Following diagnosis and treatment, patients need a full fledged recovery plan that supports the combined efforts of health care providers, patients, and their families. icTus offers digitized tools and referral to resources that promote continued healing for stroke patients, as well as support for caregivers.

Stroke rehabilitation and Breathwork

Patients who have survived a stroke typically receive a physical therapy intervention designed to optimize and speed recovery of bodily function. During the first three months after a stroke, neuroplasticity is working at a high level and the brain is ready to make new neural connections. The pace of recovery is important, as the aftermath of stroke can be significantly disempowering for independent adults. The awareness of loss of both physical and cognitive abilities as well as the uncertainty of knowing how much of those abilities will be recovered creates internal conflicts. The survival of a life-changing event is impactful on a patient’s emotional and psychological health.

Support for psychological and emotional health are integral to complete recovery, but receive less proportionate focus and immediate intervention. Recent research highlights the beneficial effect of yoga, mindfulness practices, and other forms of meditation on recovery and healing in stroke patients. A regular, consistent meditation practice has been found to rewire the brain. These practices center on the breath to help patients reduce stress and increase emotional stamina or resiliency, which are linked to improvements in physical health as well.

A breathwork practice that helps patients use conscious breathing methods to bring compassionate awareness and attention to their experience can address the need for both psychological and emotional support for those recovering from stroke. The memory of a physical (and emotional) trauma can linger in the body long after the offensive event. Breathwork releases tension in the body, and helps patients learn to bring their focus from distressing rumination back to a center within themselves. There is also evidence that points to a positive effect of breathwork on the release of traumatic memories in the body.

Learning to breathe deeply and with conscious intent increases relaxation, oxygen intake, mindfulness, self-regulation and other cognitive abilities.

Caregivers, stress management and compassion

Caregiving for a loved one who has survived a life-changing event such as stroke can be incredibly stressful and all consuming. Taking on the role and responsibility becomes a life-changing experience for caregivers themselves. They typically become completely overwhelmed with the demands of caring for a patient, whereas personal needs and well-being fall down the priority list. Caregivers are pressed to manage a barrage of emotions coming from both the patient and from within themselves.

Individuals who take on caregiving responsibilities have unique psychological and emotional needs that can similiarly be addressed with a meditative practive such as breathwork. They can feel exhausted, angry and alone with the need to care for another, while feeling sad and concerned for their loved one. Meditation and breathwork can guide caregivers to internalize tools that enhance compassion for both themselves and the patients they care for.

icTus patient recovery and support apps

icTus offers both patient and caregiver portals to support individuals to manage their psychological and emotional healing and well-being.

These portals curate the development of a regular meditative breathwork practice through a series of digitized tools and apps designed to support.

• Graphic prompts to guide user through different deep breathing exercises
• Guided visualizations with audio and pictorial support
• Relaxation reminder (2, or 4 hour intervals, adjustable)
• History and record of app use
• Visual representation of the growth of the practice

icTus will also incorporate an immersive, deep breathing VR game experience for Gear VR and HTC Vive into the self-care plan. The existing experience can be ported to Google Cardboard or duplicated for that platform so patients have an easy to reach portal into VR (inexpensive, works on iOS and Android).