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

**Authors:** 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:** [2002.00940](https://arxiv.org/abs/2002.00940)  
**Date:** 2020-02-03  
**Summary page:** https://www.summarizepaper.com/en/paper/2002.00940v2/

## Key points

- Psychotherapy combined with psychedelic drugs has shown positive outcomes due to the ability of PsiDs to induce mystical-type experiences (MTEs).
- Virtual reality (VR) can also be considered a form of psychedelic technology.
- Researchers designed and evaluated "Isness," a multi-person VR journey where participants experience the collective emergence, fluctuation, and dissipation of their bodies as energetic essences.
- A study involving 57 participants showed that Isness participants had MTEs comparable to those reported in double-blind clinical studies after high doses of psilocybin and LSD.
- Within a supportive setting and conceptual framework, VR phenomenology can create the conditions for MTEs from which participants derive insight and meaning.
- Several published studies investigated the effects of moderate to large doses of psilocybin on meditation and spiritual practice.
- Ten drug-administration studies investigated MDMA, methylphenidate, ketamine, dextromethorphan, psilocybin, and LSD.
- Participant responses in Isness revealed themes such as radiating light under pressure; feeling moved and touched with difficulty expressing words due to being brought into one's body/heart/energetic being; experiencing joyous innocence reminiscent of childhood exploration without judgment or control issues when playing with energetic threads.
- The study suggests that VR phenomenology may offer an alternative approach for inducing MTEs within a supportive setting that could provide insight into oneself.

## Summary

Psychotherapy combined with psychedelic drugs (PsiDs) has shown positive outcomes due to the ability of PsiDs to induce mystical-type experiences (MTEs). Virtual reality (VR) can also be considered a form of psychedelic technology. To test this hypothesis, researchers designed and evaluated "Isness," a multi-person VR journey where participants experience the collective emergence, fluctuation, and dissipation of their bodies as energetic essences. A study involving 57 participants showed that Isness participants had MTEs comparable to those reported in double-blind clinical studies after high doses of psilocybin and LSD. Within a supportive setting and conceptual framework, VR phenomenology can create the conditions for MTEs from which participants derive insight and meaning. In addition, there have been several published studies investigating the effects of moderate to large doses of psilocybin on meditation and spiritual practice. Seven studies involved administering moderate to large doses (20-42 mg) of psilocybin, while 16 studies were less intense, including baseline studies with placebos or sub-perceptual doses (1-3 mg) of psilocybin given to participants in programs offering meditation and spiritual practice support. Ten drug-administration studies investigated MDMA, methylphenidate, ketamine, dextromethorphan, psilocybin, and LSD. Participant responses in Isness revealed themes such as radiating light under pressure; feeling moved and touched with difficulty expressing words due to being brought into one's body/heart/energetic being; experiencing joyous innocence reminiscent of childhood exploration without judgment or control issues when playing with energetic threads. The study suggests that VR phenomenology may offer an alternative approach for inducing MTEs within a supportive setting that could provide insight into oneself.