Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, Vol 13(3), Sep 2026, 313-332; doi:10.1037/cns0000396
Virtual reality (VR) has shown promise as a psychological means of inducing mystical experiences. Here, we compared the subjective responses of 48 undergraduate volunteers to script-guided multiuser perceptual experiences in VR (VR perception [VR-P]) with their responses to a control condition involving guided imagery while their eyes were closed (eyes-closed imagery). Nineteen participants (40%) met the criteria for a “complete” mystical experience in response to VR-P on the Mystical Experiences Questionnaire–30 (MEQ-30), while only three (5%) achieved this in response to eyes-closed imagery. VR-P was also more evocative of a sense of presence, vividness, and absorption, as well as various positive affective experiences, most prominent among which included awe, beauty, and being mindfully observant, but also novelty, interest, contentment, and joy. Comparably, negative affective responses were rarely reported even at a very low intensity. Guided perception in VR of a beautiful, realistic environment also inclusive of awe-provocative, surrealistic elements thus could be an effective method to induce mystical experiences in at least a sizable minority of participants. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)