Representing mental images and immaterial processes in VR. A new materialist reading of Manic VR and Ayahuasca – Kosmik Journey
Desiree Foerster
Multimodality & Society February 9, 2026 DOI: 10.1177/26349795251413931 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Ayahuasca |
| Key points | Argues that atmosphere serves as a central mechanism in VR for rendering invisible and relational processes tangible, enabling experiences that resonate with mystical-type mental states. |
Abstract
This article develops a new materialist approach to the representation of mystical-type experiences in Virtual Reality (VR). It investigates how sensory modalities and virtual environments are employed to translate the indeterminate and invisible qualities of mental states and evoke experiences of liminal consciousness that are characteristic of mystical-type experiences associated with psychedelic use or psychosis. Drawing on research in atmosphere and new materialism, I argue that atmosphere serves as a central mechanism in VR for rendering invisible and relational processes tangible. To support this claim, I analyze the VR works Manic VR and Ayahuasca – Kosmik Journey, focusing on how the medium-specific affordances of VR are used to construct immersive, affectively charged atmospheres. I show how these atmospheres enable imaginative and felt experiences that resonate with the mental states they seek to represent. The two pieces are discussed as part of a spectrum of non-dualist, relational aesthetics, ranging from restrained, apprehensive attunement to deep somatic absorption.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on ayahuasca, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The globalization of ayahuasca: Harm reduction or benefit maximization? | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Ayahuasca Shamanism in the Amazon and Beyond | 2014 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Antipodes of the Mind: Charting the Phenomenology of the Ayahuasca Experience | 2003 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Towards psychedelic apprenticeship: Developing a gentle touch for the mediation and validation of psychedelic-induced insights and revelations. | 2022 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Ayahuasca healing beyond the Amazon: the globalization of a traditional indigenous entheogenic practice | 2008 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |