>Breathing Space: Spatial Mapping of Breath and Cardiac Biofeedback for Affective State Representation and Coherence Training in Viscereality</i>. OSF, 2025, doi:<a href=\"https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/F2GMW\">10.17605/OSF.IO/F2GMW</a>.","ieee":"G. Fejer <i>et al.</i>, <i>Breathing Space: Spatial Mapping of Breath and Cardiac Biofeedback for Affective State Representation and Coherence Training in Viscereality</i>. OSF, 2025.","short":"G. Fejer, T. Holzapfel, J. Blum, T. Hirvonen, A.-P. Lalidis Mateo, M. Gaebler, B. Lenggenhager, Breathing Space: Spatial Mapping of Breath and Cardiac Biofeedback for Affective State Representation and Coherence Training in Viscereality, OSF, 2025.","bibtex":"@book{Fejer_Holzapfel_Blum_Hirvonen_Lalidis Mateo_Gaebler_Lenggenhager_2025, title={Breathing Space: Spatial Mapping of Breath and Cardiac Biofeedback for Affective State Representation and Coherence Training in Viscereality}, DOI={<a href=\"https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/F2GMW\">10.17605/OSF.IO/F2GMW</a>}, publisher={OSF}, author={Fejer, George and Holzapfel, Till and Blum, Johannes and Hirvonen, Taru and Lalidis Mateo, Anestis-Pere and Gaebler, Michael and Lenggenhager, Bigna}, year={2025} }","ama":"Fejer G, Holzapfel T, Blum J, et al. <i>Breathing Space: Spatial Mapping of Breath and Cardiac Biofeedback for Affective State Representation and Coherence Training in Viscereality</i>. OSF; 2025. doi:<a href=\"https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/F2GMW\">10.17605/OSF.IO/F2GMW</a>","chicago":"Fejer, George, Till Holzapfel, Johannes Blum, Taru Hirvonen, Anestis-Pere Lalidis Mateo, Michael Gaebler, and Bigna Lenggenhager. <i>Breathing Space: Spatial Mapping of Breath and Cardiac Biofeedback for Affective State Representation and Coherence Training in Viscereality</i>. OSF, 2025. <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/F2GMW\">https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/F2GMW</a>.","apa":"Fejer, G., Holzapfel, T., Blum, J., Hirvonen, T., Lalidis Mateo, A.-P., Gaebler, M., &#38; Lenggenhager, B. (2025). <i>Breathing Space: Spatial Mapping of Breath and Cardiac Biofeedback for Affective State Representation and Coherence Training in Viscereality</i>. OSF. <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/F2GMW\">https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/F2GMW</a>"},"department":[{"_id":"102"}],"author":[{"last_name":"Fejer","first_name":"George","full_name":"Fejer, George"},{"full_name":"Holzapfel, Till","last_name":"Holzapfel","first_name":"Till"},{"last_name":"Blum","first_name":"Johannes","full_name":"Blum, Johannes"},{"last_name":"Hirvonen","first_name":"Taru","full_name":"Hirvonen, Taru"},{"first_name":"Anestis-Pere","orcid":"0009-0002-9545-9043","last_name":"Lalidis Mateo","orcid_put_code_url":"https://api.orcid.org/v2.0/0009-0002-9545-9043/work/226879134","full_name":"Lalidis Mateo, Anestis-Pere","id":"236796"},{"full_name":"Gaebler, Michael","first_name":"Michael","last_name":"Gaebler"},{"full_name":"Lenggenhager, Bigna","last_name":"Lenggenhager","first_name":"Bigna"}],"year":"2025","type":"research_data","doi":"10.17605/OSF.IO/F2GMW","publisher":"OSF","related_material":{"record":[{"id":"7162","status":"public","relation":"other"}],"link":[{"url":"10.17605/OSF.IO/64MWK","relation":"original"}]},"title":"Breathing Space: Spatial Mapping of Breath and Cardiac Biofeedback for Affective State Representation and Coherence Training in Viscereality","project":[{"_id":"A827C0AA-C7DA-11E9-B0AE-1F4CB252D58D","name":"Institute for Building Intelligence"}],"keyword":["biofeedback","breath-based interaction","breathwork","altered states of consciousness","particle systems"]},{"corporate_editor":["Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI)"],"date_updated":"2026-09-16T09:44:45Z","author":[{"last_name":"Fejer","first_name":"George","full_name":"Fejer, George"},{"full_name":"Holzapfel, Till","last_name":"Holzapfel","first_name":"Till"},{"last_name":"Gómez-Emilsson","first_name":"Andrés","full_name":"Gómez-Emilsson, Andrés"},{"last_name":"Hirvonen","first_name":"Taru","full_name":"Hirvonen, Taru"},{"full_name":"Jermaks, Raimonds","last_name":"Jermaks","first_name":"Raimonds"},{"first_name":"Johannes","last_name":"Blum","full_name":"Blum, Johannes"},{"full_name":"Lobser, David","first_name":"David","last_name":"Lobser"},{"id":"236796","full_name":"Lalidis Mateo, Anestis-Pere","last_name":"Lalidis Mateo","orcid":"0009-0002-9545-9043","first_name":"Anestis-Pere"},{"full_name":"Glowacki, David","last_name":"Glowacki","first_name":"David"},{"last_name":"Gaebler","first_name":"Michael","full_name":"Gaebler, Michael"},{"first_name":"Bigna","last_name":"Lenggenhager","full_name":"Lenggenhager, Bigna"}],"doi":"10.18420/MUC2025-MCI-WS11-174","type":"conference","file":[{"date_created":"2026-02-05T15:28:16Z","access_level":"open_access","date_updated":"2026-02-05T15:28:16Z","creator":"alalidismateo","success":1,"relation":"main_file","content_type":"application/pdf","file_name":"muc-2025-mci-174.pdf","file_size":27519068,"file_id":"6575"}],"series_title":"Lecture Notes in Informatics (LNI)","urn":"urn:nbn:de:hbz:bi10-65742","related_material":{"record":[{"id":"7165","relation":"later_version","status":"public"}]},"conference":{"end_date":"2025-09-03","location":"Chemnitz","name":"Mensch und Computer 2025","start_date":"2025-08-31"},"user_id":"236796","abstract":[{"lang":"eng","text":"We introduce a bioresponsive virtual reality system that maps users' breathing patterns to dynamic, spatialized visual feedback. The system implements Gestalt principles, such as good figure, similarity, and symmetry, within a 3D particle-based environment to enhance the embodiment of interoceptive and exteroceptive space, aiming to blur the subjective boundary between bodily self and the external virtual space. Moreover, the system incorporates coupling kernels within a dynamic system composed of Kuramoto oscillators, enabling the emergence of geometric visual symmetries during breath retention phases. This architecture provides an experimental framework for investigating how visual–respiratory coupling of space can influence perceived bodily boundaries and peripersonal space, as well as for testing how such coupling affects positively valenced aspects of subjective experience, drawing on principles from the Symmetry Theory of Valence. A short video summary of the system is available at: https://osf.io/4enfg"}],"language":[{"iso":"eng"}],"status":"public","publication":"MCI-WS11: 18th Workshop “Be-greifbare Interaktion”","date_created":"2026-02-05T15:30:06Z","publication_status":"published","department":[{"_id":"102"}],"main_file_link":[{"url":"https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3780045.3780061","open_access":"1"}],"citation":{"alphadin":"<span style=\"font-variant:small-caps;\"><span style=\"font-variant:small-caps;\">Fejer, George</span> ; <span style=\"font-variant:small-caps;\">Holzapfel, Till</span> ; <span style=\"font-variant:small-caps;\">Gómez-Emilsson, Andrés</span> ; <span style=\"font-variant:small-caps;\">Hirvonen, Taru</span> ; <span style=\"font-variant:small-caps;\">Jermaks, Raimonds</span> ; <span style=\"font-variant:small-caps;\">Blum, Johannes</span> ; <span style=\"font-variant:small-caps;\">Lobser, David</span> ; <span style=\"font-variant:small-caps;\">Lalidis Mateo, Anestis-Pere</span> ; u. a.</span>: Viscereality: A Bio-responsive VR System for Breath-Based Interactions and Coupled Oscillator Dynamics to Augment Altered States of Consciousness. In: <span style=\"font-variant:small-caps;\">Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI)</span> (Hrsg.): <i>MCI-WS11: 18th Workshop “Be-greifbare Interaktion”</i>, <i>Lecture Notes in Informatics (LNI)</i>. Bonn : Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V., 2025","mla":"Fejer, George, et al. “Viscereality: A Bio-Responsive VR System for Breath-Based Interactions and Coupled Oscillator Dynamics to Augment Altered States of Consciousness.” <i>MCI-WS11: 18th Workshop “Be-Greifbare Interaktion,”</i> edited by Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI), Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V., 2025, doi:<a href=\"https://doi.org/10.18420/MUC2025-MCI-WS11-174\">10.18420/MUC2025-MCI-WS11-174</a>.","ieee":"G. Fejer <i>et al.</i>, “Viscereality: A Bio-responsive VR System for Breath-Based Interactions and Coupled Oscillator Dynamics to Augment Altered States of Consciousness,” in <i>MCI-WS11: 18th Workshop “Be-greifbare Interaktion,”</i> Chemnitz, 2025.","short":"G. Fejer, T. Holzapfel, A. Gómez-Emilsson, T. Hirvonen, R. Jermaks, J. Blum, D. Lobser, A.-P. Lalidis Mateo, D. Glowacki, M. Gaebler, B. Lenggenhager, in: Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI) (Ed.), MCI-WS11: 18th Workshop “Be-Greifbare Interaktion,” Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V., Bonn, 2025.","bibtex":"@inproceedings{Fejer_Holzapfel_Gómez-Emilsson_Hirvonen_Jermaks_Blum_Lobser_Lalidis Mateo_Glowacki_Gaebler_et al._2025, place={Bonn}, series={Lecture Notes in Informatics (LNI)}, title={Viscereality: A Bio-responsive VR System for Breath-Based Interactions and Coupled Oscillator Dynamics to Augment Altered States of Consciousness}, DOI={<a href=\"https://doi.org/10.18420/MUC2025-MCI-WS11-174\">10.18420/MUC2025-MCI-WS11-174</a>}, booktitle={MCI-WS11: 18th Workshop “Be-greifbare Interaktion”}, publisher={Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V.}, author={Fejer, George and Holzapfel, Till and Gómez-Emilsson, Andrés and Hirvonen, Taru and Jermaks, Raimonds and Blum, Johannes and Lobser, David and Lalidis Mateo, Anestis-Pere and Glowacki, David and Gaebler, Michael and et al.}, editor={Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI)Editor}, year={2025}, collection={Lecture Notes in Informatics (LNI)} }","ama":"Fejer G, Holzapfel T, Gómez-Emilsson A, et al. Viscereality: A Bio-responsive VR System for Breath-Based Interactions and Coupled Oscillator Dynamics to Augment Altered States of Consciousness. In: Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI), ed. <i>MCI-WS11: 18th Workshop “Be-Greifbare Interaktion.”</i> Lecture Notes in Informatics (LNI). Bonn: Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V.; 2025. doi:<a href=\"https://doi.org/10.18420/MUC2025-MCI-WS11-174\">10.18420/MUC2025-MCI-WS11-174</a>","chicago":"Fejer, George, Till Holzapfel, Andrés Gómez-Emilsson, Taru Hirvonen, Raimonds Jermaks, Johannes Blum, David Lobser, et al. “Viscereality: A Bio-Responsive VR System for Breath-Based Interactions and Coupled Oscillator Dynamics to Augment Altered States of Consciousness.” In <i>MCI-WS11: 18th Workshop “Be-Greifbare Interaktion,”</i> edited by Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI). Lecture Notes in Informatics (LNI). Bonn: Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V., 2025. <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.18420/MUC2025-MCI-WS11-174\">https://doi.org/10.18420/MUC2025-MCI-WS11-174</a>.","apa":"Fejer, G., Holzapfel, T., Gómez-Emilsson, A., Hirvonen, T., Jermaks, R., Blum, J., … Lenggenhager, B. (2025). Viscereality: A Bio-responsive VR System for Breath-Based Interactions and Coupled Oscillator Dynamics to Augment Altered States of Consciousness. In Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI) (Ed.), <i>MCI-WS11: 18th Workshop “Be-greifbare Interaktion.”</i> Bonn: Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.18420/MUC2025-MCI-WS11-174\">https://doi.org/10.18420/MUC2025-MCI-WS11-174</a>"},"_id":"6574","has_accepted_license":"1","publisher":"Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V.","place":"Bonn","year":"2025","oa":"1","file_date_updated":"2026-02-05T15:28:16Z","keyword":["altered states of consciousness","bioresponsive systems","breath-based interaction","symmetry theory of valence","interoceptive-exteroceptive substitution","visual-respiratory coupling"],"quality_controlled":"1","title":"Viscereality: A Bio-responsive VR System for Breath-Based Interactions and Coupled Oscillator Dynamics to Augment Altered States of Consciousness","project":[{"_id":"A827C0AA-C7DA-11E9-B0AE-1F4CB252D58D","name":"Institute for Building Intelligence"}]}]