When COVID-19 hit New York City, David Putrino, PhD, Director of Rehabilitation Innovation at the Mount Sinai Health System, converted his lab into recharge rooms for front-line healthcare workers. Informed by the latest research on the connection between natural environments and stress-reduction, Dr. Putrino and his team created multi-sensory experiences that can reduce stress in just 15 minutes. In this interview, Dr. Putrino talks about the science behind the recharge room and shares tips for creating relaxing spaces at home. Drawing on his work in high-performance sports, he also explains why resilience is best viewed as a social resource. “You may not be the most resilient person on the planet, but if you’re part of a highly resilient team, it elevates you,” Dr. Putrino says.

The recharge rooms were conceived by Studio Elsewhere and the Abilities Research Center, part of the Department of Rehabilitation and Human Performance at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, with support from The Office of Well-Being and Resilience.

The immersive audio content in the recharge rooms was created by EMBC studio composer Jacob Marshall and violinist Tim Fain. Their music appears at the beginning of this episode. Follow @the_embc on Instagram and Facebook to hear more of their work.

Links:

• A doctor visits the recharge rooms (YouTube)
• More about David Putrino, PhD
• Abilities Research Center at Mount Sinai
• Department of Rehabilitation & Human Performance at Mount Sinai
• The Office of Well-Being & Resilience
• Studio Elsewhere - Front-line Strong Relief
• EMBC Studio
• Coronavirus (COVID-19) Facts & Resources
• Ways to Help 
• Get Road to Resilience in your inbox

Visit https://www.mountsinai.org/clinical-trials to see if you're eligible to enroll in a clinical trial with the Mount Sinai Health System.

Check out more episodes of Road to Resilience —as well as guest pictures, transcripts, and more— on the Mount Sinai website.

Road to Resilience brings you stories and insights to help you thrive in a challenging world. From fighting burnout and trauma to building resilient families, we explore what’s possible when science meets the human spirit.