Let your own voice guide you to a calmer place. The experience is already available in a Berlin museum, and will launch for the public on 22 April for PC, Mac and VR headsets.
While the world waits for a cure to the global medical crisis, one enterprising US startup has created a new immersive experience to help us through isolation. SoundSelf: A Technodelic, developed by Andromeda Entertainment, invites you on a meditative journey guided by your own voice. The experience will be available for PC and Mac (microphone required), and for VR headsets on April 22, 2020.
The SoundSelf application was the subject of a medical study by scientists at the NeuroMeditation Institute in the US, led by its founder Dr. Jeff Tarrant. The app was found to positively affect mood and anxiety, with a summary of the results available here: https://www.enterandromeda.com/ss-science.
Journey to the centre of self
SoundSelf delivers a unique meditative experience in which you create and modify music and visuals by singing and humming. The sounds you make are transformed into relaxing forms and images that help you connect with your “deep self”.
Creator Robin Arnott revealed his vision for SoundSelf in a public TED
Scientific research and studies: effects on mood similar to psychotropic drugs?
Psychologist Dr. Jeff Tarrant, author and founder of the NeuroMeditation Institute, has produced exciting results from early research with a small group of subjects. Using electroencephalography (EEG), the tests showed that SoundSelf can induce brain activity akin to a psychedelic state. The published study, “Can Virtual Reality be Psychedelic? A Comparison of SoundSelf VR with Guided Meditation VR on Quantitative EEG, Altered States, and Mood” includes the following three key takeaways:
- SoundSelf induces similar EEG patterns in users to those produced by psychedelic substances.
- After 10 minutes of use, players report feelings of unity consciousness similar to those observed in research with psilocybin. The positive effects of psilocybin have been explored in a separate study by Professor Griffith of Johns Hopkins University, which showed that the active ingredient, found in certain hallucinogenic mushrooms, can help medical patients with depression. According to the study, the controlled use of psilocybin reduces anxiety and improves mood.
- SoundSelf has been shown to have a positive impact on player mood, causing a significant decrease of negative mood states such as tension and confusion, and a similar increase in positive mood states such as calmness and happiness.
SoundSelf will be available on April 22 via Steam for PC, Mac and VR headsets.
Price: 24.95 €
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