Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The }nvention is directed to an apparatus Eor
relaxa-tion and psychosensorial stimula~ion.
Man today sees his health more and more threatened
by his own behavlour, by the socio-profes~ional demand~ o
dail~ e and the difficulties that he has in adapting to
~t. Stress ls in a falr way to becoming one of the most
important causes of the sicknesses of our century.
Psychosensorial stimulation consists in the
synthesis of a number of leading psychotechniques such a~
sophrology, suggestopaedia, hypnopaedia, subllminal
information, etc., the common point of which lies in the
necessity of an optlmum base for relaxation. Psychosensorial
stimulation applies the known principle of sensorial
; ; isolation which by suppressing the external causes of stress
thanks to the total aontrol of a specific environment,
enables states of relaxation of an unaccustomed depth to be
attalned. By placing himself simply in an enclosure of
sensorlal isolation, the sub;ect immediately becomes
relieved of the permanent effort of maintaining his
homeostatia e~uilibrlum. The total relaxation which he
obtains thus favours the emergence of states of
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consciousness characterized by a focusing of the mind upon
itself. He may then devote his energy to the exploration and
development of his mental space either actively (creative
meditation, search, ideation) or passively ~contemplation,
waking dream). In a simpler perspective of detachment and
rest, sensorial isolation is of a rare efficacy. In short,
it is generally admitted that a session of one hour equates
in mental relaxation to four hours of deep sleep.
The first experiences of sensorial isolation took
place in the Vnited States some thirty years ago. The
subject was floating upon water saturated with salt
contained in a sound-insulated and lighttight coffer. Then a
simpler and altogether more hygienic method was studied in
which the salt water was replaced by a special mattress. The
technique employing salt water presents, in short, numerous
disadvantages which were rapidly made evident by public use~
Apart from the psychological aspects (hydrophobia, etc.),
the moisture given off, the salt being aggressive to the
body, and the viscous consistency of the solution are
prejudicial to comfort in use, and hence to the performance
of the apparatus. Further, the hygiene of this system ls
risky because of the impossibility of changing the water
between each session. Technological progress in the domain
of synthetic materials at present enables the construction
of a dry support having a fluid behaviour offering the same
advantages as floating upon salt water and nearly optimum
comfort.
~ n aim of the present inventlon ls to propose an
apparatus for relaxatlon and p3ychose~sorial stimulatlon
concelved unpon a principal of polyvalent and evolutive
modules which are ea~ily transformable in order to be able
to receive supplementary or personalized equlpmen~ and
which will enable development without restrictions o~ the
multiple po~ illtles o~ appl:lcation of this type oE
apparatus.
For thi~ purpose the lnvention i5 concerned with an
apparatus or ralaxation and psychosensorial ~tlmulation,
characterlzed ln that it includes an enclosure intended to
create a space protected and isolated from its envlronment,
ln whlch the u~er takes hi~ place, aonnected to a control
cabinet compri~ing a computer, an information carrier and
its reader, an apparatus for conditloning the air, an
ionizer and a diffuser of aroma~, the enclosure belng
equlpped with a pneumatlcally aided airloc~ and lncludlng a
~unk having fluld behavlour and a plurality of apparatus
enabllng the generation of psychosensorial stlmulatlon3, the
enclosure compri~ing an outer envelope lmperviou~ to
radlatlons and electromaqne~lc wave~, reallzed ln the ~orm
of a shell of sandwich type inclusing heat and sound insulating
material or matter, these expressions being indiferently used
as synonyms throughout the disclosure and claims, caught
between two walls of synthetic material including a non-
; toxic material having the effect of
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screen against radiations, this material being added to thesynthetlc material at the time.of manufacture.of the walls,
and a metallic screen intended to create a Faraday cage
e~fect.
In accordance with one embodiment the two walls of
the ~hell are composite wall~ of glas~ ~ibre and synthetic
re~in.
The screen may be embedded in one of tha walls of
the shell or placed between the walls of the shell.
In one embodiment the bunk is heated and is
contained in a synthetic tank having a high heat-insulation
capacity, the bottom of the tank including at ~east one
layer of cylinders of elastic synthetic matter or o~ rubber
inflated with air, the pressure in each cylinder being
separately adjustable, whilst the bottom of the tank may
include a plurallty of layers of cylinders lnflated with
air, arranged horlzontally.in the direction of the width and
covered over the whole area of the bunk by a flexible and
impermeable heater panel containing electrical resistances,
over which is arranged at least one hollow element of
elastic synthetic matter or of deformable rubber, containing
a liquid or.a oollold, the said element belng attached to an
elastic trellis intended for ensuring its position, whilst
the whole may be covered w~th a padding of foam or o
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syntheti.c cottonwool enabling circulatlon of the air, and
with a coveri.ng.
In accordance with one variant embodiment, the tank
includes a plurality of hollow spheres of elastic synthetic
matter or of rubber, arranged side by side on the heater
pane]. and attached to the elastlc trellis.
The enclosure may include a device for interior
illumination comprising a bundle of optical fibres each
~oined at one end to a source of light, the second end lying
flush with the surface of the inner coating of the enclosure.
In accordance with one embodiment o~ the
illumination device, the second ends of the optical fibres
are distributed and embedded in a panel of opaque synthetic
resin the visible face of which is polished, their end
sections lying flush with the surface of the visible face of
the synthetic resin panel.
: The apparatus may include in addition a plurality of
movable colour filters intended to cooperate with the
illumination device and controlled by a motor.
The operations of psychosensorlal stimulation
include, for examplej an induction stage modificatory of the
level of consciousness of the user and intended to lead him
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into a state of deep relaxation, a stage of interiorization
in which the user lives in total lucidi-ty modified states of
consciousness and a stage of rein-tegration intended for the
reappearance of bodily consciousness and of consciousness of
waking of the user, synchronized with the progressive
reappearance of the basic environment in the enclosure.
Othe.r characteristics and advantages of the
invention will stand out better from the description which
follows, given by way of example.
In the drawing which illustrate a particular
embodiment of the invention:
Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a space
protected and i.sola-ted with auxiliaries.
The apparatus comprises two main elements: an
enclosure 1 in-tended for creating a space protected and
isolated from its environmen~ in which the user takes his
place, by entering through an airlock 8 and a control
cabinet 2 connected to the enclosure.
The control cabinet 2 comprises a computer or
microprocessor 3 which manages the whole of the operations
developing in the enclosure. A magnetic tape reader 4
serves for transmitting the information and the sound and
image effects as a function of the programmes and codes
recorded upon the magnetic tapes in accordance with a
suitable method. The cabinet 2 includes in addition an
apparatus 5 for conditioning the air in the enclosure, an
ionizer 6 and a diffuser of aromas 7. The magnetic tape
reader 4 may be replaced by any reader of numerical or
analogue information such, for example, as a laser disc or
video disc reader.
The enclosure comprises an outer envelope or shell
11 impervious to radiations and to electromagnetic waves.
This shell 11 is of sandwich type, composed o~ rockwool or
of any other heat and sound insulating material 12 placed
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between two composite walls 13, 14 of glass fibre and
polyes-ter resin or any other synthetic material rendered
impervious to radiations thanks to the addition of barium
sulphate to the polyester resin at the time of manufacture
of -the composite walls, or of any other non-toxic inert
material having a screening effect against radiation. This
shell is in addition impervious to electromagnetic waves by
Faraday cage effect, thanks to a metallic screen 15
executed, for example, in the form of a stainles& steel
trellis placed in one of the walls of the shell or between
the two walls oE the shell.
In th~s enclosure i.s arranged a plurality of
apparatus 10 enabling the generation of psychosen60rial
stimula-tions such, for example, as acoustic enclosures,
lS indirect illumination, phosphene lamps and a holographic
projector. These apparatus are employed as a function of
the programmes and serve to create within the individual a
state of relaxation and of total receptivity. The interior
design is executed so as to be able to receive other
elements such, for example, as a video monitor, a
holographic projector, a computer, an interphone, etc. The
enclosure includes in addition a bunk 9 upon which the user
takes his place. The bunk is heated and executed so as to
mould itself perfectly to the surface of the body of the
user and to enable this user to adopt a position of ideal
relaxation.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment the bunk
9 is contained in a rectangular synthetic tank 17 of high
heat insulating capacity. The bottom of this tank contains
a number of layers of cylinders 18 of rubber or of elastic
synthetic material inflated with air, the pressure in each
cylinder being separately adjustable. These cylinders are
arranged horizontally in the direction of the width. They
are covered over the whole area of the bunk by a flexible
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and impermeable heater panel 16 containing electrical
resistances. Hollow spheres 19 of rubber or of elastic
synthetic material, haviny very fine walls, highly
deformable and containing water or any other liquid or
colloidal fluid, are distributed side by side over this
panel. These spheres are attached at the bottom by their
filler valves to an elastic trellis 20 which ensures their
positioning. The bunk 9 is covered over with a fine padding
21 oE foam or synthetic cottonwool letting air circulate and
finally a covering 22 of elastic-mesh bottom. This coveriny
is overlaid with a second interchangeable covering which
will come into contact with the body of the user.
The illumination inside the enclosure l may be
executed with a "starry sky" ef~ect by employing a bundle of
optical fibres 24 each joined at one end to the inside of a
metallic cylinder 23 containing a source of light. The
second, free ends of the optical fibres lie flush with the
surface of the inner coating of the enclosure. These second
ends may, for example, be distributed and embedded in a
plate of opaque synthetic resin the visible face of which is
polished and allows the end sections of the optical fibres
to lie flush with its surface so that they thus appear as so
many small points of light. One or more coloured filters 25
may possibly be interposed or arranged so as to co-operate
with the illumination device, being controlled by a motor
2~.
The control oE the various stimuli perceptible by
the senses of the user is ensured by a microprocessor 3. By
modifying the sensations of the user by adequate software it
is possible to recrea-te an environment of ideal type
propitious to the flowering of consciousness and to
introduce into it a programme of psychosensorial
s-timulations. The operation o~ the apparatus of the
invention is designed ~or maximum comfort and simplicity in
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use. The user places in the information reader 4 a cassette
or any other adequate carrier con-taining the programme
chosen. He installs himself in the enclosure 1 and closes
the airlock 8 at the access. The controlling software is
then automatically started and gives verbally the necessary
instructions. Guided by the programme, the user is placed
very rapidly in a state of deep relaxation. The programme
of psychosensorial stimulation includes an induction stage
modi~icatory o~ the level of consciousness of the user and
intended to lead him in-to a state of deep relaxation, o
loss of awareness of his body and of focusing of his mind
upon himself, a stage of interiorization in which the user
lives with complete lucidity modified states oE
consciousness such as the waking dream, depersonalization,
perception of time at the speed of thought, olistic
consciousness, psychic hypersensitivity to parapsychlogical
manifestations. At this moment all of the conditions
necessary to an exploration of inner space are united and
the proyramme pursues the conduct of the session as a
function of its specific aim. In order to terminate, the
user is brought progressively to a level of consciousness
compatible with the exterior and he can leave the enclosure
without any eEfort of xe-adaptation. During the whole
session the microprocessor 3 displays on an external video
monitor the different phases of the programme in train, this
being in order to enable external wisual checking.
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The apparatus of the invention offers a vast
choice of appl.ications at physical, psychic and mental
levels:
- preservation of health (control of weight, stopping
smoking, recovering sleep, prevention of cardiovascular
diseases);
- development o~ the psychism (positive thought, confidence
in oneself, coming to grips with fright and timidity,
creativity);
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- development of the mind (learning languages, memorization,
abstract reasoning);
- medical applications lpsychi.c trouble, allergy, chronic
intoxication);
- treatment of psychosomatic cliseases ~asthma, ulcers,
hypertension);
- specific applications (sport:ing training, preparation for
childbirth, sexual harmonization, preparation for
examinations);
- recovery of hour-to-hour displacement (regulation of sleep
and resumption of normal biological rhythm).
By the polyvalence of their applications, the
apparatus for relaxation and psychosensorial stimulation
present themselves as veritable vehicles of explorati.on of
new states of relaxation and of consciousness. That is why
they have been given in general the name of shuttles.
