OTOKAI is a multifaceted, non-pharmacological psychosocial intervention program built upon the theoretical framework of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST), which simultaneously stimulates cognition, mood, and social engagement through group activities. The program extends this framework by integrating personalized music selection and creative expression.
The program begins with visual stimuli that evoke personal associations. Participants are encouraged to verbalize these associations, promoting reflection and personal meaning-making. Participants then explore and listen to music before selecting the piece they feel best matches their image or interpretation. This process provides cognitive stimulation through active listening and decision-making while also incorporating elements of music-assisted reminiscence associated with autobiographical memory and personal identity.
Participants further develop their experience by expressing the reasons for their musical choices and the images they evoke through free-form written expression such as haiku or poetry. Through this expressive writing process, emotional processing and personal meaning-making are deepened. Through these individual activities, participants create a personal work that integrates stimulus, emotion, memory, and values.
Completed works are shared during group sessions. Through participant presentations, collective listening, and feedback from instructors and peers, personal narratives become socialized, fostering mutual understanding. This group phase strongly incorporates the social interaction, language-based activity, and emotional engagement emphasized in CST. Psychosocial factors such as peer support, observational learning, and group cohesion help mediate the program’s effects.
As described above, OTOKAI is distinguished by its structured integration of
As a result, the program complements and extends traditional CST and music-based interventions, offering a new psychosocial model centered on participants’ subjective experiences and creativity.
Music is a highly complex stimulus that simultaneously engages cognition, emotion, memory, and social processes. The program is able to integrate intervention elements across multiple domains because music serves as its central medium, connecting personal meaning-making and collective interaction within a coherent framework.
| Step. | OTOKAI Workflow | Intervention Phase | Process Stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | View the assignment prompt / stimulus | Individual Phase: The process of creating a work independently
Transforming personal memories, emotions, and values — one’s self-narrative — into an externalized work expressed through music and writing |
Stimulus presentation ↓ Association and verbalization |
| 2 | Put into words the images and feelings evoked by the stimulus | ||
| 3 | Search for music | Exploration ↓ Active listening ↓ Preference-based selection |
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| 4 | Listen to music that matches the imagined image | ||
| 5 | Select one piece of music that best fits one’s image | ||
| 6 | Reflect on why the piece was chosen and create a written expression, such as a haiku, poem, or free-form text | Meaning-making and transformation into a written work | |
| 7 | Review whether the stimulus, music, and written text align with the intended image, then complete the work | Integration and self-assessment ↓ Submission |
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| 8 | Submit the completed work | ||
| 9 | Participate in the lesson | Group Phase: The process of participating in a group lesson
Amplifying and reconstructing individual meaning through group interaction, thereby strengthening social connection and self-efficacy |
Participation |
| 10 | Present one’s work and explain why the music was selected | Presentation of one’s own work ↓ Collective listening |
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| 11 | Listen together to the music selected by the participant | ||
| 12 | Receive feedback from the instructor | Instructor feedback | |
| 13 | Receive comments from peers | Peer feedback ↓ Response |
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| 14 | Respond to the comments received | ||
| 15 | Listen to presentations about other participants’ works | Listening to and attentively engaging with others’ works | |
| 16 | Listen to the music together as a group | ||
| 17 | Listen to the instructor’s feedback on peers’ works | ||
| 18 | Share impressions and comments | Sharing impressions |
*The content of this page was compiled as the design philosophy of OTOKAI under the responsibility of the representative.
