Nature Inspired Scenes for Guided Mindfulness Training: Presence, Perceived Restorativeness and Meditation Depth

Practicing mindfulness-based stress reeducation and other contemplative practices generates a number of health and human performance benefits. However, limited access to qualified training and practice support, as well as poor practice environments, makes it difficult to sustain the habits necessary to develop the attentional regulation skills needed to benefit from mindfulness. In this paper, we report on our research, which focuses on developing immersive environments to support mindfulness-based stress reduction practices. We specifically look at how the design of a virtual environment can foster a restorative experience, if that restorative experience is associated with the depth of the…