Blackmore’s asked for help in convincing people that good health begins in the mind. Our mental and physical states are inseparably linked – this is a scientifically-accepted fact. Mental causes produce physical effects, which is why we tremble with fear, or glow with happiness. What our mind experiences, our body feels, and vice versa. Even so, most people believe that health is all about taking care of the body. That’s how we’ve all been conditioned to think since birth. So, how do you change such a widely-held misconception? How do you convince people of something they can’t see for themselves? And even more importantly, how do you get them to change their behaviour? It presented us with a significant challenge.

Imagine being able to see into your own mind. With The Mindful Ocean we created an in-store installation that allowed Blackmore’s customers to do exactly that.

By providing them with EEG (electroencephalogram) headbands, we were able to measure their brainwaves. This real-time data was then translated into a real-time visualization on screen that showed their brainwaves as an ocean storm. The calmer their mind, the calmer the storm on screen.

To demonstrate how the body can calm the mind we got them to calm their thoughts, and hence the storm on screen, simply by relaxing physically with a breathing exercise.

Next, to show how their mind was affecting their body, we asked tricky questions designed to trigger cognitive discomfort, such as knots in the stomach, or perspiration. In this way, they were able to discover through their own direct sense experience how mind and body were intrinsically linked.