About DEEP

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About DEEP

DEEP is a meditative
Virtual Reality game
controlled by breathing

Entertainment & Wellbeing

Deep allows players to navigate through a serene and poetic underwater world. Movement is controlled by slow, deep diaphragmatic breathing which soothes and relieves anxiety in the player. Our adapted wellbeing experience is designed to be available to all.

Healthcare

Since 2016 researchers at the GEMH Lab conducted several studies demonstrating the efficacy of DEEP as an anxiety regulation tool. Research is now being expanded to explore how DEEP can support people with trauma, functional disorders, and in forensic psychiatric care.

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Deep Quest

The World of DEEP

Breath as interaction

Your breath is used to move you through the world of DEEP. As you breathe in you rise upwards and upon your exhale you float back down to the ocean floor, whilst your direction is travel follows your gaze.

When you breathe the world follows and flows with you. The creatures, plants and patterns mirror your rhythm, reinforcing the link to your own body and mental state.

BREATHING BELTThe hand-made Deep breath belt allows you to explore in the most seamless way possible for players that want an even more immersive experience. — **BREATHING BELT**
The hand-made breathing belt allows you to seamlessly explore Deep.

HAND CONTROLLERPlace the controller on your belly, and let it measure your breath. — **HAND CONTROLLER**
Place the VR controller on your belly, and let it measure your breath.

The Science

“I WANT TO LIVE HERE”

— TETSUYA MIZUGUCHI, REZ & TETRIS EFFECT

The Science

“I WANT TO LIVE HERE”

— TETSUYA MIZUGUCHI, REZ & TETRIS EFFECT

The SCIENCE

Between 2016 and 2021 Deep has undergone rigorous research led by Prof. Isabela Granic, co-director of the GEMH Lab, and Dr. Joanneke Weerdmeester. The focus of this research was to explore the efficacy of Deep as a tool for anxiety regulation in youth. This research has resulted in various published papers (see below) and a doctoral dissertation. You can find the complete publication list below.

A randomized controlled trial and several multiple experimental studies have been conducted with anxious and non-anxious research samples of children and young adults. Results demonstrate DEEP’s ability to alleviate youth’s anxiety in the short term and diminish their symptoms over a longer time period with more extensive practice. Furthermore, there is some indication that playing DEEP positively impacts player self-efficacy.

Research in a special education setting showed that the anxiety-relieving effects of a play session with DEEP could last up to 2 hours. Interestingly, some adolescents also showed less disruptive behaviour which suggests that DEEP may influence other aspects besides anxiety.

With its accessible controls, DEEP enables wide audiences with varying cognitive and physical abilities to engage with the experience and to learn vital breathing techniques that can relieve their stress and anxiety.

Now, with new science and care partners, research is expanding to other themes and settings including: emotional resilience, trauma, functional disorders, and forensic psychiatric care.

The PUBLICATIONS

Doctoral Dissertation: Take a DEEP Breath: Exploring the Potential of Game-based Biofeedback Interventions for Anxiety Regulation

A Randomized Controlled Trial Assessing the Efficacy of a Virtual Reality Biofeedback Video Game: Anxiety Outcomes and Appraisal Processes

DEEP: A biofeedback virtual reality game for children at-risk of anxiety

Exploring the role of self-efficacy in biofeedback video games

Efficacy of VR Biofeedback to Reduce Anxiety and Disruptive Classroom Behavior

Full list of publications

Van Rooij, M., Lobel, A., Harris, O., Smit, N., & Granic, I. (2016, May). DEEP: A biofeedback virtual reality game for children at-risk for anxiety. In Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1989-1997). ACM. doi: 10.1145/2851581.2892452

Weerdmeester, J., van Rooij, M.M.J.W., Harris, O., Smit, N., Engels, R. C.M.E., & Granic, I. (2017, October). Exploring the role of self-efficacy in biofeedback video games. In Extended Abstracts Publication of the Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play (pp. 453-461). ACM. doi: 10.1145/3130859.3131299

Bossenbroek, R., Wols A., Weerdmeester, J., Lichtwarck-Aschoff, A., van Rooij, M.M.J.W. & Granic, I. (2020). Efficacy of a virtual Reality biofeedback game (DEEP) to reduce anxiety and disruptive classroom behaviour: A single-case study. JMIR mental health, 7(3), e16066. doi: 10.2196/16066

Weerdmeester, J., van Rooij, M. M.J.W., Engels, R. C.M.E., & Granic, I. (2020). An integrative model for the effectiveness of biofeedback interventions for anxiety regulation. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(7), e14958. doi: 10.2196/14958

Weerdmeester, J., Rooij, M. M. J. W. van, Maciejewski, D. F., Engels, R. C. M. E., & Granic, I. (2021). A Randomized Controlled Trial Assessing the Efficacy of a Virtual Reality Biofeedback Video Game: Anxiety Outcomes and Appraisal Processes. Technology, Mind, and Behavior, 2(2). doi: 10.1037/tmb0000028

Weerdmeester, J.W. (2021). Take a DEEP Breath: Exploring the Potential of Game-based Biofeedback Interventions for Anxiety Regulations. [Doctoral Thesis]. Radboud University. https://hdl.handle.net/2066/239933

Weerdmeester. J., van Rooij, M.M..J.W., & Granic, I. (2022). Visualization, Self-efficacy, and Locus of Control in a Virtual Reality Biofeedback Video Game for Anxiety Regulation. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 25 (6).doi: 10.1089/cyber.2022.0030.

Klein Haneveld, L., Kip, H., Bouman, Y. H., Weerdmeester, J., Scholten, H., & Kelders, S. M. (2023). Exploring the Added Value of Virtual Reality Biofeedback Game DEEP in Forensic Psychiatric Inpatient Care: a Qualitative Study. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1201485. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1201485

RECOGNITION

“For the player it’s simple, yet it’s hard to explain how much better it made me feel … just five minutes strapped to Deep’s breathing device felt remarkable.”

— Joe Donnelly, VICE

RECOGNITION

“For the player it’s simple, yet it’s hard to explain how much better it made me feel … just five minutes strapped to Deep’s breathing device felt remarkable.”

— Joe Donnelly, VICE