Group VR experiences can produce ego attenuation and connectedness comparable to psychedelics

Self-transcendent experiences (STEs) are transient mental states in which the subjective sense of the self as an isolated entity diminishes and a feeling of unity with others or the environment emerges. Earlier research across psychology, neuroscience and religious studies has identified a spectrum of STEs—ranging from mild ‘‘flow’’ states to intense mystical-type experiences (MTEs)—and has highlighted two core phenomenological ingredients: (1) attenuation or ‘‘annihilation’’ of self-boundaries and self-salience, and (2) a relational sense of unity with something beyond the self. Psychedelic drugs (YDs) reliably elicit intense STEs and MTEs and have been associated with enduring positive changes in wellbeing, but they pose practical, regulatory, and safety challenges for wider use in laboratory and clinical settings. Glowacki and colleagues propose virtual reality (VR) as an alternative technology capable of designing STEs without pharmacology. Their prior co-located multi-person VR system (Isness-C) represented participants as luminous energetic bodies and produced MEQ30 scores statistically similar to moderate-to-high doses of YDs. Building on that work, the present paper introduces Isness-distributed (Isness-D), a cloud-hosted multi-person VR experience that connects geographically dispersed participants. The authors aim to evaluate whether Isness-D can elicit intersubjective STEs—especially a novel group phenomenon they call ‘‘energetic coalescence,’’ where participants’ diffuse virtual bodies fluidly overlap—and to compare subjective outcomes to those reported in psychedelic research using established psychometric scales.

Isness-D was developed as a cloud-based multi-person VR experience that renders each participant as a luminous energetic body and links them to a real-time simulated ‘‘molecular organism’’ whose dynamics are computed using OpenMM (a GPU-accelerated biophysics engine). Participants wore either an HTC Vive Pro or Valve Index headset and Open Mudra Gloves for Virtual Reality (OMG-VRs), which let them make ‘‘mudra’’ pinch gestures to generate light and manipulate the molecular thread. The software used a client/server architecture with servers hosted in multiple data centres to connect 4–5 participants per session across distributed ‘‘nodes.’' The experiment used a citizen-science model: 14 geographically distributed Isness nodes were equipped with standardised play spaces, VR-capable computers, a pair of OMG-VRs, and trained hosts. Hosts recruited participants, performed technical checks (latency, glove function, audio), and ran sessions under facilitator supervision. Sessions followed a three-phase structure adapted from psychedelic ceremony models: a ~15-minute preparation/induction with facilitator-guided orientation and movement; a ~25-minute loosely guided audiovisual narrative (phase 2) delivered via a pre-recorded soundtrack and live facilitator in spectate mode; and a ~10-minute integration/discussion phase with group sharing. A set of adjustable ‘‘aesthetic hyperparameters’’ controlled visual and interactive aspects of the experience; sequences of states were saved for reproducibility. Ethics approval was obtained from the University of Bristol Faculty of Science Research Ethics Committee. All participants were aged 18+ and gave informed consent. Data collection used pre- and post-session online questionnaires. The pre-session survey included an adapted Inclusion of Community in Self (ICS) scale and openness items; the post-session survey included the MEQ30 (30-item mystical experience questionnaire), the Ego-Dissolution Inventory (EDI), the Communitas scale, the ICS again, items on bodily effects and demographics, and an open-ended final comments section. The EDI, MEQ30, ICS and Communitas scales were used to enable comparisons with prior YD studies. Analysis combined quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitatively, the authors computed internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) for scales and used paired tests (Wilcoxon signed-rank for ICS pre–post) and independent-sample t-tests to compare Isness-D outcomes with previously published YD and baseline studies, following the comparative approach used in earlier literature. Qualitative data comprised ~3.5 hours of recorded group VR discussions (transcribed) plus 36 free-writing submissions; an inductive thematic analysis was applied to prose responses to identify recurring themes. The extracted text does not clearly report a predefined statistical analysis plan beyond these comparative tests and reliability checks.

Participant flow and demographics: Between August and September 2020, 29 Isness sessions were run across 14 nodes with 109 people. After excluding 24 participants involved in training/support roles and 9 participants whose sessions suffered substantial technical problems, 75 participants remained; 54 completed the pre-session questionnaire and 58 completed the post-session questionnaire. Among the 58 post-session responders, 59% identified as male, 37% female, 2% other, and 2% declined; ages ranged from 23–75 years (mean 38, SD 10). Reported bodily or emotional reactions were generally mild: one brief nausea episode, three reports of body aches, three headaches, six participants reported crying, two reported sweats or chills, and one trembling episode; none characterised reactions as negative or traumatic. MEQ30 (mystical experience questionnaire): The MEQ30 yields four factor scores—ineffability (I), mystical (M), positive mood (P), and transcendence of time/space (T)—reported as percentages of maximum. Isness-D factor scores were compared to 27 prior studies (26 YD studies plus Isness-C) using independent-sample t-tests. Across comparisons, a subset of previous YD studies were statistically indistinguishable from Isness-D on all four MEQ30 factors (including some psilocybin and one LSD study). Overall, 29% of Isness-D participants met the authors’ criterion for a ‘‘complete MTE’’ (all four MEQ30 factors ≥ 60%), versus 44% in their prior Isness-C cohort. The authors report that several baseline and low-dose drug studies were significantly less intense than Isness-D on multiple factors. Inclusion of Community in Self (ICS): Fifty-four participants completed both pre- and post-ICS. Mean ICS increased from 1.2 ± 1.5 (SD) pre-session to 2.9 ± 1.4 post-session (scale 0–5). A Wilcoxon signed-rank test indicated this pre–post increase was highly significant (p < 1E-6). The post-Isness-D ICS score was statistically indistinguishable from a Forstmann et al. naturalistic YD study (mapped to the same scale) which reported 2.8 ± 1.3 (p = 0.51). Ego-Dissolution Inventory (EDI): Internal consistency for the EDI subscales was high (ego dissolution α = 0.86; ego inflation α = 0.87). Mean ego-dissolution across the cohort was 40 ± 20 (SD) on a 0–100 scale; mean ego-inflation was 17 ± 15 (SD). The authors compare these scores to several YD dosing studies and report that Isness-D values are comparable to ego-dissolution reported after roughly 18 mg psilocybin, 75–100 µg LSD, or 125 mg MDMA in some published datasets. The single EDI item commonly used in other studies (“I experienced a dissolution of my self or ego”) had a mean of 43 ± 29, higher than certain low-dose LSD reports (p < 0.001) and statistically indistinguishable from some MDMA reports. Communitas: The 10-item communitas scale (α = 0.84) had an overall mean total of 44.14 ± 6.87, corresponding to ~78% of the maximum possible score; a one-sample t-test showed the mean was significantly above the scale midpoint (p < 0.001). The Isness-D communitas score was statistically higher than Kettner et al.’s large naturalistic psychedelic cohort (39.58 ± 11.23, ~71% max). Qualitative findings: Qualitative material included ~3.5 hours of group discussion (transcribed), 36 free-writing responses (27 legible prose analysed, ~3000 words) and post-session comments. An inductive thematic analysis identified connectedness as the dominant theme; participants described feelings of unity, intimacy during ‘‘energetic coalescence,’’ playfulness, calm, and spiritual significance. Several participants reported somatic sensations during coalescence (e.g., subtle hand sensations), and many described the experience as emotionally moving but positive. The authors report a stronger correlation between ego-dissolution and connectedness after Isness-D than before, consistent with participant remarks like "you lose yourself in the connection to other people."

Glowacki and colleagues interpret their findings as evidence that distributed multi-person VR can elicit intense self-transcendent phenomenology comparable, on several measures, to that produced by certain YD doses and naturalistic psychedelic contexts. Quantitatively, the authors highlight that post-session ICS and communitas scores indicate substantial increases in perceived connectedness, and that EDI and MEQ30 scores place Isness-D within the intensity range of some moderate YD doses for many participants. Qualitative data are used to illustrate phenomenological similarities—participants reported unity, diminished self-salience, intimate ‘‘energetic coalescence,’’ and positive emotional after-effects. The authors stress the importance of the intersubjective, multi-body design: the relational co-dependence of diminished self-salience and a sense of unity may be most readily realised in group contexts where boundary porosity can be experienced through interaction. They argue that Isness-D’s numadelic aesthetic (luminous energetic bodies, matter–energy narrative, and a tangible simulated molecular thread) contributed to reimagining self–other relations and supported experiences of communitas and spiritual significance, framed in terms intended to align with scientific concepts rather than ‘‘pseudo-scientific’’ language. Limitations are described in detail. The citizen-science distributed approach reduced experimental control over set and setting, participant priming, and technical uniformity; early network instabilities likely reduced some MEQ30 factors compared with the co-located Isness-C study. The study lacked a control condition, and retrospective quantitative analyses were not tied to specific narrative moments, limiting causal attribution to particular components (narrative, group aspect, coalescence, etc.). Sample selection bias is possible given node-based recruitment, and the authors note potential intra-group correlations that were not modelled. They acknowledge the short preparatory and integration phases (total session ≈ 70 minutes) differ substantially from YD psychotherapy protocols (which often involve multiple preparatory sessions and much longer dosing sessions), and therefore direct therapeutic inferences are premature. For future research, the authors recommend controlled experiments that systematically remove or vary Isness-D components to isolate mechanisms (e.g., narrative vs coalescence vs group presence), investigation of intra-group statistical dependence, and longitudinal follow-up to assess durability and clinical relevance of effects. They also propose exploring appropriate ‘‘placebo’’ or control conditions for experiential technologies. Finally, the authors suggest distributed intersubjective VR may have practical value in addressing loneliness and isolation exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, but emphasise that further work is needed to clarify clinical utility and underlying mechanisms.

The study presents Isness-D, a cloud-hosted multi-person VR experience designed to blur self–other boundaries via a matter–energy narrative and embodied ‘‘energetic coalescence.’' Using a citizen-science network of 14 nodes, the authors collected pre/post psychometrics and qualitative reports showing significant increases in connectedness (ICS), elevated communitas, and EDI/MEQ30 scores that, for many participants, were comparable to those reported after moderate YD doses or in naturalistic psychedelic contexts. The paper concludes that distributed multi-person VR can elicit intersubjective STEs that attenuate egoic identity and foster connectedness, and calls for controlled, mechanism-focused and longitudinal studies to clarify causal contributors and lasting impacts.