Lynn Zhang - From Compulsive to Conscious: Using Somatic Rituals to Rewrite Behaviors

Lynn Zhang’s thesis, From Compulsive to Conscious: Using Somatic Rituals to Rewrite Behaviors, explores how design can transform the physical intensity found in compulsive behaviors into safer, voluntary, and meaning-making rituals. The thesis is organized around four moments in the compulsion loop: the urge, emotional overload, shame and regret, and long-term transformation. Each intervention responds to a different stage of that cycle. Together, they form a system of physical products, digital experiences, workshops, and services that rethink what support can look like before, during, and after a moment of losing control.