The Therapeutic Effect of Bilateral Alternating Stimulation Tactile Form Technology on the Stress Response

Abstract

The application of bilateral alternating stimulation in tactile (BLAST) form technology, a non-invasive, somatosensory-based method, has been shown to modulate the electrical activity of brain networks that mediate the stress response, resulting in a stress-reducing effect in individuals with high reported levels of anxiety, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In this study, we examined archival data from a heterogeneous group of users (n = 1109) of BLAST technology via Touchpoints, a novel BLAST-based treatment modality, all of whom had high self-reported levels of stress and anxiety. Ratings of levels of emotional stress and bodily distress on a scale of 0 (no stress/distress) to 10 (worst stress/distress of one's life) before and after the application of Touchpoints for 30 seconds were entered into an app. Results showed a statistically significant reduction in the levels of both emotional stress and bodily distress, 62.26% and 50.502%, respectively, after 30 seconds of BLAST technology was applied. This demonstrates a clear benefit of BLAST on the stress response, reducing both emotional stress and disturbing body sensations. Recent work examining EEG changes after BLAST technology is applied suggests that BLAST may reduce sympathetic activation by reducing the electrical activity of key areas of the salience network. Further work will more precisely characterize the effects of BLAST, its potential clinical uses, and the mechanisms of actions behind it's apparent stress-reducing effects.

A Triple-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Randomized Trial of the Effect of Bilateral Alternating Somatosensory Stimulation on Reducing Stress-Related Cortisol and Anxiety During and After the Trier Social Stress Test

“…This agrees with previous work which supports a role for bilateral alternating somatosensory information and EMDR in attenuating the stress response and returning stress induced reactions back to baseline. The statistically significant reduction in subjective stress ratings following treatment with BLAST agrees with a previous study by our group showing significant reductions in subjective ratings of both physical and psychological stress following 30 seconds of treatment with BLAST as compared to their baseline[18]. It also supports several studies which have shown a beneficial effect of EMDR-based treatment on patients with high levels of anxiety[13,15,27].…”

Stress Reduction Using Bilateral Stimulation in Virtual Reality

“…Eye movement desentization and reprocessing (EMDR) -as it was mentioned earlier, EMDR is a relatively young mode of psychotherapy with many studies on its usefulness for different health conditions [20], [46], [52]- [54] The theoretical framework for EMDR is Adaptive Information Processing model (AIP). The model assumes that recovering past negative information and processing them to be included This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.…”

“…What is more, recent studies have shown that VR may redefine psychological treatment by creating an environment which will help patients to cope with experiences that are a source of mental crises [24]. From the review of research using VR in the therapy of mental disorders, it appears that this type of technology may be conducive to alleviating the symptoms of depression and anxiety disor- [19], (c) TouchPoints solution dedicated for kids [20], (d) EMDR KIT: audio, visual, and tactile processing tools [21], (e) EMDR Elite -an application available on the App Store [22].…”

“…FIGURE 1. Selected techniques for stress and anxiety reduction: (a) typical EMDR session, (b) device for Tactile Alternating Bilateral Stimulation[19], (c) TouchPoints solution dedicated for kids[20], (d) EMDR KIT: audio, visual, and tactile processing tools[21], (e) EMDR Elite -an application available on the App Store[22].…”

A Review of Wearable Solutions for Physiological and Emotional Monitoring for Use by People with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Caregivers

“…An example of such technologies is the TouchPoints wristband produced by Touchpoint Solution™, Scottsdale, AZ, USA [120]. This solution provides emotional monitoring but also claims to relieve stress using stimulating electrical pulses that a patented technology named Bi-lateral alternating stimulation–tactile (BLAST) [121]. Serin et al have reported a significant reduction in the levels of both emotional stress and bodily distress (i.e., 62% and 50%, respectively) after applying BLAST technology suggesting its potential benefits on the stress response by reducing both emotional stress and disturbing body sensations, though their study lacked blinding and could be subject to a placebo effect.…”