Celebrated Biofeedback Specialist Liana Mattulich Collaborates With The Wild Divine Project

As an Argentinean medical doctor, Liana Mattulich introduced biofeedback to her country of birth back in the mid-70s. Today, as an American medical doctor and biofeedback specialist, she is once again pioneering in this field by teaching new and growth-expanding uses of biofeedback. Her role as an ally of Journey To Wild Divine, a ground-breaking interactive computer journey, is a perfect example.

The game integrates the power of the spiritual quest with an innovative biofeedback interface and high-end multimedia production and is being produced by The Wild Divine Project, based in Boulder, Colorado. "I love being involved with the game because it can teach people, in a fun way, how to improve the quality of their own lives," says Mattulich. "In today's fast-moving world, new generations no longer have time to learn everything from books. Interactive learning is quickly becoming the primary way to teach.

"The biofeedback aspect of the game shows people how to self-regulate their internal physiological states, so that they can be in whatever state is necessary for them to move forward at that time. When they aren't in this state, mentors in the game show them how to alter their energy. Once they really learn how to do this, they can take this knowledge and use it in their everyday experience."

Corwin Bell, the game's creator, and Kurt Smith, founder of The Wild Divine Project, first brought the idea of the game to Mattulich when they were students in her Inner Keys for Developing Leadership and Creativity intensive. "Corwin had originally told me that he was bored with the old biofeedback games, where fish might turn into mermaids, mermaids to girls-and that was it," says Mattulich. "He felt that he could create much more expansive games, and I encouraged him to try.

"Three months later, he showed me the initial work. When I saw how good it was, and what potential it had, I got very excited and knew that I had to get involved. Especially because Corwin, and Kurt, who had agreed to back it, are both on the same mission as I am-to help humanity move forward, as quickly as possible, in whatever ways that they can. Nobody can do this work alone. We need to work in teams."

Mattulich has been on board as an ally ever since, contributing in multiple ways, which include writing specific words for specific points in the game. "I write directions and examples which help people find just the right bridge to reach just the right energy level for wherever they are in the game at any particular moment," says Mattulich. "This might be a relaxed energy level, or maybe an energy level of more focused intention. Hopefully, the more they play the game, the more they'll learn how to self-regulate in reaching the required energy level."

The biofeedback aspect of Journey to Wild Divine serves as a mirror to help players determine what energy level they're on at any moment, according to Mattulich. "People generally need a mirror to comb their hair, so that it turns out exactly as they want it," she says. "In the game, the biofeedback registers player's responses, and they can see on the screen, just what level they're on. For example, players must be at a relaxed energy level in order to lower a feather down from the sky. Pure intent won't do it. If the feather is not coming down, then consciously, or through trial and error, they must learn to shift their energy and reach a more peaceful state."

In some ways, people's bodies are like electrochemical machines, according to Mattulich. When they're attached to biofeedback sensors in the game, they learn the appropriate electrical responses for the required energy states.

"But this is not enough," says Mattulich. "As soon as they've learned how to change the electricity, they automatically want to feel good about it-to get rewarded in some way for bringing the feather down, if you will. If they don't get this, their body chemistry won't really change and they won't learn how to maintain the energy state. The game helps them to change their chemistry in a most beautiful way. When people make the right electrical response, they hear lovely music. They start feeling happy-even joyful. And this changes their body chemistry.

"The body feels so good that it immediately says, in a physiological way, 'I like this. I want to make a physiological memory of this.' From then on the players will more easily be able to maintain that state, or get to that state, because they'll associate it with a happy feeling. When I use the game in my own intensives, which I will continue to do, many students feel so joyful when they hear the music that they actually start singing and dancing."

Mattulich particularly loves the wide array of experiences that the game offers. "You can enter one of the 'rooms' in the game and have five things to do in that room," she says. "Or you can open two or three doors in the room and go to a new place with each door. What's more, you can return to the first room anytime that you want. Today you can go to one place, and tomorrow, another. This is what makes the game so unique. The possibilities inherent in this game, and future versions of it, are almost unlimited."