Isness: Using Multi-Person VR to Design Peak Mystical-Type Experiences Comparable to Psychedelics

David R. Glowacki; Mark D. Wonnacott; Rachel Freire; Becca Rose Glowacki; Ella M. Gale; James E. Pike; Tiu de Haan; Mike Chatziapostolou; Oussama Metatla

doi:10.1145/3313831.3376649

Isness: Using Multi-Person VR to Design Peak Mystical-Type Experiences Comparable to Psychedelics

David R. Glowacki, Mark D. Wonnacott, Rachel Freire, Becca Rose Glowacki, Ella M. Gale, James E. Pike, Tiu de Haan, Mike Chatziapostolou, Oussama Metatla

School of Chemistry

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference Contribution (Conference Proceeding)

35 Citations (Scopus)

215 Downloads (Pure)

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
Title of host publication	Proceedings of ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing System
Publisher	Association for Computing Machinery
Pages	1-14
Number of pages	14
ISBN (Electronic)	978-1-4503-6708-0/20/04
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1145/3313831.3376649
Publication status	Published - 1 Apr 2020
Event	2020 International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Honolulu, USA, Hawai, United States Duration: 25 Apr 2020 → 30 Apr 2020 https://chi2020.acm.org/

Publication series

Name	CHI '20: Extended Abstracts of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Publisher	Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)

Conference

Conference	2020 International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Abbreviated title	CHI
Country/Territory	United States
City	Hawai
Period	25/04/20 → 30/04/20
Internet address	https://chi2020.acm.org/

Research Groups and Themes

Bristol Interaction Group

Keywords

cs.HC

Access to Document

10.1145/3313831.3376649

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Glowacki, D. R., Wonnacott, M. D., Freire, R., Glowacki, B. R., Gale, E. M., Pike, J. E., Haan, T. D., Chatziapostolou, M., & Metatla, O. (2020). Isness: Using Multi-Person VR to Design Peak Mystical-Type Experiences Comparable to Psychedelics. In Proceedings of ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing System (pp. 1-14). (CHI '20: Extended Abstracts of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems). Association for Computing Machinery. https://doi.org/10.1145/3313831.3376649

Glowacki, David R. ; Wonnacott, Mark D. ; Freire, Rachel et al. / Isness : Using Multi-Person VR to Design Peak Mystical-Type Experiences Comparable to Psychedelics. Proceedings of ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing System. Association for Computing Machinery, 2020. pp. 1-14 (CHI '20: Extended Abstracts of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems).

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title = "Isness: Using Multi-Person VR to Design Peak Mystical-Type Experiences Comparable to Psychedelics",

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.",

keywords = "cs.HC",

author = "Glowacki, \{David R.\} and Wonnacott, \{Mark D.\} and Rachel Freire and Glowacki, \{Becca Rose\} and Gale, \{Ella M.\} and Pike, \{James E.\} and Haan, \{Tiu de\} and Mike Chatziapostolou and Oussama Metatla",

year = "2020",

month = apr,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1145/3313831.3376649",

language = "English",

series = "CHI '20: Extended Abstracts of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems",

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pages = "1--14",

booktitle = "Proceedings of ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing System",

address = "United States",

note = "2020 International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI ; Conference date: 25-04-2020 Through 30-04-2020",

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Glowacki, DR, Wonnacott, MD, Freire, R, Glowacki, BR, Gale, EM, Pike, JE, Haan, TD, Chatziapostolou, M & Metatla, O 2020, Isness: Using Multi-Person VR to Design Peak Mystical-Type Experiences Comparable to Psychedelics. in Proceedings of ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing System. CHI '20: Extended Abstracts of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Association for Computing Machinery, pp. 1-14, 2020 International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Hawai, Hawaii, United States, 25/04/20. https://doi.org/10.1145/3313831.3376649

Isness: Using Multi-Person VR to Design Peak Mystical-Type Experiences Comparable to Psychedelics. / Glowacki, David R.; Wonnacott, Mark D.; Freire, Rachel et al.
Proceedings of ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing System. Association for Computing Machinery, 2020. p. 1-14 (CHI '20: Extended Abstracts of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference Contribution (Conference Proceeding)

TY - GEN

T1 - Isness

T2 - 2020 International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

AU - Glowacki, David R.

AU - Wonnacott, Mark D.

AU - Freire, Rachel

AU - Glowacki, Becca Rose

AU - Gale, Ella M.

AU - Pike, James E.

AU - Haan, Tiu de

AU - Chatziapostolou, Mike

AU - Metatla, Oussama

PY - 2020/4/1

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N2 - 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.

AB - 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.

KW - cs.HC

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M3 - Conference Contribution (Conference Proceeding)

T3 - CHI '20: Extended Abstracts of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

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EP - 14

BT - Proceedings of ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing System

PB - Association for Computing Machinery

Y2 - 25 April 2020 through 30 April 2020

ER -

Glowacki DR, Wonnacott MD, Freire R, Glowacki BR, Gale EM, Pike JE et al. Isness: Using Multi-Person VR to Design Peak Mystical-Type Experiences Comparable to Psychedelics. In Proceedings of ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing System. Association for Computing Machinery. 2020. p. 1-14. (CHI '20: Extended Abstracts of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems). doi: 10.1145/3313831.3376649

Isness: Using Multi-Person VR to Design Peak Mystical-Type Experiences Comparable to Psychedelics

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