In Cooperation with
My SafeSpace
Always an embrace ready
My SafeSpace is essentially a product that shields the user from excessive stimuli that can trigger panic attacks, anger or depression. It is a weighted blanket, with a heating system, calming scent, small speaker and a personalized cover.
The Product
Origins
Where the Idea came from
My SafeSpace is a blanket designed to stimulate multiple senses. Although its origin lies in weighted and heated blankets, it is not supposed to be an upgrade to replace either of them.
Weighted and heated blankets stimulate one sense, pressure and heat respectively. In many cases, having only one sense stimulated may be enough to help the user with their problems.
In these cases, using My SafeSpace instead of a standard weighted or heated blanket may feel nice, but ultimately is not needed.
The idea of a weighted blanket alone exists and is currently used to treat people with sleeping disorders and mental disorders such as AD(H)D and mild autism. The pressure of the blanket helps the user feel more closed off from the world.
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The idea to also use the blanket on traumatized/hyper sensitive people is based on multiple findings. Safety blankets are often used to prevent people from going into shock right after an accident. Most of the time an emergency blanket is used to keep the body warm to prevent hyperthermia, but police officers and medical personnel also give blankets out to prevent panic and to keep the victim distracted and comfortable.
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Target Group
The people we designed for
My SafeSpace is a specialistic aid designed for those who need more than one sense stimulated to feel good; for the cases when a standard weighted or heated blanket does not provide enough stimulation.
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During this project, the focus lied on people with hypersensitivity. My SafeSpace can give them focus to drown out other stimuli for multiple senses, helping them calm down.
This is one example in which having a blanket to stimulate more senses can provide a clear advantage over standard weighted or heated blankets. Another situation in which My SafeSpace could be helpful is insomnia.
Rather than using solely aromatherapy, My SafeSpace can combine scents with pressure and calming sounds to help users sleep.
Another finding was people who seek therapy for traumas and/or dealing with depression or hypersensitivity get cognitive training in self-compassion and mental distraction. This is to prevent going into a negative spiral that can trigger panic or self-loathing (to fatal extremes).
One of the methods for doing this is to imagine a safe-space; a place where one can truly relax. This technique can go from merely envisioning one’s favourite colour to an actual place. It is a commonly used method, also in less drastic forms of therapy, but can be quite difficult for people who are already
mentally and physically stressed because they were triggered by either extreme stimuli or something
to remind them of their trauma.
This is why My SafeSpace helps to calm the body down, by removing
stress on the muscles and positively “tickling” four of the five main senses (smell, sound, touch and sight, the latter by having a personalized cover).
Cover Material
Using the right materials
The outside of the blanket is a separate cover and can be washed without the filling. This cover is made out of two fabrics.
One side soft polyester and one side cotton. This way it can be used with the cotton side to your body when being sweaty or with the fleece/ polyester side when it is cold.
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Scent
Calming the mind
Sound
For relaxing and stress relieve
For music or sound your phone can be connected with bluetooth, which makes it possible to play your own preferred sound.
An important characteristic is that the volume and intensity of the sounds often change, which can be experienced as calming. On top of this, researchers from Brighton and Sussex Medical School studied the effect of nature sounds on the human body, and they found out that an area in the brain helps the body relax.
Apart from sounds coming from nature, rhythmic sounds can also work calmingly, such as tapping, clicking, humming or buzzing. A heartbeat or a metronome are examples of rhythmic sounds that can help people relax.
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Appearance
Personalisation of your blanket
To make the blanket more personal sewed on letters can be used as they are not affecting the fabric and it shows a certain quality. Which is expected from such a product. However, this would make the price quite high. The color can also be changed by choosing a different cover. Playing a personal quote on your blanket can get very expensive, so a color and print can be chosen to keep the costs down but personal messages can be sewn on.
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Weight/Size
Increasing comfort
The blanket is filled with plastic granulate to give the preferred weight of 8-12 kg. This can NOT be washed, this is why a cover is necessary to keep the blanket clean. The size of the blanket is 160x110 cm based on ergonomics, average measurements of the human body and other blankets.
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Heating
Keeping you warm
Heat loosens up the muscles and helps them relax. Therefore it will be possible to add a heating blanket. The cover of the weighted blanket will have an easy attachment option to attach the heat blanket to it.
The heating element is tested and safe in use. It should be connected to a socket. Just keep in mind that it can NOT be washed and they are not allowed to be used while bended. This will overload the wires and will cause them to break.
The heating blankets have safety measures inside, the chance of a fire hazard is slim to none.
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The Prototype
Movie
The most important function of the smell is to calm down and relax, they have a soothing and decompressing effect. Lemon, Lavender and Jasmine have calming properties, are helpful when you are feeling angry, anxious, or run down, and can relieve nervous tension. There is a small pocket for a scented bag in the cover which can be used, or you could use a spray. My Safespace has a pouch where a scented sachet can be placed. It can also be sprayed with a non-alcoholic mist.
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