Traditionally, crises have been managed reactively. However, with multisensory rooms, the approach is shifting toward prevention and the development of self-regulation strategies.

Why do crisis occur?

Imagine a glass.

Now imagine that a person’s energy and tolerance are that glass.

Throughout the day, bright lights, changes in plans, or loud noises add drops of water into it.

A crisis (meltdown) happens when the glass becomes too full and overflows. At that point, the brain goes into “emergency mode” — it can no longer reason, it simply tries to cope with the discomfort.

In this context, sensory integration is the brain’s ability to organize those drops to prevent overflow.

As Cárcel López and Ferrando-Prieto (2024) point out, “The way we perceive and process stimuli directly influences our responses to the environment.” This explains why a stimulus that may seem neutral can be overwhelming or even painful. — Rocío Pérez, Occupational Therapist

The multisensory room as a safe space and a learning tool

What does this space offer?

• We turn down the volume of the world: we control what comes in and what stays out.
• Predictability brings calm: the person knows what’s going to happen, and that instantly reduces anxiety.
• A sense of the body: tools like weighted blankets or vibroacoustic seating help people feel where their body begins and ends — something that provides a strong sense of security.

A key element: the power to choose

One of the most valuable aspects of a multisensory room is that the person can interact with the environment and adapt it to their needs. In more advanced setups, such as those using SHX technology, it’s possible to change the lighting, activate bubbles, or transform the overall atmosphere with just the press of a button.

It’s even possible to synchronize all the elements in the room so they change at the same time, creating a fully immersive environment.

This type of interaction is not only motivating — it also holds significant therapeutic value. In moments of overload or distress, many people feel they’ve lost control of what’s happening around them.

Being able to act on the environment and see it respond immediately helps restore a sense of safety, autonomy, and control — all of which are essential for emotional regulation.

“Not everything works for everyone”

There is no single formula that fits all. Each person perceives, processes, and responds to stimuli in their own way. That’s why, for a multisensory room to be truly effective, it must be based on a deep understanding of each user’s sensory profile, preferences, and needs.

Intervention also needs to be guided by a clear intention. It’s not just about entering the room to “relax” or “have a nice time,” but about using the space with a specific purpose: preventing overload, promoting calm, supporting de-escalation, or helping reorganize after a crisis.

Practical strategies for crisis management

When the nervous system enters a state of alert, it can trigger responses such as disruptive behaviors, intense self-stimulation, shutdown or withdrawal, and emotional outbursts. This is not “bad behaviour,” but an adaptive response to overload.

In this context, a multisensory room can play a very valuable role when it is integrated into a structured support strategy. It’s helpful to distinguish three key moments of intervention:

1. Preventive: Regular sessions to lower stress levels, helping the person identify which stimuli help them relax.
2. De-escalation: Using the room as a “safe space.” At the first signs of agitation, stressful stimuli are removed and replaced with regulating inputs (deep pressure, vestibular input, soft visual stimuli…). In rooms equipped with SHX technology, a single click can create calming atmospheres through tailored images, sounds, and lighting effects.
3. Recovery and reorganization: After a crisis, the room helps process the experience, restore a sense of control, and support the transition back to activity.

Crises are not the problem — they are a message that the environment has become too overwhelming. The multisensory room acts as a translator, helping us understand that message and offering a pause so each person can experience the world at their own pace. — Rocío Pérez

Free Project Design

If you want to learn more about the benefits of Multisensory Environments or see how you could adapt it to your space, therapeutic goals, and users, you can send an email to hello@qinera.com.

L'entrada Autism and self-regulation: the role of the multisensory room in crisis management ha aparegut primer a The Multisensory Blog.

Not every difficulty in a learning environment is about academics. Sometimes it has more to do with how a student’s nervous system responds to the world around them.

In a school setting, noise, lights, expectations and constant stimulation can easily become overwhelming for some students. Stress builds up, attention fades, and frustration may turn into disruptive behavior.

In moments like these, a student doesn’t always need another instruction or correction. What they may need is a moment to pause, breathe, and reset.

👉 So, what if the school itself could offer a space designed exactly for those moments? A place where, instead of escalating, the situation can gently settle and regulation can begin again.

At Šiaulių Salduvės progimnazija, a mainstream school in Lithuania, students aged 7 to 15 have access to a multisensory room designed to support emotional regulation, learning, and well-being throughout the school day.

It is used by students with a wide range of needs — including Autism Spectrum Disorder, learning difficulties, or emotional and behavioral challenges — as well as by those who simply need a moment to pause and regain focus.

Equipped with Qinera’s multisensory technology — where light, projection, sound, vibration, and other sensory elements work in sync to create interactive and immersive environments — the space offers a predictable setting where students can calm down, regulate sensory input, and reconnect with learning before returning to class.

Why a multisensory space in a mainstream school and how it works?

One of the goals at the school was to create a more inclusive learning environment where every student can participate in a way that fits their needs.

“In a modern school, where inclusive education is a key focus, such a space helps support students experiencing stress, sensory difficulties, or emotional and behavioral challenges.”

Its use varies depending on the situation. Some students attend scheduled sessions, particularly those receiving additional support, while others use the space for short sensory breaks to calm down or regain focus during the school day.

In one lesson, for example, a student who was struggling to focus and showing behavioral difficulties was brought into the sensory space.

“The student calmed down, regained focus, and after about 15 minutes returned to the lesson and successfully completed the tasks.”

Beyond these moments, the space is also used in more structured sessions. These may be individual or in small groups and are guided by the school’s multisensory specialist. Activities can include sensory exploration, emotional recognition and regulation, as well as attention and concentration training. And It is also sometimes used for integrated lessons linked to the curriculum — for example in subjects such as music, art, or ethics.

What elements does the space include?

The multisensory room includes Qinera’s SHX system, which allows all the elements in the space—lights, sounds, projections, and vibration—to shift at once, creating an immersive and enveloping atmosphere. One of the key features of this technology is that it enables users to actively interact with the environment. Students can do this through control devices such as a tablet, the Button 6 controller, or a sensory cube.

In practice, this opens the door to many different types of activities. For example, a student might sit on the vibroacoustic chair while listening to relaxing sounds and watching slow-moving visuals projected on the wall. In another activity, students may explore textures with sensory toys or observe the bubbles of the bubble tube rising slowly while practicing breathing exercises. They can also interact with the fiber optic lights of the Luminea fountain, playing hide-and-seek or using them during guided sensory activities.

Students can also move around the bubble pool or advance through a story using the controller, while lights, sounds, and projections change in sync. Additional effects can enhance the experience—for example, a fan may turn on during a windy landscape scene, or a bubble machine may fill the room with bubbles.

Benefits of a multisensory space in school

• Relax and reduce emotional tension: When students feel overwhelmed or anxious, the space offers a quieter and more predictable setting where they can slow down, breathe, and gradually calm their nervous system.
• Develop self-regulation skills: Through guided sensory activities, students learn to recognize emotions and find strategies to manage them during challenging moments of the school day.
• Improve attention and focus: By regulating sensory input and reducing distractions, students can reset and return to lessons with improved concentration.
• Support concentration and memory: Changes in colors, sounds, and projections capture students’ attention and make abstract concepts easier to retain and recall.
• Feel safe: For some students—especially those with sensory sensitivities or autism—everyday classroom environments can feel intense. A controlled sensory setting offers a space where they can feel calmer, interact, communicate, or simply take the time they need to regulate and feel safe.
• Encourage interaction, curiosity, and engagement: Interactive sensory elements invite students to explore, participate, and take an active role in the experience. This sense of agency often increases motivation, encourages communication, and helps students stay engaged in activities for longer periods.
• Encourage social interaction: Group activities around light shows, music, or projections help students share experiences, cooperate, and build relationships in a motivating and supportive setting.
• Support teachers and professionals in their daily work: The multisensory space also becomes a valuable tool for educators and specialists. It provides structured ways to support students during moments of dysregulation, helps guide emotional and sensory activities, and offers an additional environment where learning and support strategies can take place more effectively.

A positive change in the school environment

Since introducing sensory stimulation activities, the school has observed a noticeable shift in the overall climate.

Students who use the space regularly show improved emotional regulation, better concentration, greater participation in lessons, and stronger emotional well-being.

For the team at Šiaulių Salduvės progimnazija school, the multisensory room represents a broader vision of education.

“Multisensory spaces in schools are extremely valuable. They help ensure students’ emotional well-being, promote self-regulation, increase inclusion, and create more favorable conditions for successful learning.”

👏 Special thanks to Officeday, our partner in Lithuania, for bringing this project to life.

Free Project Design

If you want to learn more about the benefits of Multisensory Environments or see how you could adapt it to your space, therapeutic goals, and users, you can send an email to hello@qinera.com.

L'entrada From disruptive behaviour to regulation ha aparegut primer a The Multisensory Blog.

The library thus moves away from being only a place for consultation and silence and becomes a space that supports, regulates and prepares people to engage with knowledge at their own pace and according to their needs. In addition, the space is open to the community: medical-social centres, professionals and families can use it for sensory stimulation and workshops, strengthening the library’s role as a shared public resource.

How does the library environment affect how people access culture?

The environment plays a key role in how people engage with culture. Imagine a space defined by reading in strict silence, tension and a cold atmosphere—conditions that may support concentration for some, but make it harder for others to relax, focus or feel welcome. This raises an important question: how can libraries support different ways of engaging with culture without losing their identity?

Integrating a multisensory room into a library does not mean changing its identity, but expanding it: incorporating experiences that prepare, accompany and enrich the relationship with cultural content.

Not everyone accesses knowledge through traditional reading, nor with the same levels of attention or sensory tolerance. Let us think, for example, of a person with autism. For them, a conventional library can be challenging: difficulty concentrating, filtering environmental stimuli and sustaining attention over time. A multisensory space within the library offers a controlled, predictable and adaptable environment where the person can self-regulate, feel safe and prepare to access other cultural activities within the same centre.

What elements are included in the multisensory space at Le Bélieu?

The multisensory space at Le Bélieu integrates Qinera’s SHX technology. This system allows all the elements in the room— vibroacoustic stimulation, projections, lighting, sound and other sensory effects—to be synchronised at the same time, creating immersive sensory scenes that can recreate real environments such as a forest, the ocean or other settings. These scenarios can be adapted to different moments, activities and individual needs.

One of the key values of this technology lies in how people can interact with the space. Different control systems—such as Button 1, Button 6 and interactive dice—enable users to engage with the environment according to their own mode of access. Through these controllers, users can change the colour or intensity of the bubble tube and fiber optics, launch sensory scenes, learn through play, or create simple games using other sensory elements such as ultraviolet light.

This capacity for interaction gives users a sense of agency and control over the space, turning them from passive observers into active participants. It also opens up new cultural possibilities: storytelling through projections, playful learning experiences, and moments of calm and exploration that respond to the people using the room.

Benefits of integrating multisensory stimulation in a library

1. A different and immersive way of learning
In a multisensory room, learning happens through experiences in which users actively interact with the environment—its colours, sounds, projections and sensory elements. This stimulates curiosity, exploration and participation, allowing people to learn in ways that go beyond traditional reading or listening.

2. Preparing people to read, learn and participate
By reducing sensory overload and creating a calmer atmosphere, multisensory environments help people focus, pay attention and engage more easily with reading and learning activities.

3. Activation when engagement and energy are needed
Beyond calm, multisensory spaces can also activate the senses when more energy is needed. Light, sound, movement and interaction help spark motivation and engagement, supporting learning and participation in a more dynamic way.

4. Storytelling through audiovisual contents
The multisensory space transforms storytelling into an immersive and interactive activity. Stories are told through projections, and as the narrative unfolds, the colours, sounds, vibrations and different elements of the room change in sync with what is happening. Using simple controllers, users can interact directly with the story to move it forward, allowing children to engage actively with the space and strengthening comprehension, imagination and emotional connection.

5. Designed for different users and needs
The multisensory room is designed to adapt to different users, ages and situations. Qinera’s SHX technology includes a library of content created by therapists and professionals and allows new content to be added, making it possible to tailor each experience to specific needs.

• For babies and young children, the space offers a safe and engaging environment for sensory exploration and early development. Through light, sound and simple interactions, children can explore cause-and-effect, build sensory awareness, awaken curiosity and begin to connect with stories and learning in a natural, playful way.
• For people with autism or cognitive disabilities, the multisensory room provides a predictable, adaptable and controllable environment that feels safe and not overwhelming. 
• For teenagers, university students and adults, the space can also function as a place for regulation, stress relief and group activities. It offers a supportive environment to disconnect, lower stress levels or take part in collaborative experiences.
• For families it offers a space to spend quality time together, engaging in stories, sensory exploration and moments of calm without pressure or rigid rules. 
• For professionals and other centres, the space can also be used for guided sessions, workshops and group activities, extending the library’s role as a cultural and community resource.

Towards more human and inclusive libraries

Le Bélieu shows that it is possible to innovate in cultural spaces without losing their essence. By integrating a multisensory space, the library has created a model that can be replicated in other libraries and institutions, while allowing more people to access, participate in and experience culture in ways that are more welcoming and aligned with their own needs.

👉 This project was made possible thanks to ArchiZenco, our partner in France, whose collaboration was key to bringing this multisensory space to life.

Free Project Design

If you want to learn more about the benefits of Multisensory Environments or see how you could adapt it to your space, therapeutic goals, and users, you can send an email to hello@qinera.com.

L'entrada Where culture and learning become an experience ha aparegut primer a The Multisensory Blog.

Control an SHX sensory room with the Sensory Cube

The Sensory Cube is a wireless controller that turns interaction into something intuitive and playful. It allows users to activate and control different elements of the space, either individually or simultaneously. Imagine changing the colors of your sensory room lighting simply by rolling a dice. Each face of the cube can be customised with an image, making it easy to design unique sensory sessions and adapt activities to different goals, users, or moments.

Changing the colors of your Luminea devices has never been so fun and educational. This interaction supports the development of skills such as cause-and-effect understanding, joint attention, and fine motor skills.

With the Sensory Cube, you simply roll the cube and watch as the colors of your Luminea lighting devices change. Your bubble tube, fiber optics, ball pool, and LED lights can all light up according to the color shown on the cube. The experience can be further enriched by combining it with the Luminea App, opening up even more possibilities for sensory stimulation and play.

Users actively engage in this immersive experience, encouraging skills such as choice-making, memory, and communication.

Interaction through movement with the Sensory Step 

The Sensory Step is a wireless, color-coded mat that gives you full control of your multisensory room. Like the Sensory Cube, it allows users to control Luminea devices individually or change the audiovisual scenes included in the SHX System.

This mat is ideal for those looking for a simple and versatile setup. Imagine changing the lighting colors with a single step or transforming the room into a new themed environment just by stepping on the mat.

Step on yellow to change the colors of the bubble tube, jump on red to switch the fiber optics or ball pool. Interaction with the Sensory Step places users at the center of the experience, encouraging active participation in sensory stimulation and supporting learning and development.

The Sensory Step allows you to control your multisensory environment using your feet. Simply step on one of the colored buttons and transform the entire room into a new themed environment. Images, videos, sounds, vibrations, and other immersive effects can be triggered just by stepping on the mat—promoting active engagement and the development of social skills, among others.

Bring objects to life with SHX Proximity

SHX Proximity offers an innovative way to interact within a multisensory room. This technology allows real objects to be used to modify the environment and transform the room into a themed space directly linked to those objects.

Simply place any object on the SHX Proximity tray and watch as the entire room comes to life with lighting, images, sounds, vibrations, and more.

SHX Proximity is very easy to use. The system includes cards and stickers that can be programmed to trigger SHX content. Each card or sticker can be customized and linked to specific scenes or activities.

Once the programmed object is placed on the tray, the room delivers the immersive experience you have assigned.

Explore multisensory spaces through objects with the Magic Table

The Magic Table is another exciting way to interact within a multisensory room. By using real objects, users can transform the entire space into a themed environment connected to what they place on the table.

Simply place an object on the Magic Table and the room comes alive. Lights, images, sounds, music, vibrations, and other multisensory effects activate together, creating a fully immersive experience. An object can instantly transport users to the jungle, space, the sea, or any environment you choose.

The system is fully customizable, allowing you to create your own thematic environments using personal images, videos, and sounds.

It also opens up valuable therapeutic and educational opportunities. By associating everyday objects—such as toys, pictures, materials, or cards—with multisensory content, it supports attention, interaction, memory, cause-and-effect understanding, and communication.

Easy to configure and fully integrated into the SHX System, the Magic Table combines tangible interaction with immersive technology to create meaningful, engaging sensory experiences.

Experience control with Button 6

Button 6 is a versatile controller with six buttons that makes interaction with multisensory room elements simple and intuitive.

By touching different buttons, users can activate and change sensory elements such as lighting, colors, or effects, either individually or across the whole room.

It can be used both with Luminea lighting devices and as a controller for the SHX System allowing sessions to be adapted to different needs and objectives. Its flexible configuration makes it easy to adjust how the environment responds, supporting clear, accessible, and meaningful interaction.

With Button 6, users gain precise and adaptable control over the sensory space, encouraging participation and cause-and-effect understanding.

In summary

There are multiple control methods that make it possible to interact with an SHX Sensory Room in meaningful and accessible ways. By adapting how people engage with the space, these tools support learning, communication, and sensory regulation across a wide range of needs.

Free Project Design

If you want to learn more about the benefits of Multisensory Environments or see how you could adapt it to your space, therapeutic goals, and users, you can send an email to hello@qinera.com.

L'entrada How can I control a Multisensory Room? ha aparegut primer a The Multisensory Blog.

At the Caritas-Schule Mariannhill, a special education school in Würzburg (Germany), this vision has recently become a reality. Together with our partner LogBUK, they created two multisensory rooms that open new pathways for teaching, learning, and development.

A multisensory environment is designed to stimulate the senses in a controlled and meaningful way — using light, sound, vibration, projections, textures, and even scent to create an atmosphere that adapts to each person’s needs. These spaces can help regulate the nervous system, activate motivation, support learning and communication, facilitate rehabilitation, or simply offer calm, comfort, and joy.

At Mariannhill, these rooms are not an occasional escape, but part of everyday school life. Teachers use them to prepare students for new topics, to give them space to regulate when emotions run high, or to transform abstract content into something they can truly experience. A lesson about nature, for example, can turn into a multisensory journey: with the patter of rain, the gentle sway of leaves in the wind, and the shifting colours of a sunset projected across the walls. For many children, this makes the difference between memorising and understanding, between listening and truly participating.

For the school, these spaces are living classrooms — places where learning becomes tangible, emotions find balance, and every child can discover their own way of connecting with the world.

A space for calm and emotional balance

The first room is a relaxation room: a low-stimulus environment with soft lights, calming sounds, comfortable furniture, and cozy textures. This protected atmosphere invites students to slow down, connect with their bodies, and find inner calm. It helps them strengthen body awareness, reduce stress, and achieve emotional balance — essential skills for both learning and life.

Here, projection scenes, a vibroacoustic cushion, a bubble tube, and the shimmering strands of the Luminea fiber optics and the Luminea Fountain work together to create a soothing, interactive atmosphere. The fibers and the bubble tube, in particular, provide a captivating visual and tactile stimulus: their changing colours capture attention and support focus, while touch helps students become more aware of different parts of their body. Together, they become powerful tools for cause-and-effect learning, colour recognition, communication, and sensory exploration — all within a calming environment that can gently embrace the children.

A space for exploration and discovery

The second is an activation room, vibrant and full of color, projections, dynamic sound and other effects. Here, students can explore creatively and autonomously, using all their senses. Seasonal themes and special moments come to life — like the freshness of summer rain, the rustle of autumn leaves, or the sparkle of fireworks projected onto the walls.

Every detail is designed to engage: from a vibrating ball pool to light installations, visual projections, and even soap bubbles that turn each visit into an adventure. The room is also fully interactive — students can change colors and effects with a six-button controller, a giant Sensory Cube, or a colored mat (Sensory Step), making each activity fun and intuitive. At the same time, teachers can use the Luminea App on a tablet to guide the experience, access dozens of built-in activities, or even design new ones. This combination gives professionals a powerful tool to adapt sessions, while keeping the room playful and empowering for the children.

Beyond the room: pedagogy, therapy, and inclusion

These spaces are not just visually appealing; they are meaningful environments that give teachers and therapists practical ways to adapt activities to each student’s needs, support learning processes, and encourage emotional and sensory development. They make individualized education tangible, helping to:

• Foster communication and interaction: By turning light, sound, and movement into shared experiences, multisensory rooms encourage students to express themselves and connect with others.
• Support concentration and memory: Changing colors, sounds, and projections capture attention and make abstract concepts easier to retain and recall.
• Promote relaxation and emotional well-being: Calming lights, gentle sounds, and vibroacoustic elements help regulate stress and create a sense of safety.
• Encourage cause-and-effect learning through play: Simple actions like pressing a button or stepping on a mat immediately trigger effects, reinforcing understanding of action and consequence.
• Strengthen motor skills and coordination through interactive activities: Reaching for fibers, moving balls in a vibroacoustic pool, or stepping on interactive mats supports gross and fine motor development.
• Support alternative communication methods, giving non-verbal students new ways to express themselves: Tools like switches, cubes, or apps allow students to make choices and be heard without words.
• Create inclusive opportunities for all students: Every child can participate at their own pace.
• Encourage social interaction, helping students share experiences and build relationships in a motivating setting: Group activities around light shows, music, or projections foster cooperation and shared joy.

In addition, the rooms are woven into the school’s daily life. Informative posters and creatively designed doors make them recognizable from the outside — sparking curiosity, preparing students for what they will find, and ensuring that families, staff, and visitors see them as integral parts of the school, not separate “special” spaces.

Why multisensory environments matter in schools

Education is not only about knowledge, but also about how children feel while learning. Multisensory rooms give students the tools to regulate their nervous system, feel safe, and explore the world in ways that traditional classrooms cannot offer. When education takes place in a multisensory space, children don’t just learn more — they enjoy the process, feel supported, and grow in environments that truly care.

For children with diverse abilities, they provide alternative ways to process information and express themselves. For teachers, they become a source of innovation and creativity in daily practice. And for schools, they symbolize a commitment to inclusion, care, and holistic development.

👉 This project at Mariannhill was made possible thanks to collaboration between the school, our partner LogBUK, and the Qinera team. It reflects a growing movement across Europe: schools choosing to design learning spaces that are not only functional, but also inspiring, therapeutic, and deeply human.

Free Project Design

If you want to learn more about the benefits of Multisensory Environments or see how you could adapt it to your space, therapeutic goals, and users, you can send an email to hello@qinera.com.

L'entrada When learning becomes an experience ha aparegut primer a The Multisensory Blog.