Zengence: A Revolutionary Leap in Digital Therapeutics for Mental Wellness Through Motion

However, a pioneering new path is emerging in the field of digital therapeutics. Zengence, the first action video game from DeepWell Digital Therapeutics (DTx), is a therapeutic video game for treating mental health conditions. The game, unveiled on 2 November in London, was created to positively impact mental wellbeing using the immersive power of virtual reality.

Harnessing the Power of MOTION & Breath in Mental Health

A Game-Changer in Therapeutics

At the core of Zengence, we have a very precise combination of movement, breathing and sound mechanics – not a random combination of sacred idols, but a careful ensemble of experiences for engaging the gamer beyond the physical plane of the gaming session. By using controlled breathing and vocal tones manipulated in real time, you play through ancient lands, battling Dark Wraiths and restoring balance to a world weighed down in despair. Motion gaming takes a quantum leap when users begin to utilise their breath – which is a very useful skill to learn when facing stress and anxiety.

Personalized Coaching: A Step Towards Tailored Well-being

Zengence is not just a game: it is part of a complete system for mental wellness that includes both personal coaches and feedback metrics. At the end of each ‘level’, players receive personalised advice and statistics (tailored to the individual’s performance), turning each session into an enjoyable opportunity for pyschological support rather than just another frivolous game. This extreme attention to personal data might make mental health support ideal for contemporary players.

The Zen Garden: A Realm of Learning and PRACTICE

Twice further along the path, Zengence adds the Zen Garden: a dedicated space for practice and perfecting its core mechanics – movement, breathing, pitch – returning focus again and again to the vagus nerve (via motion, breathing and pitch) as a primary physiological target of the therapy, and further demonstrating the possibility of mobilising motion as a key tool during therapeutic practice.

Transforming Memories, Enhancing Well-being

Zengence’s innovative use of sensory interference, embedded in a compelling therapeutic framework, is a halting step in a new direction for psycho-therapeutic approaches. The technique’s targeted memory-retrieval cues attempt to rewrite painful memories by altering their emotional valence and fuelling resilience and greater mental and emotional wellness through the power of motion.

A New Dawn in Digital Therapeutics

Zengence’s launch signals an ongoing revolution in mental-health treatment. DeepWell DTx and its diverse team have redefined an intersection between therapy and gaming with Zengence, and a similar vision shapes a promising pipeline of patents and medical devices. DeepWell DTx is, in many ways, the leading edge of a new wave of innovation at the intersection of gaming and therapeutics, exemplifying the promise of technologies to transform lives by modernising mental health.

Accessibility: A Cornerstone of Zengence's Philosophy

Offering it on the Meta Game Store, where Zengence is available now for many types of virtual reality headsets, makes it accessible, according to DeepWell DTx. ‘People already use games to connect with their most intimate friends or meet someone new. So what’s the gap?’ asks the clinician in an interview with NowThis. ‘The gap is going into therapy. The gap is going to get a pill. We’re trying to create an alternative that’s accessible, effective, and enjoyable.’

The Movement Towards a Healthier Mind

Zengence ushers in a new age of mental health treatment and care, but the motion DeepWell has incorporated into this game, and into mental health, is far more significant still. None of the solutions that have existed in video games, or elsewhere, for so long have been validated in this way. At a time when mental health care is finally beginning to be democratised, DeepWell Digital Therapeutics has shown us what the tech of the future is going to do to help. Because ring game, or motion, philosophy, or biofeedback – regardless of what you call it, we are seeing the incorporation of game mechanics into the very fabric of mental healthcare.

Understanding MOTION in Therapeutics

While motion plays an essential role in Zengence’s therapeutic process, we’re not really talking about just physical movement but the emotional and mental shifts that take place on the road to better mental health. From breathing to the metaphorical road to better mental health, Zengence leverages the concept of motion in deep and nuanced ways. The act of motion shows players that, with each inhalation, they can process what they’ve just experienced. It lets them imagine that, simply by moving, they can move more deeply into their own narratives. It’s this layered and nuanced experience that sets Zengence apart from traditional gaming and therapeutics.

Zengence is therefore trailblazing a new wave of digital therapeutics, bringing fun and answers to the challenges of the mental health system with a level of promise that I haven’t seen for a very long time. By marrying gaming with motion-based therapy, it has the potential to step into this new era in a very big way, and I can’t think of a better way to do that.