How to have a drug-free trip

Taking a psychedelic trip into the outer regions of consciousness can be useful for creativity and mental health, more generally. A range of scientific studies vouch for the benefits of psychedelics, citing their positive impact on neural activity.

But not everyone wants to experiment with chemicals, whether they’re natural or synthetic. There can be apprehension or straight up aversion to such substances. However, if you want to have a drug-free trip, there are various ways to stimulate psychedelic-esque activity in the brain…

VIRTUAL REALITY
VR headsets can whisk you away into a multisensory experience with the aid of Sensiks’ various products. Their flagship invention is a sensory reality pod that can replicate the sights, sounds, smells, and sensations of a range of different environments… All without having to step outside the pod.

LUMENATE APP
This amazing app (@lumenategrowth) was designed with the guidance of a number of world psychedelic experts and is backed by a series of EEG experiments and brain scans. It uses your phone’s torch to emit stroboscopic light at your closed eyes, stimulating a variety of meditative and psychedelic states of consciousness.

THE POWER OF SOUND
Whether it be through gongs, tuning forks, wind chimes, or digitally-produced frequencies, sound baths and healing sessions have the potential to stimulate feelings of euphoria. Through sustained exposure to specific sounds and frequencies, it’s possible to enter a trance-like high.

DREAM MACHINE
Invented by artist Brion Gysin in 1959, the Dream Machine is essentially a cylinder that spins around while projecting light and images onto your closed eyes. The result can be transcendent, as reported by many who have encountered the Dream Machine. @apolloniamusic member @danghenacia made his own one during the pandemic, putting on shows in London and Lisbon with the trippy device.