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.
Original language | English |
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Publication status | Published - 2020 |
Event | ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Honolulu, United States Duration: 25 Apr 2020 → 30 Apr 2020 https://chi2020.acm.org/ |
Conference
Conference | ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems |
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Abbreviated title | CHI 2020 |
Country/Territory | United States |
Period | 25/04/20 → 30/04/20 |
Internet address |