Set and Setting in Virtual Psychedelia: A Naturalistic Study of Phenomenology, Predictors, and Physiological Correlates
Hüseyin Beyköylü, Josi Marschall, Elio Sjak-Shie, John Carrillo, Maarten Struilijk Wilbrink, Thomas Van Herel, Xaver Funk, Chenxiao Zhao, Daniel Lindh, Hein T. van Schie, Michiel van Elk
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 210 |
| Population | Festival attendees engaging with a virtual reality psychedelic experience |
| Duration | 7-minute VRPE |
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Key findings | The VRPE produced visual phenomena and disembodiment comparable to prior psychedelic experiences, but meaning-making and mystical dimensions were consistently lower. Set-related factors, especially expectations, predicted intensity trajectories, and substance use modulated intensity in substance-specific ways. The authors argue that perceptual simulation alone may be insufficient for mimicking the effects of psychedelic experiences proper, positioning VRPEs as complementary tools rather than substitutes. |
Abstract
Virtual reality psychedelic experiences (VRPEs) may offer accessible alternatives to substance-induced psychedelic experiences, but their phenomenology and how set and setting factors shape the experience remain underexplored. We conducted a study in a naturalistic festival setting where participants (N = 210) engaged with a 7-minute VRPE while continuous intensity ratings and physiological measures were recorded. Equivalence testing confirmed that the VRPE produced visual phenomena and disembodiment comparable to participants' prior psychedelic experiences, but meaning-making and mystical dimensions were consistently lower. Set-related factors shaped the experience: expectations, prior psychedelic experience, tendency for absorptive experiences, and vividness of mental imagery all predicted intensity trajectories, with expectations showing the clearest monotonic relationship. Acute use of psychoactive substances modulated intensity in substance-specific ways, with stimulants and cannabis attenuating responsiveness, and hallucinogens enhancing it. Phasic skin conductance showed a small positive association with intensity, while heart rate did not, and intensity did not predict mood change. Together, these findings suggest VRPEs can reproduce certain perceptual features of psychedelic states but do not engage the meaning-making and mystical dimensions associated with self-transcendence and therapeutic change. Interpreted through the lens of enactive cognitive science, this pattern suggests that perceptual simulation alone, without the broader conditions supporting destabilization and reorganization of sense-making, may be insufficient for mimicking the effects of psychedelic experiences proper. VRPEs may be best positioned as complementary tools for preparation, consolidation, or accessibility, rather than substitutes for pharmacological induction of psychedelic states.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on philosophy of mind, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The phenomenology of near-death experiences Subjects who reported near-death experiences | 1980 | Retrospective study | n = 78 |
| Visual Phenomenology of the LSD Flashback Persons with a history of LSD use | 1983 | Observational cohort | n = 123 |
| The neurophenomenology of neutral hypnosis. Individuals of high, medium, and low hypnotizability | 2013 | Observational cohort | n = 37 |
| The Phenomenology of Acute Organic Psychosis Patients with acute organic psychosis and acute schizophrenics | 1987 | Observational cohort | n = 148 |
| EEG oscillatory states as neuro-phenomenology of consciousness as revealed from patients in vegetative and minimally conscious states. Brain-damaged patients with disorders of consciousness and healthy-conscious subjects | 2012 | Observational cohort |