2025 - Sustainable Industrial Processing Summit
SIPS2025 Volume 2. Inufusa Intl. Symp. / Oxidative Stress and Technological Innovations in Medicine

Editors:F. Kongoli, K. Abe, W. Cho, K. Fukui, S. Hirano, D. Joseph, T. Yoshikawa, J.R. Ribas, N. Tran
Publisher:Flogen Star OUTREACH
Publication Year:2025
Pages:282 pages
ISBN:978-1-998384-40-2 (CD)
ISSN:2291-1227 (Metals and Materials Processing in a Clean Environment Series)
CD-SIPS2025_Volume1
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    AN INDIGENOUS MINDFUL DESIGN APPROACH TO PRESERVE CULTURAL IDENTITY AND SUPPORT ADOLESCENT WELL-BEING

    Huatong Sun1; Jin Yu2; Junyu Zhao3; Kunru Gu2; Li Li4;
    1UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON TACOMA, Tacoma, United States; 2GUANGZHOU UNIVERSITY OF CHINESE MEDICINE, Guangzhou, China; 3XIGUAN GUANGYA EXPERIMENTAL SCHOOL, Guangzhou, China; 4GUANGDONG FOOD AND DRUG VOCATIONAL COLLEGE, Guangzhou, China;
    Type of Paper: Invited
    Id Paper: 72
    Topic: 65

    Abstract:

    World Health Organization reports that 15% of adolescents (aged 10-19 years) experience mental disorders (2024). To address this global challenge, this paper explores how we design culturally sensitive and meaningful technology to empower high school teenagers and support their holistic development by applying the Low-Dissipation Optimization State (LDoS) framework and its core technique, mind-holding (Lun et al., 2022).

    Collaborating with a local High School in Guangzhou, we developed a "Mind-Holding Pod (Mind-Body Wellness Pod)" to provide students with a space for relaxation and focus enhancement, rooted from China’s traditional culture. Guided by “The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon” on the unity of body and mind, the Pod integrates advanced brain-computer interface (BCI) technology and neuroscience to help students achieve mind-holding mindfulness through environmental design and experiential activities. Chinese traditional philosophy of Five Elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) is used to emphasize embodiment and situatedness, and Five Tones (Gong, Shang, Jue, Zhi, Yu) is used as music therapy to enhance the Pod experience.

    In a discussion how novel interaction techniques and fair algorithms are integrated in this indigenous community-engaged design endeavor (Sun, in press), we will compare the two mindful design models between the West and the East. While the Western model promotes an individualist approach of mindfulness that reduce the sufferings of stress, anxiety, anger, and depression into individual ailment and weakness (Nixon, 2020), Traditional Chinese Medicine highlights the Unity of Heaven and Humanity (天人合一). This holistic approach applied in this design case, i.e., the Low-Dissipation Optimization State (LDoS) framework and the mind-holding technique, aims to engage adolescent users with embodied activities, mediated by artifacts that is situated from the Chinese traditional culture such as herbal incense and tea ceremonies, to help students be socially connective and bridge differences. 

    Keywords:

    mindful; traditional Chinese medicine; adolescent well-being

    Cite this article as:

    Sun H, Yu J, Zhao J, Gu K, Li L. (2024). AN INDIGENOUS MINDFUL DESIGN APPROACH TO PRESERVE CULTURAL IDENTITY AND SUPPORT ADOLESCENT WELL-BEING . In F. Kongoli, K. Abe, W. Cho, K. Fukui, S. Hirano, D. Joseph, T. Yoshikawa, J.R. Ribas, N. Tran (Eds.), Sustainable Industrial Processing Summit Volume 2 Inufusa Intl. Symp. / Oxidative Stress and Technological Innovations in Medicine (pp. 257-258). Montreal, Canada: FLOGEN Star Outreach