Unless you’ve been living under a rock, or in this case, a mushroom – a psychedelic renaissance is happening, and groups everywhere from academic and medical research institutions to investors from silicon valley are taking notice. From treating headaches and cognitive issues to neuropsychiatric disorders like depression and posttraumatic stress disorder, psychedelics are having a major moment within the fields of medicine and mental health.
Unfortunately, not everyone has legal access to these sacred medicines, or they are not good candidates to receive psychedelic therapy. As a result, many psychedelic companies are developing a digital platform or division – though most are pretty basic and center on general support. However, Entheo Digital, a digital therapeutics company, challenges this market by offering an integrated digital experience that helps both therapists and patients. Below, we speak to the Entheo Digital team about their psychedelic VR therapy tool, SoundSelf, the brain science behind the technology, and how the company is becoming a major disruptor in the mental health industry.
Psychedelic States Without The Medicine
With an impressive background in the gaming industry and sound design, Robin Arnott, Chief Executive Officer of Entheo Digital, is the developer of the VR experience SoundSelf. The interactive software uses biofeedback to weave together the haptic and light technology (and modulation of the person’s own voice) to shift the user into a deep meditative state. The company was initially intended for VR platforms in the entertainment industry, then Arnott realized that SoundSelf was destined for a greater purpose – a protocol for psychedelic-assisted therapy.
When asked about this transition into this market, Arnott reveals to Endominance, “As a game designer, I realized that I could shift a person’s consciousness with game design in very similar ways to how psychedelics work. So I created a video game that was based on the somatic experience of toning. And that’s what SoundSelf is; it’s very effective in inducing transpersonal states of consciousness. We’re using it [SoundSelf] to help people prepare for psychedelic journey work by giving people access to psychedelic-like states without the medicine. It really helps people to have some orientation to feel safe to go into those spaces.” Arnott adds, “Traditional video games expand the ego whereas SoundSelf draws attention away from the ego and into silence.”
Benefits for User and Therapist
So, what is transpersonal consciousness? This sub-field of psychology claims that our normal state of consciousness when awake is just one type of human consciousness. In a nutshell, transpersonal states of consciousness allow human beings to be connected and united to their surroundings. It encompasses stages of psychological growth, or stages of consciousness, that move beyond the rational, the ego, and precedes the mystical. When asked how long it takes for the virtual reality experience to work, Arnott reveals, “SoundSelf can move users to unitive states of consciousness within 10-15 minutes.” Shifting into this meditative state is known to reduce stress, control anxiety, and promote a greater sense of wellbeing.
And the benefits are not limited to the patient. When asked about the advantages of this technology for therapists, Arnott shares, “For therapists going into psychedelic medicine, it can be hard to get a sense of how ready your client is for this kind of work. SoundSelf can be used during the intake session to get a sense of where the client is. It’s a way of building rapport between the therapist and the client in a way that doesn’t take much time. Some psychedelic journeys can take five and a half hours. But with our experience, within 20 minutes, you can begin building a deep rapport with clients. It’s a low psychological risk and low investment opportunity.”
The Brain Science Behind VR Therapy
Entheo Digital conducted two pilot studies and found that SoundSelf helped improve mindfulness, depression, anxiety, and psychological wellness after six weeks of regular use. To take a deeper look at the research and the neuroscience behind VR therapy, we spoke with Chief Scientific Officer Sandeep Prakash. When asked what specific brain parts does Soundself target to produce a psychedelic experience, Prakash reveals, “There is not much brain imaging (fMRI) in the acute effects of psychedelics, only chronic changes. What we do know about the brain on psychedelics is mostly from EEG data. Nonetheless, in the pilot study using EEG data before and after SoundSelf, slower brainwaves (theta and delta) increased in the left hemisphere while alpha activity decreased significantly in posterior regions; there was also an increase in gamma in several brain regions. These results are similar to studies of psilocybin. Furthermore, they suggest that during SoundSelf, there is a significant reduction in language-based cognition and less functional integration of the default mode network (DMN).”
Quieting the Default Mode Network
The default mode network is linked to several mental health conditions, and both its hyperactivity and disrupted activity can contribute to symptoms. After ingestion of psychotropic medicines, like psilocybin, the usual connections in the DMN rapidly dissolve, and the brain becomes free of its control. Following this, negative ruminations and thought patterns begin to decrease. When activity in this region is reduced, research suggests that individuals report a decreased sense of separate self-identity and an increased feeling of oneness with their surroundings. SoundSelf suggests it may produce similar effects. When asked how the experience helps reduce stress and improve overall wellbeing, Prakash states, “Though the pilot study looked at a variety of measures and qualitative data, we noticed two statistically significant results, wellness, and mindfulness. Mean scores of WHO-5, a scale of wellness, increased by 52 percent from pre-test to post. In addition, there was a 12 percent increase in mindfulness scores of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire. We also saw improvements in measures of anxiety, depression, and psychological wellbeing.”
Prakash goes on to add, “What was interesting about the study is that when we interviewed participants about the transformative process over time, they tended to talk about how SoundSelf compelled a very personal process of psychological transformation. The acute effects include an altered state of consciousness – sort of like a flow state and advanced contemplative state – but the long-term effects were due to participants engaging with their inner worlds.” He concludes with, “The data analysis suggests SoundSelf helps people rapidly learn mindfulness and emotional regulation while also opening up access to psychological-emotional content through the modulation of interoception. The result is a feeling of safety for the person as they are encouraged to feel more deeply into their emotional processes. This can be incredibly beneficial for psychological healing, especially when guided by a therapist.”
How “Technodelics” Take the Stigma Out of Psychedelic Therapy
When asked how SoundSelf is reducing the stigma surrounding psychedelic-assisted therapy, Lyle Maxson, Chief Strategic Officer of Entheo Digital, states, “For first-timers or the experienced psychonaut, there is always some anticipation or slight anxiety before starting the trip. SoundSelf can show someone what these altered states of consciousness can look like before going on a 6-10 hour journey. It has an “off” button, and this feature paired with the ability to show a new audience that either can’t do psychedelics because of their job restrictions (active-duty military, police, etc.), people that take SSRI’s or have other medical restrictions, and countries that have a long way to go before any psychedelic treatment is legal, it is a really awesome alternative to amplify their healing journey.” He also adds, “The stigma around psychedelics centers around the counterculture movement and the fear of addiction, insanity, or creating a negative perspective in the participant. We all know software very well at this point; it runs most of our lives, so to take these programs we use for accessing the outside world and turning them inward feels like a natural transition.”
Forging a Path of Disruption in the Mental Health Space
Maxson concludes with, “We are really focused on the “inner moonshot” while billions are being poured into space exploration and AI automation, we seem to have forgotten the planet and the beings that inhabit it. By creating an inward, gamified exploration, we are addressing the foundational issue in society that all other problems arise from, the consciousness of the humans participating in it.”
Companies like Entheo Digital are proving to be major disruptors in the mental health space by developing and distributing technodelic experiences to support psychedelic therapists at all stages of journey work. The company’s mission is to grow the accessibility and scalability of psychedelic therapy with immersive virtual experiences. As the company states, “We’re ready to support those therapists on the front lines to prepare their clients for deep healing.”
