Lowlands Science 2023: A virtual reality (VR) psychedelic experience study

Abstract

Psychedelic substances, such as LSD and psilocybin (i.e., the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) are increasingly being used for recreational, religious-ceremonial and therapeutic purposes. Clinical trials using psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy show promising potential for the treatment of a wide variety of psychopathologies, including depression (Carhart-Harris et al., 2016), end-of-life-anxiety (Griffiths et al., 2016), addiction (Bogenschutz et al., 2015), post-traumatic stress-disorder (Krediet et al., 2020) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (Moreno et al., 2006). Also in healthy volunteers, psychedelic experiences occasion positive outcomes such as a healthier lifestyle (Teixeira et al., 2021), increased mindfulness (Smigielski et al., 2019), enhanced creativity and problem solving (Girn et al., 2020), pro-environmental behavior (Forstmann & Sagioglou, 2017) and feelings of connectedness.(Carhart-Harris et al., 2018). These beneficial short- and long-term effects of psychedelics have been attributed to the mystical experiences occasioned by these substances (Breeksema & van Elk, 2021; Yaden & Griffiths, 2020). Psychedelic-induced mystical experiences can help to place one’s life and problems in a broader perspective (Hartogsohn, 2018), to counter rigid patterns of thought and behavior that are the hallmark of psychopathological disorders (Carhart-Harris & Friston, 2019), and to change current mental structures (Hendricks, 2018). Mystical experiences increase psychological flexibility and thereby offer a window of therapeutic opportunity to instill more healthy and adaptive beliefs (Sloshower et al., 2020). During a mystical experience, people also have an embodied feeling of connectedness, which in turn challenges maladaptive beliefs about the self (Carhart-Harris et al., 2018). However, a recurring concern that limits the generalizability and applicability of psychedelics is selection bias (Aday et al., 2022; van Elk & Fried, submitted). Contra-indications and exclusion criteria for using psychedelics include risk for psychosis, use of anti-depressants or other medications that affect the serotonin-system, having a previous diagnosis with a psychopathological disorder and suicidal ideation and / or low mood (Garcia-Romeu et al., 2016; Zeifman et al., 2021). In addition, participants who use psychedelics or are willing to participate in psychedelic therapy, typically have positive expectations about psychedelics and score high on the personality traits of ‘openness to experience’ and ‘thrill-seeking’ (Haijen et al., 2018), while participants scoring high on neuroticism tend to have more challenging experience with psychedelics (Barrett et al., 2017). These factors render the clinical application and utility of psychedelics limited. As a remedy to this problem, recently virtual reality applications have been developed that mimic key characteristics of a psychedelic experience, e.g., by using visual, auditory and synesthetic effects (Aday et al., 2020; Glowacki et al., 2022; Rastelli et al., 2022; Sekula et al., 2022). These VR psychedelic experiences have been associated with similar effects on cognitive flexibility, ego-dissolution and feelings of connectedness as experiences triggered through the ingestion of hallucinogenic psychedelics (Aday et al., 2020; Glowacki et al., 2022; Rastelli et al., 2022). Especially combined with verbal suggestions, virtual reality applications can be a powerful technique to induce strong states of absorption, immersion and felt presence (Askay et al., 2009; Hirsch, 2012; Patterson et al., 2010; Patterson et al., 2004; Patterson et al., 2006; Rousseaux, Bicego, et al., 2020; Rousseaux et al., 2022; Rousseaux, Faymonville, et al., 2020; Rousseaux et al., 2023; Teeley et al., 2012). As such, these techniques are increasingly being used in different settings, e.g., for basic research on the process of absorption (Rousseaux, Bicego, et al., 2020), but also for medical applications (e.g., decreasing anxiety prior to surgery; Patterson et al., 2010) and in therapeutic settings (e.g., for the psychological treatment of chronic pain patients; Rousseaux, Bicego, et al., 2020). However, as-of-yet we don’t know whether which factors influence sensitivity and responsiveness to virtual reality psychedelic experiences (VRPE) and what the downstream effects of this technique are on physiology and subjective well-being. In this study, which will be conducted at the Lowlands Music festival, as part of Lowlands Science in The Netherlands, we will assess (1) whether VRPE are comparable in intensity as previous psychedelic experiences that participants had, (2) which personality factors determine responsiveness to VRPE, (3) the effects of mind-altering substances (e.g., alcohol and cannabis) and sleep-deprivation on the intensity of VRPE and (4) the effects of VRPE on heart rate, facial EMG and skin conductance response. Ultimately the findings of this project will provide insight in the applicability and utility of using VRPE as a tool to potentially make psychedelic experiences more accessible to a wider audience.

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