The Mental Games Concept

In modern society, we are exposed to many forms of stress. It’s often difficult to avoid the sources of stress, but you can learn to react to it in a more efficient or even in a more intelligent way. Learning these new strategies for stress management will enable you to unlock the full potential of your inner energy resources.

The Mental Games multimedia software analyzes the tiny changes in your skin resistance values (GSR) sent by the "Mind-Reflection" biofeedback system to your personal computer.

Training modules of Mental Games “feel” how much you are focused and relaxed and will change their response according to your mental state.

Using this combination of multimedia technology and biofeedback, you enter a new dimension of personal training. Playing Mental Games will help you in changing your habits regarding learning, concentration and relaxation.

You may soon notice that you are more relaxed in your everyday life, being more present and focused without “burning out.”

You will learn different strategies of interaction—your own strategies—preserving and developing your valuable inner resources.

There are two levels available in this version of Mental Games. Level 1, “Psychophysiological” and Level 2, “Sensomotoric”.

LEVEL 1 "Psychophysiological"

Mental Games’ „Level 1” is a classical biofeedback application based on psychophysiology (the inter-relatedness of mind and body).

Level 1 includes a group of basic biofeedback exercises. Here you can learn to move objects on the screen as you learn to become relaxed and focused. In this sense it’s a “classical” biofeedback training application.

You can easily personalize the training environment by selecting beautiful backgrounds:

…. and “flying” objects controlled by “power of your mind”:

This module is ideal for:

• The first biofeedback training for the whole family
• To objectively show how the relaxation and activation works
• To learn in a playful way to relax effectively

This module is ideal for:

• The first steps in biofeedback training for the whole family with build in “stressor” – a stress factor.
• To objectively show how the relaxation and activation works
• To learn in a playful way to relax effectively

This module is ideal for:

• The first steps in biofeedback training for the whole family with build in extended “stressor”
• To objectively show how the relaxation and activation works
• To learn in a playful way to relax effectively

Stage D

This module is ideal for:

• To effectively learn to relax and activate
• To objectively show how the relaxation and activation works
• To learn in a playful way to relax effectively

Level 1 - Plot

What is the “Plot” for?

On the “Plot” screen you can see the graphic representation of your activation/relaxation level during the session.

When you activate yourself the graph goes high and drops when you relax.

You can print or save the plot to a file and you can load it any time later in order to compare the results and observe your progress.

LEVEL 2 "Sensomotoric"

In Level 2, the “sensomotoric”, you will have to challenge new tasks. In comparison to Level 1 it is not just passive relaxation/activation training anymore. There are sometimes sensory, motoric and cognitive tasks to be done. You control the “game” with the mouse and sometimes the game will change due to your stress response.

Skillfully designed modules support the development of mental focus, flexibility, patience and better reaction/response time, pattern recognition and peripheral vision.

All the skills or as we call them “resources” you need for effective learning, work and everyday situations but sometimes they may also save your life, like a fast response and cool mind in a potential traffic accident on a highway. The safety issue while driving has moved us to start a new project based on Mental Games and VERIM www.autobalance.eu

The main idea behind the “sensomotoric” level is to balance focus and relaxation. You do not need high activation to focus yourself. But it is our common strategy, that if we want to achieve something, we have to put ourselves on an high alert. But collecting numbers or ants on the screen is not running away from a tiger. Our mind can use the same strategy for both situations as it is encoded deeply into our brain, on “reptile level”.
But we do not have to react as reptiles, we can adjust our internal responses to our needs, we can be aware of the possibilities we can choose from. Our grandparents knew already that a mental activity like solving crosswords maybe combined with relaxation as well. (More on this issue see the training and information part). And it one of the main problems with learning and task solving: when there is too much stress there is no focus any more. What we need is an optimum, a perfect adjustment of balance between focus and relaxation. This is what you can learn with Level 2.

Digits

This module is perfect for training of:

• Focus/concentration/attention
• Development of the peripheral vision (*wikipedia)
• Patience
• Pattern recognition
• Relaxation in a task oriented situation

In “Digits” you have to click on the numbers in sequence (1,2…), which are randomly distributed each time you play. You work to “beat the clock” while staying calm.

Digits consists of 3 difficulty levels:

This module is ideal for improving concentration and learning to focus on the “big picture” while maintaining  attention for individual details. They also help you learn how to perceive meaningful/important details that are embedded in “clutter”:  that is, increase your visual “signal to noise” ratio.

In “Focus” you learn to train your attention and reaction times as well as memory.

This module was specially designed for sport like activities, where you have to be ready for any sudden reaction and action. You can also improve your peripheral vision as well.

"Focus" consists of 6 difficulty levels!

This module is perfect for training of:

• Patience
• Focus/concentration/attention
• Relaxation in a task oriented situation

“Insects” consists of 3 difficulty modes: normal, positive and negative loop.

When you choose the positive loop the speed of the objects will increase when you get stressed, or decrease when you concentrate and relax. The training supports you in finding your own optimal mental strategy.

The negative loop, where the objects will accelerate when you are focused and relaxed is for more advanced users, who want to be challenged while in an optimal state of mind: “When I am focused and relaxed give me more!”

With "Drops" you catch as many falling drops as you can with your “bucket.” 

This one integrates eye/hand coordination with perception of vertical movement, and may be especially well suited for use with children who have difficulty concentrating.

“Drops” consists of 3 difficulty modes: normal, positive and negative loop.

With “Music Plot” you can learn to control music with your thoughts and feelings while watching a real-time display onscreen.

"Music Plot" has three different ways of plotting your incoming GSR data.

In “Music Plot” the time scale may be adjusted from between five and sixty minutes; this is how long the session runs.

"Music Plot" is ideal for long time monitoring, deep relaxation sessions, for learning just how far your GSR reading can drop while relaxing, and for general “chill out” applications.

You can also use it with light/sound machines as a means to verify the effect the session is having on your physiology. In this case, try plugging your headphones into your PC’s headphone output. 

There are sixteen slots where one of four objects can appear. The goal is to click on the object, which is displayed exactly five times on the screen. If you are right you get extra credit points and the rainbow bar will grow.

If your choice is a mistake or you wait too long and there are exactly five same objects, you loose some points.
If you are sure there are not five same objects you may click on the bar to toggle next run.

If you choose the positive loop the objects will toggle in shorter intervals when you get stressed.

The game is over when the rainbow bar disappears – you lost – or when it will fill the bar – you won.

The score will include the relaxation quotient, time, and the number of false clicks.

This training game will exercise your ability to react instantaneously but still in a relaxed state.

This is more “passive” module.

In “Mandala” you can mentally control direction and speed of rotation of several objects.
You can also set a background sound loop to support you in reaching a desired mental state.
You can choose from relaxing, exciting, exotic or even trance-like sounds simply by clicking on the little colored spheres on either side of the display.

Mandala is recommended for meditation, energizing/activation or trance-induction.

Your goal is to keep the arrows in the horizontally, staying focused for a selected period of time. If you change your activation to rapidly, a single thought is enough, the arrows may turn...

This tool is ideal for:

• Focus – to practice concentration
• The application as a monitoring of the concentration with the meditation, even purely acoustically applicable
• To learn the self regulation (Mind tuning)
• To develop "The Flow"
• The Development of the sensitivity for internal changes at the psycho physiological level
• To investigate connections between state of excitement, emotions and thoughts

This tool is ideal for:

• Focus – to practice concentration
• To learn patience and develop non conventional acting strategies
• To learn the self regulation (Mind tuning)
• To develop "The Flow"
• The Development of the sensitivity for internal changes at the psycho physiological level
• To investigate connections between state of excitement, emotions and thoughts

"15 Balls" has 3 bioffedback loop modes: normal, positive and negative.

This tool is ideal for:

• Focus – to practice concentration
• To learn patience and develop non conventional acting strategies
• To learn the self regulation (Mind tuning)
• To develop "The Flow"
• The Development of the sensitivity for internal changes at the psycho physiological level
• To investigate connections between state of excitement, emotions and thoughts

"25 Balls" has 3 bioffedback loop modes: normal, positive and negative.

This tool is ideal for:

• Focus – to practice concentration
• To learn patience and develop non conventional acting strategies
• To learn the self regulation (Mind tuning)
• To develop "The Flow"
• The Development of the sensitivity for internal changes at the psycho physiological level
• To investigate connections between state of excitement, emotions and thoughts

"The 50 Balls" has 3 bioffedback loop modes: normal, positive and negative.

This tool is ideal for:

• Focus – to practice concentration
• To learn patience and develop non conventional acting strategies
• To learn the self regulation (Mind tuning)
• To develop "The Flow"
• The Development of the sensitivity for internal changes at the psycho physiological level
• To investigate connections between state of excitement, emotions and thoughts

"Virtual Dance" has 3 bioffedback loop modes: normal, positive and negative.