Isness: Using Multi-Person VR to Design Peak Mystical-Type Experiences Comparable to Psychedelics
David R. Glowacki, Mark D. Wonnacott, Rachel Freire, Becca R. Glowacki, Ella M. Gale, James E. Pike, Tiu de Haan, Mike Chatziapostolou, Oussama Metatla
arXiv Preprint Archive February 3, 2020 Peer reviewed via arXiv
Summary
Participants in a virtual reality experience called 'Isness' reported mystical-type experiences (MTEs) similar to those observed in clinical studies with high doses of psilocybin and LSD. The study involved 57 participants who completed the MEQ30 questionnaire, indicating that the VR setting can foster conditions for these profound experiences, allowing individuals to gain insight and meaning. This suggests that both psychedelic drugs and virtual reality can be part of a broader spectrum of psychedelic technologies.
Study at a glance
| Sample size | 57 |
|---|---|
| Population | participants experiencing a virtual reality journey |
| Key finding | Isness participants had mystical-type experiences comparable to those reported in double-blind clinical studies after high doses of psilocybin and LSD. |
Abstract
Studies combining psychotherapy with psychedelic drugs (PsiDs) have demonstrated positive outcomes that are often associated with PsiDs' ability to induce 'mystical-type' experiences (MTEs) - i.e., subjective experiences whose characteristics include a sense of connectedness, transcendence, and ineffability. We suggest that both PsiDs and virtual reality can be situated on a broader spectrum of psychedelic technologies. To test this hypothesis, we used concepts, methods, and analysis strategies from PsiD research to design and evaluate 'Isness', a multi-person VR journey where participants experience the collective emergence, fluctuation, and dissipation of their bodies as energetic essences. A study (N=57) analyzing participant responses to a commonly used PsiD experience questionnaire (MEQ30) indicates that Isness participants had MTEs comparable to those reported in double-blind clinical studies after high doses of psilocybin & LSD. Within a supportive setting and conceptual framework, VR phenomenology can create the conditions for MTEs from which participants derive insight and meaning.