April 21, 2020
David R. Glowacki, Mark D. Wonnacott, Rachel Freire et al.
53 citations
A virtual reality (VR) experience called 'Isness', designed using concepts from psychedelic research, can induce mystical-type experiences (MTEs) comparable to those from high doses of psilocybin or LSD. In a study of 57 participants, responses to a standard psychedelic experience questionnaire showed MTEs similar to those reported in double-blind clinical trials. The authors suggest that both psychedelic drugs and VR belong to a broader spectrum of psychedelic technologies. Within a supportive setting, VR can create conditions for MTEs that participants find insightful and meaningful.
Scientific Reports
May 30, 2022
David R. Glowacki, Rhoslyn Roebuck Williams, Mark Wonnacott et al.
44 citations
A virtual reality framework called Isness-distributed (Isness-D) enables groups of people in a shared virtual space to experience their bodies as luminous energetic essences with diffuse boundaries, allowing moments of 'energetic coalescence' where bodies fluidly merge and participants include multiple others within their self-representation. In a citizen science study with 58 participants across an international network of Isness-D nodes, scores on four self-report scales (inclusion of community in self, ego-dissolution inventory, communitas scale, and MEQ30 mystical experience questionnaire) were statistically indistinguishable from those reported in recent psychedelic drug studies. This demonstrates that distributed VR can design intersubjective self-transcendent experiences where people dissolve their sense of self in connection to others.
arXiv Preprint Archive
May 17, 2021
David R. Glowacki, Rhoslyn Roebuck Williams, Olivia M. Maynard et al.
Virtual reality can create profound experiences of connection and ego dissolution comparable to psychedelic drugs, but without substances. In groundbreaking human-computer interaction (cs.HC) research, participants experienced their bodies as luminous energy forms in shared virtual spaces, allowing them to merge and connect with others in unprecedented ways. Using four established measurement scales, these virtual experiences produced levels of self-transcendence and group bonding statistically similar to those reported in psychedelic studies.
arXiv Preprint Archive
May 17, 2021
David R. Glowacki, Rhoslyn Roebuck Williams, Olivia M. Maynard et al.
A distributed virtual reality framework called Isness-D, in which groups of people co-inhabit a shared space as luminous, diffuse bodies, can produce self-transcendent experiences statistically indistinguishable from those induced by psychedelic drugs. In a citizen-science experiment with 58 participants across an international network, scores on four standard scales—ego-dissolution, inclusion of community in self, communitas, and mystical experience—were comparable to published psychedelic studies. The findings demonstrate that distributed multi-person VR can reliably blur self-other boundaries and create intersubjective experiences of merging with others.
arXiv Preprint Archive
February 3, 2020
David R. Glowacki, Mark D. Wonnacott, Rachel Freire et al.
Virtual reality can induce profound mystical experiences similar to those triggered by psychedelic substances, without the need for drugs. A groundbreaking human-computer interaction (cs.HC) experiment showed that carefully designed VR environments can create transformative group experiences where participants perceive themselves as pure energy, fostering deep feelings of connection and transcendence. Data from 57 participants revealed emotional responses matching those reported in clinical studies of psilocybin and LSD.
arXiv Preprint Archive
February 3, 2020
David R. Glowacki, Mark D. Wonnacott, Rachel Freire et al.
A virtual reality journey called 'Isness' can induce mystical-type experiences (MTEs) comparable to those from high doses of psilocybin or LSD. In a study of 57 participants, responses to a standard psychedelic experience questionnaire showed MTE levels similar to those in double-blind clinical trials. The authors argue that both psychedelic drugs and virtual reality belong to a broader spectrum of psychedelic technologies. Within a supportive setting, VR phenomenology can create conditions for MTEs that participants find insightful and meaningful.