Life in the 21st century is filled with distraction. Studies show we spend almost half our waking lives distracted. In the Air Force, like other service branches, distractions could mean disaster.
So, the Department of the Air Force is working to improve mental toughness. Straight Arrow News was given an opportunity to see how the Air Force is working toward that improvement at this year’s AFA Air, Space and Cyber conference in National Harbor, Maryland.
It’s called the MindGym. It’s an aluminum cube that stands 7 feet tall. One side opens up, revealing an interior space filled with mirrors, and lined with hidden LED lights and speakers.
“It’s a controlled environment,” Brandon Murphy said. “It’s a fully immersive environment built for mental skills training to support our airmen with resilience training and performance mindset training, essentially.”
Murphy works for the company behind the MindGym, Lumena Labs. As the name implies, it’s literally a workout space for the brain. It won’t help people slim down or look good for summer, but Murphy said it can help them deal with the world around them in a more positive way.
“It’s the only thing I know how to do to kind of preserve my own mental well-being. When I started, I never meditated in my life,” Murphy said. “I didn’t know anything about mindfulness. I’m very much the type of person that every single day I have every hour blocked. So, the ability to kind of dedicate some time towards my mental fitness, if you will, completely changed my life honestly.”
Dr. Janelle MacAulay was a combat pilot in the Air Force. After a distinguished career stretching two decades, MacAulay helped design the curriculum for the MindGym.
Just like you would do physical push-ups to train your body, we are training people to do mental push-ups to start training their mind.
Dr. Janelle MacAulay
By putting their brain through a mental bootcamp, MacAulay said participants “can be more focused, more pleasant, more productive. Especially when they’re doing things inside high-pressure moments.”
So, how does it work?
Participants step inside the mirror-lined cube where a series of lights and speakers are also embedded. Once they sit down and the door is shut, it’s time for the show.
Air Force 2nd Lt. Jeffrey Wamsley described what it was like the first time he used the MindGym while at ASC 2023, “You just see yourself in like all these different areas and it’s like, ‘Okay.’ Then, you know, as I was sitting all these voices just started coming up and they were overlapping and it’s like, ‘Whoa! This is already getting kind of interesting.’”
It’s interesting because the participants are exposed to an experience unlike anything they’d see in their average day. Programmed lights, soundscapes, and MacAulay’s voice guide participants through a series of mental exercises designed to help the brain strengthen and react better to stress.
“Because we live in a highly distracted world, we tend to make more errors,” MacAulay said. “We tend to see our stress as more overwhelming than it needs to be, and those factors contribute to a degradation in our performance. Especially when we’re doing something where lives are on the line. As warfighters, we can’t afford that. We need to be on the cutting edge of learning the right mental skills so that we can start thriving in those environments, bringing our best self forward, no matter what the challenges.”
And the results? Almost immediate.
“[The MindGym] almost forces you to stop worrying about whatever it was before you stepped in. This was just like a five-minute session, and you know, all the stuff I was worrying about before I got in there, I forgot about it for a little while. Just kind of helps you recharge,” 2nd Lt. Wamsley said.
The MindGym is currently helping airmen and guardians recharge at six different air bases with plans to expand to eight soon. MacAulay said she looks forward to the day when every member of the military has access to the benefits of the MindGym, regardless of service branch.
IF YOU EVER FIND YOURSELF WANDERING AROUND THE EXPO FLOOR AT THE AFA’S AIR, SPACE AND CYBER CONFERENCE, YOU’RE GOING TO SEE SOME COOL STUFF. THERE ARE MODELS, SIMULATORS, DRONES, EVEN MODELS THAT SIMULATE DRONES. WHEREVER YOU LOOK, THERE’S BOUND TO BE SOMETHING THAT CATCHES YOUR EYE.
Brandon Murphy: So behind me, we have the aluminum MindGym. It’s a controlled environment, a fully immersive environment built for mental skills training to support our airmen with resilience training and performance mindset training, essentially.
AS THE NAME IMPLIES, THE 7 FOOT BY 7 FOOT CUBE IS A GYM FOR YOUR MIND. IT WON’T HELP YOU SLIM DOWN OR LOOK GOOD FOR SUMMER, BUT THE COMPANY BEHIND IT, LUMENA, SAYS IT CAN HELP YOU DEAL WITH THE WORLD AROUND YOU IN A MORE POSITIVE WAY.
Murphy: It’s the only thing I know how to do to kind of preserve my own mental wellbeing. When I started, I never meditated in my life. I didn’t know anything about mindfulness. I’m very much the type of person that every single day I have every hour blocked. The ability to kind of dedicate some time towards my mental fitness, if you will, completely changed my life honestly.
DR. JANELLE MACAULAY WAS A COMBAT PILOT IN THE AIR FORCE. SHE HELPED DESIGN THE CURRICULUM FOR THE MINDGYM.
MacAulay: Just like you would do physical push-ups to train your body, we are training people to do mental push-ups to start training their mind so that they can be more focused, more pleasant, more productive. Especially when they’re doing things inside high-pressure moments.
SO, HOW DOES IT WORK? PARTICIPANTS STEP INSIDE THE MIRROR-LINED CUBE WHERE A SERIES OF LIGHTS AND SPEAKERS ARE ALSO EMBEDDED. ONCE THEY SIT DOWN AND THE DOOR IS SHUT, IT’S TIME FOR THE SHOW.
2nd Lt. Jeffrey Wamsley: So, you know, you just see yourself and like all these different areas and it’s like, ‘okay.’ Then, you know, as I was sitting all these voices just started, you know, coming up and like, they were overlapping and it’s like, ‘Whoa! This is already getting kind of interesting.’
IT’S INTERESTING, BECAUSE THE PARTICIPANTS ARE EXPOSED TO AN EXPERIENCE UNLIKE MOST ANYTHING THEY’D SEE IN THEIR AVERAGE DAY. LIGHTS, SOUNDS, AND DR. MCCAULAY’S VOICE GUIDE THEM THROUGH A SERIES OF MENTAL EXERCISES DESIGNED TO HELP THE BRAIN BEEF UP AND REACT BETTER TO STRESS.
MacAulay: Because we live in a highly distracted world, we tend to make more errors. We tend to see our stress as more overwhelming than it needs to be. And those factors contribute to a degradation in our performance, especially when we’re doing something where lives are on the line. And as warfighters we can’t afford that. We need to be on the cutting edge of learning the right mental skills so that we can start thriving in those environments; bringing our best self forward, no matter what the challenges
AND THE RESULTS: ALMOST IMMEDIATE.
Wamsley: It almost, like, forces you to stop worrying about whatever it was before you stepped in. (So, net benefit?) Yeah, I would definitely say so. You know, even this was just like a five-minute session. And you know, I could easily just like, like all the stuff I was worrying about before I got in there, I forgot about it for a little while. Just kind of helps you recharge.
THE MINDGYM IS CURRENTLY HELPING AIRMEN AND GUARDIANS RECHARGE AT SIX DIFFERENT AIR BASES WITH PLANS TO EXPAND TO EIGHT SOON. DOCTOR MACAULAY SAID SHE LOOKS FORWARD TO THE DAY WHEN EVERY MEMBER OF THE MILITARY HAS ACCESS TO THE BENEFITS OF THE MINDGYM, REGARDLESS OF SERVICE BRANCH
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