Immersive virtual reality: distinct impact on altered states of consciousness
Liat Abouhav, Keren Nitzan, Ravid Doron
Virtual Reality August 25, 2026 DOI: 10.1007/s10055-026-01443-x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Controlled experiment Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 70 |
| Population | Participants who viewed a short film either via VR headset or computer screen |
| Measures | Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ30) |
| Topics | Altered states of consciousness |
| Key findings | The VR group scored significantly higher than the screen group on all dimensions of the MEQ30, indicating that VR can elicit mystical-type experiences. |
Abstract
Abstract As mental health challenges continue to rise, there is increasing interest in interventions that promote psychological change through emotionally and experientially rich states. One well-studied example involves mystical-type experiences, typically reported in psychedelic-assisted interventions. Virtual reality (VR), with its immersive and embodied qualities, has emerged as a promising non-pharmacological medium for eliciting phenomenologically similar states. This study investigated the medium-specific contribution of VR to such altered states of consciousness. In a controlled experiment, 70 participants viewed the same emotionally evocative short film either via an immersive VR headset or on a standard computer screen. Responses on the Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ30) indicated significantly higher scores across all dimensions in the VR group. These results highlight VR’s potential as a tool for evoking transformative experiences and suggest that immersive technologies may not merely transmit content but actively shape emotional and cognitive processes.
In the evidence
This study is part of the evidence base for a synthesis in the library. Here is how each one recorded it.
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The VR group scored significantly higher than the screen group on all MEQ30 dimensions, indicating that immersive VR can elicit mystical-type experiences.
Synthesized
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on altered states of consciousness, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Standardized Psychometric Assessment of Altered States of Consciousness (ASCs) in Humans Healthy subjects in six countries | 1998 | Experimental and field study | n = 1,133 |
| TMS-EEG and resting-state EEG applied to altered states of consciousness: oscillations, complexity, and phenomenology. | 2023 | Experimental study | |
| A Test of the Psychedelic Model of Altered States of Consciousness | 1976 | Experimental study with comparison groups | |
| Neural Correlates of Non-ordinary States of Consciousness in Pranayama Practitioners: The Role of Slow Nasal Breathing Experienced meditators | 2022 | Within-subjects comparison | n = 12 |
| Increased spontaneous EEG signal diversity during stroboscopically-induced altered states of consciousness Healthy adults | 2019 | Experimental study |