In this project, the design of healing tools has been explored with the intention of supplying a comfort zone for people suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). The purpose of this collection and its effectiveness is to prevent people from moving from the anxiety stage of the four-stage cycle of OCD (temporary relief, obsessive thought, anxiety, and compulsive behaviour) into the compulsive behaviour stage and spending a longer period in the temporary relief stage. The tools are based on the repetitive behaviour and habits of people with OCD, who typically share similar characteristics.

This collection’s design takes inspiration from the wuxing concept, which is essential to Chinese medical culture. Wuxing, which translates to “Five Phases” or “Five Agents,” is a five-tiered conceptual framework that is applied in numerous traditional Chinese fields of study. Originally, Wuxing was used to refer to the five main elements—Earth, Fire, Water, Metal, and Wood—which were thought to have generated the five forces of life on Earth. Each item in this collection seeks to stimulate certain emotions, such as assurance, consideration, and repetition—feelings that are critical for identifying a person with OCD—by using the fundamental features of each material.

In this project, the design of healing tools has been explored with the intention of supplying a comfort zone for people suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). The purpose of this collection and its effectiveness is to prevent people from moving from the anxiety stage of the four-stage cycle of OCD (temporary relief, obsessive thought, anxiety, and compulsive behaviour) into the compulsive behaviour stage and spending a longer period in the temporary relief stage. The tools are based on the repetitive behaviour and habits of people with OCD, who typically share similar characteristics.

This collection’s design takes inspiration from the wuxing concept, which is essential to Chinese medical culture. Wuxing, which translates to “Five Phases” or “Five Agents,” is a five-tiered conceptual framework that is applied in numerous traditional Chinese fields of study. Originally, Wuxing was used to refer to the five main elements—Earth, Fire, Water, Metal, and Wood—which were thought to have generated the five forces of life on Earth. Each item in this collection seeks to stimulate certain emotions, such as assurance, consideration, and repetition—feelings that are critical for identifying a person with OCD—by using the fundamental features of each material.