Effects of chamber restricted environmental stimulation therapy on state mindfulness, physiological regulation and emotional experience in young adults: Exploring variations by resting heart rate variability

This exploratory study examines the effects of a single, brief (3-h) Chamber Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy (REST) session on emotional experience, state mindfulness, and physiological regulation in young adults. Previous research has shown preliminary evidence, that REST offers a range of benefits in managing stress and mental well-being. We focused on young adult population, a group particularly vulnerable to stress, digital dependence and immersion, who often lack time for self-reflection and contemplative activities, while navigating numerous distractions. Additionally, we included resting heart rate variability (HRV) in our analysis, a well-established marker of cardiovascular health, self-regulation capacity, and resilience to stress. A total of 130 participants completed the Chamber REST session, while 61 were assigned to the control condition. A matching procedure was used to ensure equivalency between the experimental and control groups in a 1:1 ratio (experimental = 58, control = 58). Subsequently, a median split of resting HRV was performed within the experimental group, allowing for a comparison of the effects of Chamber REST between the High HRV (N = 65) and Low HRV (N = 65) subgroups. The results did not show significant differences between the experimental and control conditions across the observed variables. However, we found that Chamber REST naturally evokes mindful attention, regardless of meditation experience, suggesting underlying mechanisms of REST's effectiveness. The Low HRV group exhibited heightened sensitivity to the REST session, as evidenced by a stronger correlation between parasympathetic activity and emotionally valenced experience (both positive and negative), as well as the relationship between satisfaction with the stay, smartphone use tendencies after the session, and state mindfulness. These findings were further discussed in the context of resting HRV, digital immersion, and self-regulation.