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
