Last summer, a group of researchers developed what they call the Dreamachine, a large, lab-like space designed to make people hallucinate using white flash lights and electronic music. Designed in collaboration with the University of Sussex, the machine had a space for 30 people to enter, lie down and start a sequence that lasts about 30 minutes with their eyes closed.
The whole experience was quite unique and often caused hallucinatory experiences in the people who walked in. Participants were asked to describe their experiences after the Dreamachine session. Many have described this experience as powerful or magical as well as vibrant or ever-changing.
“It was such a rare and magical thing to see the reaction of the participants when they came out from the other side of the veil and just had this experience,” Anil Seth, a University of Sussex neuroscientist, told Wired. Seth was one of the people who worked on Dreamachine.
The researchers say that one of the aims of the whole experiment was to try to determine the effects of stroboscopic light on the brain. The effect of these lights on the brain is still largely misunderstood. In addition, the researchers think it could be the key to understanding the neural basis of the visual experience caused by the Dreamachine.
Moreover, it is hoped that a better map of intrinsic perceptual diversity can be created. Seth and his team are working on a project called Perception Count, which aims to measure how differently people respond to these different dimensions of sound, color, time, and expectation. It may be possible for Dreamachine to one day pioneer new forms of mental health therapy.
However, the extent of the effectiveness of this type of treatment has yet to be determined, as researchers primarily aim to learn more about the potential this technology offers.
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